2018 Blinky Awards
Blink Marketing, Inc. celebrates the second annual “Blinky Awards” during the 2018 entertainment award season. The “Blinky Awards” Winners and Finalists were selected from hundreds of exceptional Blink clients and suppliers by the 19- member Blinky Voting Committee. The awards are made up of six client and supplier categories, each with outstanding nominees.
Client categories include Best Company Webstore, Client Product of the Year, Client of the Year, Ad Agency Campaign of the Year, and Ad Agency of the Year and Accounting Department of the Year. Supplier categories include Most Valuable Supplier, Product of the Year, Best Incentive Program, Most User-Friendly Website, Supplier Representative of the Year, Inside Sales Representative of the Year and Best New Blink Supplier of the Year. See the full list of finalists and winners below.
BLINKY AWARD WINNERS
Category: Best Company Webstore
Client: City of Hope
What made them stand out: City of Hope (COH) has been off to a great start with their webstore – without even advertising that it is open to the public! This store offers a large range of products for visitors to choose from, and it’s quick and easy to order. The webstore has become a great promotional tool for COH to help raise money for cancer research. The biggest success came from the Pink Patch Project. This was a campaign designed to bring awareness to breast cancer and the cancer research organizations that are working to fight this disease. With the collaboration between the Los Angeles County Police Chiefs’ Association and public safety agencies, COH has been able to raise over $325,000 and counting. This webstore has been a huge success for City of Hope and we are so excited for the future!
Category: Client of the Year
Client: Vanderbilt
What made them stand out: Vanderbilt has put a lot of trust in Blink over this past year, and we could not be more thankful. The percentage of growth with this account has almost doubled, which made Vanderbilt the clear winner for the Blink team. By taking advantage of everything we have to offer, Vanderbilt has given us the opportunity to work hard and become a company they are proud to recommend. Vanderbilt has been an absolute pleasure to work with and this success can only be contributed to the teams on both sides. We are so grateful for the connections we have made and we are not finished yet. Thank you Vandy!
Category: Client Product of the Year
Client: Scripps Networks (Discovery Communications)
Product: Scripps Wine Bottles
What made it stand out: Discovery Communications purchased Scripps Networks this past year, which inspired Scripps to create special gifts for the executive team’s final meetings. Luckily, they had Marketing Josh Womack to help along the way. After having the wine bottles etched and packaged in custom engraved rosewood gift boxes, Josh hand delivered them to the Scripps Headquarters in Knoxville. Despite some of the logistical and legal challenges that come with the shipment of alcohol in the US, this project was finished with a week and a half to spare before the desired in-hands date. Josh was also able to pull off having some bottles sent to the private residence of executives that were not able to take them after the meetings. This project was a challenging one, but helped build a great relationship for Blink and a new client for Josh.
Category: Ad Agency of the Year
Client: Periscope
What made them stand out: Hands down, Periscope creates some of the most creative campaigns Blink Marketing has the chance to work on. Their creativity constantly keeps us on our toes, their client roster is extremely diverse which means each project is never the same and the people at Periscope make working with them a highlight of our days.
Category: Campaign of the Year
Client: OMD
Product: Heisman House T-shirts
What made it stand out: OMD, along with their experimental sub-contractor marketing agency MKTG, helps to run Nissan’s Heisman House program. MKTG received a recommendation to use Josh at Blink, and a new relationship was born. This program requires a large order of t-shirts to be made for football giveaways and staff. Throughout the course of 10 regular season NCAA football games, the Heisman Ceremony, Playoff games and the National Championship, Blink provided over 12,000 branded t-shirts to MKTG. The biggest challenge came between the Playoffs and the National Championship game, when 3,000 shirts had to be printed and delivered. For the third year Blink pulled this off with no customer complaints. This past year the Heisman House program was renewed by Nissan for another five years. We’re already excited for 2018 and beyond!
Category: Accounting Department of the Year
Client: A.O. Smith
What made them stand out: We can always count on A.O. Smith to pay their invoices on time and even early in some instances! Their prompt, friendly and professional response to inquiries is also noteworthy. Such professionalism in the accounts receivable world stands out and that is part of the reason we enjoy doing business with A.O. Smith.
Category: Most Valuable Supplier
Supplier: Hit Promotional Products
What made them stand out: Hit has really become a one-stop shop for all promotional product needs. They are quick to send out quotes when needed, offer a large selection of products, and their new website offers up a lot of helpful features to get the client all the information they need. They are always committed to getting the job done right and on time, along with offering great pricing. With its commitment to quality, service and technology, Hit stands out among the competition.
Category: Product of the Year
Supplier: iClick
Product: Popsocket
What made it stand out: Anything related to technology has a history of being successful with clients, and the Popsocket was no exception. With the increasing size of cell phones, they have become harder to grip. The Popsocket sticks to the back of any phone and makes it easier to grip. iClick offers an option that is completely customizable which makes it a great choice for clients. We are always carrying our phones these days, and this option makes sure that brands are constantly advertised.
Category: Best Incentive Program
Supplier: Showdown Displays
What made them stand out: Showdown is a manufacturer and supplier of visual communication, event and display products. They offer a large variety of choices when it comes to a client’s presentation specific needs. Their customer service is second to none, and as part of their superior service they offer email incentives to make sure the best price is achieved. Showdown is a great company and has really gone above and beyond on projects for us over the past year.
Category: Most User-Friendly Website
Supplier: Hit Promotional Products
What made it stand out: Hit recently updated their website, making it easier for distributors to find everything they need. You can quickly check inventory, get a shipping estimate and even make a presentation of different products – helping to get the information to clients in a timely manner. The site is designed in a way that allows you to quickly find what you’re looking for instead of taking time to dig around to find that one piece of missing information; making it an invaluable resource.
Category: Supplier Rep of the Year
Supplier: Hit Promotional Products
Rep: Meghan Kory
What made her stand out: Meghan has really become part of the family here at Blink, and we’re glad to have her. She knows how to make us feel like we are her favorite, while also going above and beyond for our clients. We have so many awesome reps, but we couldn’t have picked a better winner. Thanks Meghan!
Category: Inside Sales Rep of the Year
Supplier: alphabroder
Rep: Shelia Williams
What made her stand out: When it comes to apparel needs, alpha is one of our go to suppliers. They have quality products, great pricing and work quickly to make sure our needs are met. As our inside sales rep, Shelia makes sure that we are always satisfied and helps us to find the perfect apparel products for our clients. Thanks Shelia!
Category: Best New Blink Supplier
Supplier: Charles River
What made them stand out: Charles River is our newest apparel supplier and we could not be happier with their work. This family owned business, spanning three generations, has been around since 1983. They provide quality products straight from New England. They treat all their clients like family and we look forward to doing more work with them.
BLINKY AWARD FINALISTS
Category: Client of the Year
Clients: Mars Petcare/ Chocolate
Category: Product of the Year
Clients: Rackspace, Williamson Inc., Greater Nashville Realtors, Nashville Predators
Products: Holiday Grill Kits, Travel Kits, Realtor Kits, Predators Puzzle
Category: Ad Agency of the Year
Clients: Gish Sherwood & Friends
Category: Campaign of the Year
Clients: Periscope
Products: United Desk Dartboards
Category: Accounting Department of the Year
Clients: A.O. Smith
Category: Most Valuable Supplier
Suppliers: BIC, Sweda, PCNA
Category: Product of the Year
Suppliers: iClick
Products: Popsocket
Category: Best Incentive Program
Suppliers: POP Promos
Category: Most User-Friendly Website
Suppliers: BIC, Leeds
Category: Supplier Rep of the Year
Suppliers: Prime Line
Rep: Chuck Holland
Category: Inside Sales Rep of the Year
Suppliers: Hit Promotional Products
Rep: Luz Quiles
Category: Best New Blink Supplier
Suppliers: Strideline, POP Promos