For Immediate Release
Media Inquiries: Sarah Malpeli
SMITH
(352) 275-7445
smalpeli@smithadv.com

SMITH AGENCY AWARDED ONE INTERNATIONAL ADRIAN AWARD

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (Nov. 30, 2009)—SMITH, a fully-integrated advertising and marketing agency with offices in Raleigh and Fayetteville, North Carolina, and Sarasota, Florida, and Hilton Head, South Carolina., was recently recognized with a Bronze Adrian Award from the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) on behalf of the agency campaigns for the Charlotte Harbor Visitor & Convention Bureau.

Of the nearly 1,300 Adrian Award entries submitted this year from all over the world, the Charlotte Harbor campaign was judged as some of the best in their entry category by expert hospitality, travel, tourism and media professionals. The Charlotte Harbor campaign garnered a Bronze Adrian Award in the Web marketing division in contests and sweepstakes for the ECOnomical Summer Escapes Promotion. The promotion resulted in over $118,000 worth of negotiated value-added radio, online and print promotion, produced over 7,200 leads including email contacts for the online database, generated over 1,000,000 Web site impressions to a distinct Charlotte Harbor Web page and obtained a total reach of 2,206,750.

The Adrian Awards are presented by the HSMAI and are aimed to honor creative brilliance and best practices in hospitality, travel and tourism related marketing. In its fifth decade, the HSMAI Adrian Awards has grown into the world’s most renowned and prestigious advertising, public relations and web marketing competition, specifically tailored for the travel industry.

With a strong focus on education, HSMAI has become the industry champion in identifying and communicating trends in the hospitality industry while operating as a leading voice for both hospitality and sales and marketing management disciplines, as well as connecting its members with customers.

SMITH is an advertising and marketing agency driven by discovering what makes people who they are and what motivates their decisions, and then planning strategic communications accordingly. The 35-year-old firm offers fully-integrated services that include brand development, account planning, marketing research, dialog management, interactive services, creative, media planning/buying and public relations.

SMITH’s clients include regional, national and global companies in travel and tourism, healthcare, consumer products, real estate and financial services. The SMITH team has honed its planning and creative skills on blue-chip and Fortune 500 brands including Hershey, Ruth's Chris, Microsoft, Alliance One, Harley Davidson, Southeastern Regional Medical Center, First Bank of NC, SC and VA, Jeep, Miller, as well as leading travel destinations such as Hilton Head Island, Pinehurst, Augusta, Sarasota, and Asheville. SMITH is also a corporate partner and the agency of record for the Southeast Tourism Society.

For more information on SMITH, call (800) 421-1973 ext. 3107 or visit www.smithadv.com.