Zweig Group’s 2024 Marketing Excellence Award winners share the strategies behind their winning campaigns and the impact on their firms’ success.

By Sara Parkman
Senior Editor

Across all categories, the winners of Zweig Group’s 2024 Marketing Excellence Awards have created some outstanding marketing campaigns, displaying incredible imagination, creativity, firm-wide involvement, and client involvement. The creativity of these campaigns and results achieved by this year’s winners highlight the innovative spirit that drives our industry forward. Here’s what some of this year’s No. 1 winners had to say about their wins.

A conversation with Marketing Excellence Award winners.

The Zweig Letter: Winning this award is a significant achievement. How do you plan to leverage this recognition and build on your success in future marketing initiatives within the AEC industry?

Tanya Castella, Media and Communications Specialist, HFA: What set our campaign apart was the innovative approach of intersecting art and architecture, and commitment to celebrating Black History Month in an authentic and meaningful way. By collaborating with Walker Noble, a renowned multi-disciplinary artist, we ventured beyond the typical boundaries of our industry, embracing influencer partnerships – a relatively uncommon practice in the architecture and engineering sector. The positive impact on our firm’s reputation and position in the AEC industry is significant. This campaign showcased our commitment to celebrating diversity and supporting the arts, aligning our brand with values of inclusivity and cultural appreciation. It highlighted our ability to innovate beyond traditional industry boundaries, positioning us as thought leaders who are willing to take risks and embrace new ideas. Overall, the campaign not only amplified important voices but also strengthened our brand’s credibility and appeal, setting a precedent for future initiatives that reflect our internal values and resonate with our audience.

TZL: Looking ahead, what trends do you foresee in AEC marketing, and how does your firm plan to stay ahead of these trends?

Ryan Delwiche, Senior Graphic Designer, WSB: Looking ahead, the AEC industry is poised for a digital transformation, and we are embracing these changes at WSB. We anticipate a shift toward immersive digital experiences that engage clients and stakeholders more interactively and personally, which is part of the reason we submitted a digital brochure for our award. These digital experiences will not only enhance our presentations but also allow for a more collaborative and engaging sales process. Our firm invests in digital technologies in other departments, so we make a conscious effort to produce marketing materials that reflect that.

GinaRenee Autrey, Director of Marketing & Communications, Kleinschmidt Associates: The digital landscape is currently undergoing a seismic shift and marketers are looking for steady ground. The impact of generative AI and LLM tools will increase our productivity greatly, allowing us to focus on more strategic initiatives and drive real change at our firms. We adopted the use of generative AI early in 2023 and have been experimenting with various tools to see what works for us and are pleased with the results. We intend to stay on top of these trends through continual learning and embracing change.

TZL: What do you think set your award-winning marketing campaign apart from others in terms of innovation and effectiveness? How do you believe it has positively impacted your firm’s reputation and position in the AEC industry?

Laura Nick, Chief Communications Officer, Garver: What we loved most about our Engineers Week campaign is that it not only served Garver but the engineering industry as a whole. This outreach initiative checked a lot of boxes: it addressed a pressing industry workforce shortage and gave us an outlet to showcase our corporate giving program along with our engineers and their passion for STEM education. One of the coolest parts was that we weren’t telling a story – the initiative was a story in and of itself. And it was our engineers who were the ones telling it in their respective markets. Thanks to their efforts, our EWeek story was shared on local TV stations, social media, and more and helped raise awareness surrounding an ongoing industry challenge.

Lori Polantz, Corporate Communications Manager, Baxter & Woodman, Inc.: Our award-winning “Who is B&W?” video, quarterly B&W e-newsletter, and HR Evolution recruiting campaigns demonstrate how our team can work creatively and effectively across several departments to foster collaboration and deliver on our strategic goals. We blended visually compelling elements with concise, impactful messaging to make our campaigns memorable and effective. Winning these awards has really boosted our reputation, demonstrating our team’s outstanding capabilities to staff, new recruits, and clients! This recognition validates the hard work put into our initiatives and adds considerable value to our marketing toolbox. We can now proudly present our award-winning communications team as the top choice for clients seeking exceptional public outreach and messaging services. These accolades give us a competitive advantage, demonstrating our ability to deliver effective communication strategies.

TZL: How does your team feel to have your firm’s marketing campaign recognized as one of the most outstanding and effective in the AEC industry?

Stephanie Flury, Digital Marketing Manager, Little: We are deeply honored to have our MLK Day Culturally Inclusive Book Drive recognized for its outstanding impact. This award reflects the incredible power of teamwork and shared vision, showcasing the passion and dedication of Little employees who live out our core values of Care, Stretch, and Spark daily. Championing literacy and diversity is at the heart of this campaign, and our collaborative spirit shines through. This recognition inspires us to continue making a meaningful difference and, hopefully, encourages others to join us in promoting social equity.

Richard Carbone, Managing Principal for Growth and Strategy, Thriven Design: We are thrilled that our new identity launch resonated with the judging panel as much as it does with our team every day. It’s incredibly energizing to utilize our new logo, messaging, website, and marketing materials to convey our firm’s story. The collaborative rebranding process has not only enhanced our external presence but also strengthened our internal team dynamics, creating lasting positive effects.

Emily Villines, CPSM, CPC, ACC, MA, Vice President, Strategic Communications, Calibre Engineering: Calibre may be a small business, but we dream big in our marketing efforts. We strive to set the marketing bar in the AEC industry – and then rise above it. We say regularly, “This team is unstoppable.” We feel impassioned, rewarded, and recognized for this achievement. Winning this award shows what a small team with bright, intuitive minds can accomplish through hard work, planning, and dedication.

Katie Batill-Bigler, Marketing Director, Patel, Greene and Associates: When PGA is recognized for exceptional marketing, I am so proud personally because I know how hard (and smart!) our staff work to craft a compelling story and vision for our clients. Furthermore, an award in the “Project Pursuit” category showcases the awesome collaboration between our marketing staff and our technical staff, who lead the project approach and design. It’s a testament to not only how we work creatively and strategically, but how we are able to deliver work that is truly greater than the sum of our parts. We celebrate this award, and what it represents, companywide and it further motivates our team to continue raising the bar!

Jen Deal, Director of Marketing, McAdams: It feels incredibly rewarding to have our marketing campaign recognized at this level. This achievement is a testament to the hard work, creativity, collaboration and dedication of our entire team. We are all elated and motivated to continue driving excellence in our marketing efforts. This recognition reinforces our commitment to setting high standards in the AEC industry.

Heather Barrett, Brand & Creative Director, Westwood: Our team is honored and grateful to be recognized for our internal marketing campaign. Achieving first place is gratifying and validates our team’s hard work and creativity. Winning motivates us to keep pushing the boundaries of our work and to continue delivering innovative ideas to elevate the AEC industry.

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