Local agency recognized at annual advertising award event
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Feb. 24, 2017) – SPARK Strategic Ideas (SPARK), a full-service strategic branding agency, received a Silver Award in this year’s Charlotte American Advertising Awards (AAAwards) competition conducted by the American Advertising Federation (AAF). Falling under the Marketing and Sales – Special Events category, SPARK’s award-winning unique 3D media invitation was created for Blaze Pizza.
To announce the grand opening of Blaze Pizza’s first Charlotte location, SPARK created and hand-delivered a media event invitation printed on a wooden pizza peel with a “peel”-off pizza-printed label. Known for their custom-built artisanal pizzas, Blaze Pizza crafts pizzas on peels similar to the ones SPARK used for the AAF-recognized invitation. Three out-of-state judges, selected by AAF for their creative expertise, carefully evaluated the submissions and only selected a winner in a category if they deemed an entry to be award-worthy.
“We have built a reputation for developing creative, custom invitations for media events that not only build anticipation but also increase attendance and serve as an ongoing reminder long after the event is over,” said Pollyanna Falk, Account Supervisor at SPARK. “We’ve been recognized by local reporters on what a difference our invitations make for our clients’ brands, so it’s exciting to also be recognized by our local ad community.”
The annual Charlotte AAAwards event took place on February 23 at Big Chill. This is the third award recognition SPARK has received from the Charlotte Chapter of AAF for their creative work.
About the AAAwards
The American Advertising Awards is the advertising industry’s largest and most representative competition for creative excellence. The three-tier national competition is conducted annually by the American Advertising Federation (AAF), advertising’s largest industry association and the only one to represent the interests of all facets of advertising: advertisers, agencies, suppliers and media. The AAF is based in Washington, D.C. and has more than 40,000 members through 200 local advertising clubs. AAF.org
About Blaze Pizza
The first Blaze Pizza® restaurant opened on Aug. 6, 2012, in Irvine, Calif., and quickly gained attention for its chef-driven recipes, thoughtful interior design, and a service culture that celebrates individuality. Now ranked as the leading fast-casual pizza chain in the Technomic Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report, Blaze Pizza is building momentum and developing a cult following as it expands across the country. The company currently operates 191 restaurants in 32 states and Canada, including the major metropolitan areas of Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Toronto, Dallas, Las Vegas, and Washington D.C. Founded by Elise and Rick Wetzel (co-founder of Wetzel’s Pretzels), the concept is backed by investors including LeBron James, Maria Shriver, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Boston Red Sox co-owner Tom Werner and movie producer John Davis. For more information, please visit blazepizza.com and facebook.com/blazepizza.
