Boston's 49th Annual Hatch Awards Winners Announced

The Ad Club of Boston held the 49th Annual Francis W. Hatch Awards Tuesday night at the Seaport World Trade Center, in Boston. In a year where award shows around the world suffered losses and low entry numbers, The Hatch Awards saw an increase in entries, with a total of 895 submissions from 78 companies.

Boston-based advertising agency Fort Franklin won the coveted “Best of Show” award, for the 2008 opening video they created for The 48th Hatch Awards. Shot, edited, and animated to highlight interruptions and distractions on one employee’s desktop computer as he struggles to meet a creative deadline, the judges felt Fort Franklin’s video captured perfectly the fragmentation and variety that is advertising today. Arnold, Hill Holliday, Mullen, and Pod Digital Design all won gold bowls, for clients ranging from Footjoy and McDonald’s to The Boston Bruins and Liberty Mutual.

“Judges come in from all around the country and they are always amazed at the number of brands and the quality of branding that is happening in Boston. The Hatch Awards are living proof that for advertising, there is no better place to be than Boston," said Kathy Kiely, President of The Ad Club.

Chaired by Edward Boches, Chief Creative Officer and Chief Social Media Officer of Boston-based ad agency Mullen, The Hatch Awards Steering Committee introduced 11 new categories this year, including Blogs, Social Media Campaigns, Mobile Advertising Campaigns, and Experiential Marketing. Even with these additions, noted Boches, “No matter how much advertising changes -- from traditional media, to digital media, to social media — one thing will never change: the power of a creative idea to capture our imagination, seep into our memory, and attract us to a brand. Hatch continues to celebrate and inspire the creativity that separates marketing mediocrity from marketing greatness.”

149 Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards were presented to ad agencies, creative shops, freelancers, and students. As always, the entries was judged by a jury of creative leaders from outside New England, representing agencies such as Crispin Porter+Bogusky, BBDO, 72 & Sunny, Ogilvy & Mather, and more.

“Boston is a city that fosters creativity,” said Andrew Graff, Chairman of the Ad Club and CEO of Allen & Gerritsen. “The Hatch Awards celebrate the talent behind the best ideas and smartest brand campaigns that make an impact in Boston and around the world.”

Arnold won 5 gold bowls and 32 silver bowls. Mullen won 3 gold bowls for their new client, The Boston Bruins, and 5 silver bowls, and Hill Holliday finished with 1 gold bowl for its work for Liberty Mutual, along with 21 silver bowls. A new entrant to the gold category, Pod Digital Design, won a gold bowl for its work for The History Channel. Additional agencies with strong showings included Kelliher Samets Volk, Nail Communications, The Via Group, Full Contact, Rattle, and Modernista! Arnold Creative Director and OptionR portfolio school founder Dave Register’s students picked up three silver and two bronze bowls.

Additionally, The Ad Club presented three specialty awards:

* Marketer of the Year: John Hancock
* Just Hatched Award: Caroline Hettinger, Arnold Boston
* People’s Choice Award: “Date” for the Boston Bruins, by Mullen (which promoted voting on Boston.com)

A full list of winners can be viewed at https://adclub.org/hatch.