On May 10th, 530 financial marketing professionals gathered at the Ziegfeld Ballroom for the 24th Annual Financial Communications Society (FCS) Portfolio Awards. The black tie gala drew attendees from across the U.S., who came together to celebrate 2017’s most creative financial advertising, collateral, digital media, and public relations efforts.
The top prize, the Judges’ Choice Award, was won by State Street Global Advisors’ “Fearless Girl” PR campaign (agency: McCann) The work was selected by a consensus from among the judging panel of 26 industry experts who each nominated their favorite from among 450+ entries.
Winning “Best in Show” trophies* were:
CORPORATE IMAGE
- State Street Global Advisors
- McCann New York
- Fearless Girl PR Campaign
BUSINESS TO BUSINESS
- Hiscox
- Gyro
- I'mpossible Print: Campaign
CONSUMER RETAIL
- Bank of America
- GroupeConnect, Burson
- Friends Again digital app
DIGITAL MEDIA
- OppenheimerFunds
- MRM//McCann
- Mobile Custom Units: Rhythm Shake, Kiip & Parsec
MULTICULTURAL
- Citi
- OneTeam
- LGBT Pride Campaign
Including its Best in Show award, the Bank of America brands, including Merrill Lynch and U.S. Trust, led the night with 21 awards, including 7 Gold trophies. Citi, along with Citi/AAdvantage, scored a total of 17 awards, including 5 Gold trophies and a Best in Show. Other big winners were OppenheimerFunds with 12 awards including 6 Gold trophies and a Best in Show; Barclays with 10 trophies (3 Gold) and Prudential with 10 trophies (1 Gold).
Another 21 firms were winners of multiple trophies, while 24 others received one each. Download the full list of this year’s winners.
The awards were presented by seven financial marketing executives:
- Renée Baker, Carillon Tower Advisers
- Lou Casale, Hiscox USA
- Jennifer Lindauer, Citi
- Kirti Naik, Russell Investments
- Matthew Quale, Brighthouse Financial
- Niharika Shah, Prudential
- John von Brachel, Bank of America
The New York Times sponsored the Judges’ Choice Award and hosted the Judges Breakfast; the gala opened with a cocktail reception sponsored by Investor’s Business Daily.
Photos from the gala can be viewed online; please use password FCS2018.
In addition to honoring the work of the financial marketing communications industry, the Portfolio Awards serve as a significant fundraising event for the FCS, which supports multiple children's charities across the country. At the Gala, FCS Board Chairman Tim Hart announced that the annual donation raised during the FCS Race for Kids 2018 Marketing Summit totaled $100,000; bringing the total donation since the year 2000 in support of Hope & Heroes Columbia Medical Center, Downey Side Adoption Agency, and Make A Wish Foundation of Vermont now stands at more than $2.4 million. Hart said that the 2018 donation was bolstered by a significant donation from the WJO Foundation of Investor’s Business Daily.
As announced by FCS CEO Kevin Windorf during his opening remarks at the Gala, the FCS Board of Directors dedicated the evening's event to the memory of Hayward Henderson, a Board Director since 2007, who had died on March 29, 2018.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT THE FCS PORTFOLIO AWARDS DEDICATED WEB PAGE.
