Employee promotion.

AWARD ABAMN 2004 AD Awards Contest

Clue Box

Institution: Capitol Federal Savings, Topeka, Kan.

Assets: $8.5 billion; 37 branches

As a reward for top performing sales associates, the bank every year sponsors an awards banquet. In 2003, the bank decided to format the banquet as a murder-mystery dinner theater. The bank extended the theme to the banquet invitations, using an envelope/playing-card format similar to the one from the board game Clue.

The bank's internal ad department did the creative, based on detailed instructions.

The ad department people had a lot of fun creating the board-game parody, and the employees enjoyed the invitations as well as the banquet. "Doing something a little different each year can make your awards event something employees really look forward to," says James Billinger, business development manager.