The Advertising Specialty Institute^® (ASI) announced it has been honored with three international Hermes Creative Awards for its Diversity & Inclusion campaign, a corporate video on the promotional products industry’s extraordinary efforts throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and the “Promo in the Wild” social media campaign.

The Hermes Creative Awards is an international competition for creative professionals involved in the concept, writing and design of traditional and emerging media. The 2021 competition received about 6,000 entries from throughout the U.S. and 30 countries, with 15% of entries winning platinum, 20% gold and 10% an honorable mention award. ASI competed against companies and organizations like Nestlé, Airbnb and the American Medical Association.

“I am particularly honored that ASI was recognized for its response in the wake of last summer’s worldwide social reckoning,” said Timothy M. Andrews, president and chief executive officer of ASI. “My ultimate hope is that each of us continue these important discussions with our own friends, family and co-workers so we can keep asking the hard questions and listen – really listen – to the answers. All of us need to listen and grow all year long, and not just during national holidays or times of public awakenings.”

Below are ASI’s three Hermes Creative Award winners:

Platinum winner for ASI’s Diversity & Inclusion Campaign, in the category of Public Relations/Communications/Strategic Programs/Corporate Social Responsibility Program.

ASI’s months-long efforts started with a four-part series of mandatory, all-company discussions on racism and injustice led by a local therapist. The initial goal was to provide a forum for employees to learn, share and ask sometimes uncomfortable questions of themselves and each other, but it led to the establishment of four corporate-wide guiding principles: Leadership, Recruitment, Education and Equality, as well as the launch of a Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) blog and a reinvigorated D&I employee-led council – the latest initiatives in a years-long effort to live up to the principles of fairness and inclusion at the heart of ASI.

ASI employees receiving the award include Carol Albright, Lorianne Harris, Jamaal Jackson, Virginia Lucas, Shelby Kay, Miranda Doane, Eva Kailian, Stephanie Turner-Scott, Cristina Alcine, Sara Lavenduski and Dawn Shurmaitis.

Gold winner for the “Promo in the Wild” social media campaign by ASI Social Media Manager Melissa Newman, in the category of Electronic Media/Social Media/Interactive Media/Social Media Campaign (Multiple Platforms). “Promo in the Wild” was a month-long social media hashtag campaign with a simple premise – see a piece of promo “in the wild,” post a photo or video to social media using the #PromoInTheWild hashtag and tag ASI on social media. The campaign generated thousands of impressions across promo industry social media channels and sparked meaningful conversations about the ubiquity of promo items among ASI’s audience.

Honorable mention for Tim Andrews’ year-end video message to the promo industry, produced by ASI PR Manager Dawn Shurmaitis and filmed and edited by ASI Executive Creative Director Jake Krolick, in the category of Electronic Media/Social Media/Interactive Media/Video/Corporate Image. In his video, Andrews said of the work by suppliers and distributors throughout the historic pandemic, “Our industry’s grit and ingenuity helped save lives, turning on a dime to produce and distribute critically needed PPE. Trinkets? Never. This year, more than ever before, we proved that we’re really in the ideas and innovations business, while earning something essential for success: trust.”

Hermes Creative Awards recognizes outstanding work in the industry while promoting the philanthropic nature of marketing and communication professionals. The awards are administered by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP), an international organization of several thousand marketing, communication, advertising, public relations, digital media production, and freelance professionals.