The magic of the fat envelope

by Brian Shea, Journals PR and Advertising Coordinator In college admissions, the presence of a fat envelope portends good news. A rejection letter doesn’t need to come with the myriad forms and information an admitted student requires. I don’t know if this premise still holds true in the digital age, but I do know what it represents for the 2012 MarCom Awards. The fat envelope I received from this international competition contained the news that our Journals Marketing Department had won five awards. Administered by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP), the MarCom Awards recognize outstanding creative achievement by marketing and communication professionals. There were over 6,000 entries from throughout the United States, Canada, and several other countries in the 2012 competition The 2012 and 2013 Journals Catalog each received Platinum honors, the highest award given, in the Brochure/Catalog category. The new "In Other Words" video series won Gold honors in the Web Video/Educational Series. A 2012 brochure for the Association for the Study of Higher Education won an honorable mention in the Design (Print)/Brochure category while the re-designed German Studies Association website won a similar honor in the Website/Association category. I’m lucky enough to be part of the five-member team in the department. With the wonderful support we get from Journals Publisher Bill Breichner and the collaborative effort with our partner journals and associations which goes into these projects, I had high hopes for taking home some awards. But we won for five of the six entries submitted for the contest. You always want to think you and your colleagues do great work, but it’s hard to gauge just how well contest judges will receive your entries. I feel pretty lucky to work with folks like Marketing Manager Lisa Klose, Advertising and Exhibits Coordinator Ladzer Blumenfeld, Direct Mail and Renewals Coordinator Janet Gilbert, and Graphic Designer Keli Strickland.