RAB Insights

RAB Research Archive

Radio Mercury Awards ceremony celebrates 25 years of great advertising



The year’s most creative, engaging work in radio advertising was honored last night, as the Radio Mercury Awards celebrated its 25th anniversary during the 2016 ceremony at Stage 48 in New York City.

The evening’s festivities provided many highlights, including the presentation of the coveted $50,000 Best of Show award to Fitzgerald + CO for their “Long Story Short” campaign for Quikrete. In all, 16 awards were announced during the program.

“’Long Story Short’ took home Best of Show because it expressed Quikrete’s mission so creatively and succinctly,” observed Chris Smith, brand creative group head at The Richards Group, who served as this year’s Chief Judge. “The execution mirrored the product benefit perfectly, and made it far and away the most entertaining and effective campaign we heard.

“The winners who were honored are all different from each other,” he added, “but together create a snapshot of radio done right.”

Erica Farber, president/CEO of the Radio Advertising Bureau and chair of the Radio Creative Fund, noted that this year’s winners “epitomize our mission of distinguishing and honoring the best creative storytellers who engage consumers, and help build brands. ‘Long Story Short’ and all of this year’s winners are models for keeping the art of creative radio writing alive.”

Also during Thursday’s ceremony, The Coca-Cola Company was honored as radio’s Marketer of the Year. Drew Horowitz, president and chief operating officer of Hubbard Radio, presented the award to Carleen McCarthy, Director of Local Media & Experiential Marketing, and Sharon Waters, Local Media Director, for The Coca-Cola Company.

“Coca-Cola was selected to receive this year's Marketer of the Year award to recognize how enthusiastically they have made radio a key component in their advertising campaigns, and have activated numerous programs that leverage radio's core competencies to garner results,” said Farber.

To see a complete list of the 2016 Radio Mercury Award honorees, and listen to the many examples of great radio advertising that were recognized during last night’s program, log on to www.radiomercuryawards.com.

Source: RAB