- NEW YORK
- --
Verizon and its ad agency McCann Worldgroup won Best in Show distinction at the 2020 ANA Multicultural Excellence Awards for the campaign “Love Calls Back.”
The campaign features a four-minute video with four members of the LGBTQ+ community reconnecting--and reconciling--in telephone calls with family members who originally rejected their sexual identity. The social media campaign ran across Verizon’s channels.
Now in their 20th year, the ANA Multicultural Excellence Awards recognize client-side marketers and their agency or media partners who produced multicultural advertising campaigns between June 2019 and June 2020. This year’s competition, open to both ANA members and nonmembers, received 300 entries, the largest number of entries in the awards’ history.
“‘Love Calls Back’ is an example of phenomenal storytelling grounded in Verizon’s commitment to diversity and inclusion in our creative,” said Verizon EVP and CMO Diego Scotti. “The work not only celebrates the LGBTQ+ community, but shows the impact of the connection our network provides--in these cases, life-changing re-connections. The Verizon and McCann teams did a wonderful job on this campaign and it is a true honor for it to be recognized in this way by the ANA.”
In addition to the “Best in Show” award, grand prize winners also were honored in 13 categories for industry-leading advertising. The 2020 grand prize brand and agency winners in each category were as follows:
BEST IN SHOW
Digital/Social/Mobile
Verizon
McCann Worldgroup
African-American
American Family Insurance
Elite Media
Asian
#WashTheHate
IW Group
Audio: Radio, Internet Radio, and Podcasts
Tecate
Remezcla
Experiential Marketing
Mastercard
McCann Worldgroup
Hispanic
Tecate
Remezcla
LGBTQ+
Mastercard
McCann Worldgroup
People with Disabilities
Google AI/Canadian Down Syndrome
FCB Canada
Print
Gillette Treo
Grey NY
Small Budget
Courageous Conversation Global Foundation
Goodby Silverstein & Partners
Socially Responsible
Verizon
McCann Worldgroup
Total Market
Crayola Colors of the World skintone crayons
McGarryBowen and Golin
Significant Results
Procter & Gamble
Mediacom and iHeart
The complete list of winners in the 2020 ANA Multicultural Excellence Awards competition, including category winners for the above, can be accessed here.
Client Verizon Agency McCann New York Rob Reilly, global creative chairman; Eric Silver, chief creative officer, North America; Sean Bryan, Tom Murphy, co-chief creative officers, NY; Wayne Best, Dan Donovan, deputy co-chief creative officers, Verizon; Karsten Jurkschat, Alex Little, creative directors; Kyle Harrison, jr. copywriter; Ezequiel Consoli, jr. art director; Nathy Aviram, chief production officre; John McAdorey, SVP, executive producer; Doug Harrison, Laura Kellerman, producers; Eric David Johnson (aka DJ Bunny Ears), SVP, executive music producer; Dan Gross, music producer. Production Moxie Pictures Lee Hirsch, director; Robert Fernandez, exec producer; Katie Connell, head of production; Matt O'Shea, assistant director; Josh Kraszewski, key DP; Ric Sarmiento, DP; Brett Wiley, DP, Cleveland; Tyler Meason, DP, Utah; Trevor Herrick, production supervisor; Jennifer Venditti, casting. Editorial Union Editorial NY Christopher Huth, editor; Jean Taylor, assistant editor; Caryn MacLean, exec producer/partner; Susan Motamed, sr. producer; Kirk Balden, Flame artist. Color Color Collective Mike Howell, colorist. Music/Sound duotone audio group, New York Ross Hopman, executive producer; Gio Lobato, producer. Audio Post Sonic Union, New York Brian Goodheart, mix engineer.