The 2016 prestigious awards show hosted by the American Advertising Federation — the ADDYs— was an electric evening for RIESTER. The Firm was selected as best in class for copywriting and art direction with the presentation of the awards titled, Copywriting of the Year and Art Direction of the Year. Individual work resulted in eight Gold ADDYs, 11 Silver ADDYs and a Bronze ADDY. The event ended on an even higher note with RIESTER’s Mirja Riester being named Advertising Person of the Year.
“Everyone is still beaming from the recognition by the American Advertising Federation,” said Mirja Riester, chief strategic officer at RIESTER and the 2016 Advertising Person of the Year. “This year’s awards show was highly competitive and we are so satisfied that our work rose to the top. More importantly, these are wins for our clients who are close collaborators and partners in all that we put forth. We are on the cusp of one of the most memorable years at RIESTER; the 2016 ADDYs have further added to its breadth.”
As the recipient of the Advertising Person of the Year, Mirja was acknowledged for her commitment to her role as the Chief Strategic Officer at RIESTER where she guides the stewardship of every client. She earned a degree at the University of Hamburg equivalent to an MBA, then worked on such international brands as Panasonic, VW and Guinness at DDB Needham in Germany. After moving to the United States, she led marketing for Heel Pharmaceutical Company. At RIESTER, she is a champion of research-based marketing, consistently challenging herself and the Firm’s teams to uncover meaningful ways to connect with consumers. Constantly seeking to propel clients forward, she is an innovator, strategist and motivator.
Accompanying this highest recognition were the many other awards for work that stood out from almost 600 entries. The Firm won Best of Show for the DeNoble Files, a fully integrated anti-tobacco campaign created for The Arizona Department of Health Services. Two RIESTER teams were recognized for Art Director and Copywriter of the Year—an award that is traditionally earned by individuals; RIESTER was recognized for its team effort on the DeNoble campaign. These teams included Ben Dveirin, Greg Trotter, Aaron Smitthipong and Andrew Enzweiler for Art Direction and Troy Pottgen, Victor DeNoble, Bernadette Smith, David Kovacs and Tom Ortega for Copywriting. In all, RIESTER carried home eight Gold ADDYs, 11 Silver and one Bronze. In addition, RIESTER’s production partners earned an additional Gold and two Silver ADDYs.
