“We’ll treat this like Vegas– what happens here, stays here,” said WINA program director Jay James last night at the Glenmore Country Club. Yeah, right. Like a bunch of advertising folk are going to keep their winnings a secret.

The event was the 2007 Emma Awards for Excellence in Marketing, and James was the host for the annual ceremony that drew Central Virginia chapter members of the American Marketing Association. “I can be impartial,” said James. “There is no radio category.”

Payne, Ross & Associates took home the overall marketing award for its Kl�ckner Pentaplast campaign, as well as best logo/graphic for Collins Engineering and best print advertising for Monticello. Susan Payne, left, and Lisa Ross clutch their coveted Emmas.

The Ivy Group, another powerhouse ad/PR firm in town, won two Emmas– Internet marketing and broadcast TV, lauded as “an effective use of a small budget,” although oddly, their Pantops TV Extreme Shopping commercial was the only entry in this category.

Gotham Graphix scored in the nonprofit category with design for the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, and Photoworks beat out 20 entries in print/collateral, the brochures and direct mail category, for Advanced Network System.

Totally shut out was the Hook, which entered six print ads that were trounced by Payne, Ross’s Monticello work. Fortunately, the Hook fared better with its entries at last month’s Virginia Press Association Awards, where it took home 24 awards.

The Hook regrets its shameless self-promotion, and hopes its fellow AMAers will understand.

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