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Here are the financial services ads that received top honors in the ABA-MN Advertising Awards 2001 competition.

The ABA Marketing Network has announced the winners in the 29th annual Advertising Awards competition. Forty-four awards were presented to financial institutions or advertising agencies. The awards were for outstanding ads, websites or public relations campaigns produced during the year 2000.

The competition categories for advertisements included TV, radio, print, outdoor and direct mail. Two types of awards were presented. The Best of the Best award went to the winner in a category. The Certificate of Excellence went to other outstanding entries.

Following is a list of the Best of the Best winners, with sample illustrations of their cited ads. Also included is a list of the Certificate of Excellence winners.

Clik! Launch Campaign

Institution: Savings Bank of Utica, Utica, N.Y.

Asset Size: $250 million to $1 billion

Description: A campaign to promote the savings bank's new online banking service called "Clik!" including print advertising and direct mail. Print ads featured simple photographs of various consumers on a white background with short headlines highlighting the service's core benefit, such as "I Clik! at night." And "I Clik! alone." Direct mail consisted of a demonstration CD packaged with instructions.

Tell Bill

Institution: Nevada State Bank, Las Vegas

Asset Size: $1 billion to $5 billion

Agency: The Rose/Glenn Group, Reno, Nev.

Description: Campaign was built around the theme of giving customers a chance to make comments and suggestions to the bank president and CEO, Bill Martin. Campaign consisted of counter cards (with detachable "Dear Bill" comment cards), print and TV ads.

Name Change

Institution: Wells Fargo & Co., San Francisco

Asset Size: Over $5 billion

Description: Campaign included radio, TV, billboards and print ads. The ads reinforce the positive aspects of the recent merger of Norwest Corp. and Wells Fargo & Co. The ads build on the image of the stage coach, which is closely associated with Wells Fargo, using such slogans as, "Norwest and Wells Fargo have teamed up," and, "Same great people. Brand new horses."

Print Advertising, Single Ad

Golf

Institution: First National Bank of Ipswich, Ipswich, Mass.

Asset Size: Under $250 million

Description: This ad for private banking builds on the idea of the bank serving as a "financial caddy."

Print Advertising, Series

Then and Now

Institution: Litchfield Bancorp, Litchfield, Conn.

Asset Size: Under $250 million

Description: The series plays off of the bank's 150th anniversary. Close-up photos of consumers come with headlines that mention the bank's long history. Explanatory text says that the bank has been around since 1850 and it's "still the bank Litchfield County turns to for clarity and common sense."

Print Advertising, Black & White Series

Vote/Greenspan

Institution: Chevy Chase, Mclean, Va.

Asset Size: Over $5 billion

Agency: CGN, Boston

Description: Simple text-only ad on white background uses humor and topical events to promote its Super Money Market product to upscale, well-educated prospects.

Print Advertising, Color Series

Commercial Niche Campaign

Institution: Sanwa Bank, Calif.

Asset Size: Over $5 billion

Agency: J.R. Navarro & Associates, Los Angeles

Description: These ads for the bank's Commercial Banking division ran in trade magazines for various industries that Sanwa customers typically work in, The ads highlight Sanwa's efforts to become experts in these industries.

Outdoor, Single

You Can Bank from Here

Institution: First Tennessee Bank

Asset Size: Over $5 billion

Ad Agency: Thompson & Co., Memphis, Tenn.

Description: A man--actually a dummy--is perched on top of the billboard with his laptop computer. The billboard says, "You could bank from here."

Print, Brochures

Capital Account Brochure

Institution: Ulster Savings Bank, Kingston, N.Y.

Asset Size: $250 million to $1 billion

Description: The brochure promotes the financial institution's new business banking service, using an historical theme to remind prospects of the savings bank's 150 years of service to the business community.

Print, Brochures

Wealth Management Sales Packet

Institution: California Bank & Trust, San Diego

Asset Size: Over $5 billion

Description: This comprehensive packet of brochures positions the bank's Wealth Management Group as a premium provider of business retirement plans.

Print, Newsletter

Home Port, January 2000

Institution: Navy Federal Credit Union

Asset Size: Over $5 billion

Description: Colorful, easy-to-read 12-page membership newsletter contains financial news as well as consumer tips.

Direct Mail, Single

Watertown Revolutionary

Institution: Watertown Savings Bank, Watertown, Mass.

Asset Size: $250 million to $1 billion

Agency: Tracey/Edwards, Manchester, N.H.

Description: The price is designed to look like a Revolutionary War document, with script headlines and sealing wax. The message that the institution is community-based ties in with the community's links to actual events during the War of Independence.

Remote Control

Institution: Comerica, Detroit

Asset Size: Over $5 billion

Agency: Michael Flora & Associates, Troy, Mich.

Description: Letter and brochure use straightforward design, graphics to clearly spell out benefits to corporations of using commercial credit cards.

Direct Mail, Series

Online Banking

Institution: The Washington Trust Co., Westerly, R.I.

Asset Size: $1 billion to $5 billion

Description: The campaign, built around the slogan, "The sm@rter, f@aster, e@sier way to bank," included direct mail, point of purchases, statement inserts and branch kiosks where customers could try out online banking.

Small-Business Prospecting

Institution: KeyBank, Cleveland

Asset Size: Over $5 billion

Agency: Epsilon, Irving, Texas

Description: This is a graphically coordinated series of pieces designed to complement in-person meetings with small-business prospects.

Public Relations, General

150th Anniversary

Institution: Litchfield Bancorp, Litchfield, Conn.

Asset Size: Under $250 million

Description: This year-long campaign to promote the bank's 150th anniversary is an example of how much publicity mileage a community bank can get out of an event like an anniversary. Litchfield publicized anniversary events through customer newsletters, print advertisements and press releases. The bank worked closely with the public schools, sponsoring several student events, including a poster contest, a town oral history project and a luncheon by culinary arts students featuring a menu of 1850 dishes. The bank sponsored displays of memorabilia and donated items, such as the bank's original 1850 ledgers, to the local historical society. All of these events received extensive local newspaper, magazine and television coverage.

Annual Reports

2000 Annual Report

Institution: Camden Nation Corp., Camden, Maine

Asset Size: $1 billion to $5 billion

Description: The report is built around a series of spectacular color photos showing the natural beauty of the state's countryside and seashore.

NCBC Annual Report

Institution: National Commerce Bancorporation

Asset Size: $1 billion to $5 billion

Agency: Perdue Creative, Memphis, Tenn.

Description: The first portion of the report is devoted to an explanation of the mid-year merger of NCBC and CCB. The report uses short, simple headlines, bold, compelling graphics and brief, concise text-blocks to tell its story.

Website

Visa Olympic Tool Kit

Institution: Visa

Asset Size: $1 billion to $5 billion

Ad Agency: Design One, San Francisco

Description: A password-protected website developed for the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games. The site delivers several hundred pages of in-depth Olympic-related guidelines to all its global agencies and internal audiences.

CERTIFICATES OF EXCELLENCE,

MuLtimedia:

Investments, BancorpSouth, Tupelo, Miss.

TV Series:

The Next Stage, Wells Fargo & Co., San Francisco.

Print, Single

Palmetto Index, The Palmetto Bank, Laurens, S.C.

Print, Single

ING Direct. Howard, Merrell & Partners, Raleigh, N.C.

Print, Single

A Walk in the Park, Michael Flora & Associates, Troy, Mich.

You Can Bank from Here (Mountain) and You Can Bank from Here (Stadium), Thompson & Co., Memphis, Tenn.

Print Advertising, Series:

Watertown, Tracey/Edwards, Manchester, N.H.

Promises, Promises, Legacy Bank of Texas, Plano, Texas.

Pyramind/Cube/Orb Michael Flora & Associates, Tray, Mich.

Print, Brochures

BankPittsburgh Flagship Brochure, Krome Communications, Pittsburgh.

Business Image, Centier Bank, Crown Point, Ind.

SBA Sales Packet, California Bank & Trust, San Diego.

Print, Other

Product/Services Guide, The Palmetto Bank, Laurens, S.C.

Direct Mail, Single

Institution for Savings Direct Mail, Tweedy Borelli Advertising, Belmont, Mass.

Competitive Edge, Michael Flora & Associates, Tray, Mich.

Key Bank CPA Referral Campaign, Epsilon, living, Texas.

Key Bank Online Solution, Epsilon, Irving, Texas.

Direct Mail, Series

Wachovia OPT Product Launch, MC Direct, Pa way, Calif.

IRA Campaign, Navy Federal Credit Union, Vienna, Va.

Public Relations, Other:

Business Blitz, Adcom Communications Inc., Cleveland.

Public Television, J.R. Navarro & Associates, Los Angeles.

Annual Reports:

2000 Annual Report, Union Bancorp Inc., Ottawa, Ill

Annual Report, Washington Trust Co., Westely, R.I.

Website:

ElibertyBank.com, Liberty Bank, Eugene, Ore.