We had our local ADDY awards gala, the Louies, this week. One of our projects for Vanity Fair Intimates, the Lily of France “Find Your Sexy Style” site won a Gold ADDY for Consumer Website / Flash. I was the copywriter on that project, so it was really an honor to see the work get that kind of recognition.

That said, (and don’t get me wrong, I am really grateful that we received the award, and hopeful of our chances in the Regional awards), I was more than a little disappointed to see that only two awards were given out for the entire “Interactive” category. I’ve heard that’s not uncommon. But I find it a little odd, particularly when there were 11 awards for “Non-Traditional Advertising” and 48 awards for “Collateral Material.”

Considering that even the most print-entrenched trade publications have been saying for a while now that the entire industry is moving to digital, I wonder what the takeaway is. Are there not enough quality entries? If so, I’ve seen some of the interactive work being produced locally–it’s not because there’s not great work being done. It may not be getting entered in the competition, but it’s getting done.

I also wonder about the judging process. Collateral material entries send actual samples, but interactive entries are judged based on a screenshot? Um, isn’t the category “Interactive?” Maybe it’s just me, but I have to wonder if a site with a really amazing AJAX user interface or interactive video isn’t going to lose something as a screenshot.

At any rate, the gala was a lovely event, and it was great to see the other work during the Preview Party. There really is some excellent work being done in this city. Congratulations to all the winners.

image courtesy Marinela

So anyway, another reason I’ve been hesitant to go all full-on web geek, social media spastic here is that most of the people I’ve encountered who work in my industry who are blogging and participating in social media are either freelancers, consultants, entrepreneurs, or something similar; whilst I am excessively happily employed at LeapFrog Interactive, an interactive advertising agency. So a lot of the stuff that everybody else in that “problogger” group is blogging about pertains to succeeding in that type of environment. But ironically, agencies and in-house marketers for larger companies and brands really need to figure out this stuff, too.  The world is leaving old-school marketing and advertising tactics in the dust.

I was really fortunate that Jason Falls, the social media explorer at Doe Anderson, reached out to me with a phone call after we were both featured in a Business First article about social media and marketing. We met, talked, and I checked out his blog at www.socialmediaexplorer.com. He also appears on dailyidea.tv.

It turned out we had a lot in common: early vocational experiences in radio broadcasting, happy careers at Louisville advertising agencies, awesome families, and a passion for social media. Jason comes to social media from a public relations background, whereas I’m coming to it from web copywriting and search engine optimization (SEO).   In addition to meeting a really neat guy and getting an invite to the new Louisville chapter of the Social Media Club, reading Jason’s blog helped me wrap my head around writing about social media and the online marketing industry from the perspective of someone who isn’t an entrepreneur or looking to strike out on their own as a consultant.

I love writing advertising copy.  (Let’s be honest, I love writing. Period.  I would probably write greeting cards if it came right down to it.)  It’s like playwriting, but shorter.   There’s passion.  There’s drama.  There’s a certain “artist honing her craft” aspect to it that I love.  But two actors performing a scene isn’t a real conversation, and neither is advertising copy, online or off.   Smart agencies and companies need to learn how to have conversations with their customers.

I want to be involved with the people who are figuring out how to make that happen.  I think I’m in a good place to do that.