Calgary’s annual Anvil Awards show were once again dominated by two agencies Friday night, though Wax can definitively claim top spot by winning 13 Anvil Awards including Best of Show.
Last year, Wax and Trigger tied for top spot and were neck and neck in 2007, but Trigger was well behind Wax this year, with eight first-place Anvils.
Wax won Best of Show for its television series for the Calgary International Film Festival. The four spots used quirky humour and clips from foreign language films, with the dubbed characters supposedly complaining about the festival changing the meaning of their words for the Festival’s promotional purposes.
In one spot, an man complains about the festival subverting his words to meet its own “Western capitalistic needs,” while in another, a man drawing in the sand with a stick is supposedly writing a letter of complaint to the festival.
Wax also took home first-place Anvils for its work for the Film Festival in the integrated design, advertising campaign, craft copywriting, non-traditional, craft typography, radio series and TV campaign under $50,000 categories.
It took first place honours for other clients for outdoor single, out of home, public service print and corporate identity.
Trigger won in the magazine single, business-to-business, poster single and series, radio single, outdoor series, self promotion and photography categories.
Other multiple Anvil winners were Karo with four, Venture Communications with three and Foundry with two.
Despite a troubled economy and the closure last year of Highwood Communications, one of Calgary’s oldest and largest agencies, show chair Margie Hope said entries were up over 2008, with 12 agencies participating in the competition for the first time.
“I think this speaks volumes for the health and determination of the advertising community here in Calgary, and their willingness to support that community through the initiatives of the Ad Rodeo Association.”
More than 500 people attended the gala event at the University of Calgary’s MacEwan Hall.
