Charleston American Marketing Association (AMA) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2021 Spark! Awards. The annual Spark! Awards is the premier marketing event of the Lowcountry that honors creative and marketing excellence in the Charleston community. After receiving hundreds of submissions in 20 categories, fellow AMA chapter, AMA Tahoe, judged and casted their votes for finalists and winners, while Charleston AMA Board of Directors selected winners for Marketer of the Year, The Giving Award, and Chapter Volunteer of the Year.
Awards finalists, Charleston area marketing professionals, and business leaders gathered for the lively awards celebration on September 23 where winners were revealed. The awards were hosted by event emcee Whitney McDuff, who is a recent winner of Best Marketing/PR Company for Charleston City Paper’s 2021 Best of Charleston.
Charleston AMA is thankful for this year’s sponsors, including Nelson Printing, Squeeze Marketing, Fox Audio Visual, Larry Monteith Photography, Seth G. Music, Holy City Sinner and Chris Hervochon CPA CVA.
And the winners are…
Charleston AMA 2021 Marketer of the Year:
Charlotte Berger, CharlotteBergerPR
The Giving Award:
Stan Foxworthy, Foxworthy Studios
Chapter Volunteer of the Year:
Taylor Ion, Charleston AMA Director of Marketing and Communications
Best Book Cover
WINNER: Advantage | ForbesBooks – Stuck In The Middle Seat by Stephen E. Gerard
FINALISTS:
Advantage | ForbesBooks – Stuck In The Middle Seat by Stephen E. Gerard
Advantage | ForbesBooks – Hidden Wealth by Terry H. Monroe –
Banks Creative – Eleanor, Alice and the Roosevelt Ghosts by Dianne K. Salerni
G Sharp Design – Mindscaping
Best Branding
WINNER: Squeeze Marketing – Lowcountry Trolley
FINALISTS:
PlanSource – PlanSource
Trio Solutions – Marketing Impact Assistant (aka M.I.A)
Best Corporate Blog
WINNER: Roper St. Francis Hospital – House Calls Magazine and Health Hub Blog
FINALISTS:
Stingray Branding – Tumbleston Photography
Winkler Group – Winkler Group Corporate Blog: Part 1 – Counterintuitive Fundraising
Best Corporate Identity
WINNER: Roper St. Francis Hospital – Roper St. Francis Healthcare Brand 2020
FINALISTS:
Trio Solutions – Bleecker Family Law
Best Collateral
WINNER: Rawle Murdy – Desert Highlands
FINALISTS:
Push Digital – Stop Soldier Suicide – 2020 Impact Report
Squeeze Marketing – Lowcountry Trolley
Best Content Marketing
WINNER: Lunch + Recess – Vertical Roots Brand Video
FINALISTS:
BoomTown – The BoomTown Effect
PlanSource – Employee Communications Interactive Site
Best Digital or Print Ad
WINNER: Push Digital – Dermatology & Laser Center of Charleston
FINALISTS:
Rawle Murdy – Terminix
Best Direct Mail
WINNER: PlanSource – THRIVE SalesCon Box and Deliverables
Best e-Newsletter
WINNER: Charleston County Parks – Charleston County Parks Explore
Best Event Marketing
WINNER: Mex 1 Coastal Cantina – Mex 1 Snowboard Rail Jam
FINALISTS:
BoomTown – Unite
Push Digital – Lung Cancer Research Foundation – Free to Breathe Event
PlanSource – Eclipse Live Marketing Collateral
Best Fundraising Campaign
WINNER: CharlotteBergerPR – Warrior Surf Foundation Surfboard Auction
Best Social Media Presence
WINNER: Rawle Murdy – Sleep.com Mattress Firm
FINALISTS:
Charleston County Parks – Charleston County Parks Facebook Page –
Push Digital – Stop Soldier Suicide
Best Illustration
WINNER: Banks Creative – College of Charleston ‘What Type of Cougar are You?
FINALISTS:
Banks Creative- College of Charleston ‘What Type of Cougar are You?
Charleston County Parks – Step Into Nature
Lunch + Recess – Osprey and Snake Illustration
Best Logo Design
WINNER: In the Black Marketing & Consulting – Migliori’s Pizza
FINALISTS:
Gibbes Film in Focus – Banks Creative
Stingray Branding – Juneteenth
Stingray Branding – Your Space Designs
TRIO Solutions – Ruby’s Academy
Best Non-Traditional Marketing
WINNER: Banks Creative – Gibbes on the Street – Gibbes on the Couch
FINALISTS:
CharlotteBergerPR – LoDi Coffee Sleeve Design
Rawle Murdy – Primland Resort
Best Social Media Campaign
WINNER: Matchstick Social – Kickin Chicken
FINALISTS:
Chernoff Newman – MUSC Don’t Go Viral
Nelson Strategic Marketing – Meals on Wheels Summerville: Stories of Isolation
Best Pandemic Pivot
WINNER: ArcheMedX, Inc. – COVID-19’s Effect on Virtual Tech in Clinical Trials
FINALISTS:
CharlotteBergerPR – Warrior Surf Foundation Surfboard Auction
Maggie Mills – Take Maggie’s Word for It
Best Promotional Video
WINNER: Lowcountry Local First – Every Dollar Matters
FINALISTS:
BoomTown – Success Assurance
Charleston Battery – This Is Your Club
Mara James – Shiksona Beauty
Best Website
WINNER: Squeeze Marketing – Lowtide Brewing
FINALISTS:
Push Digital – PushDigital.com
Squeeze Marketing – Southern Concepts
Stingray Branding – Wild Blue Ropes
