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2006 Better Newspaper Contest — Advertising

contestheader

Division 2, Dailies
Division 3, Dailies
Division 4, Semiweeklies
Division 5, Semiweeklies
Division 6, Weeklies
Division 7, Weeklies
Division 8, Weeklies
Division 9, Weeklies
Division 10, Weeklies

Advertising

View Winners' Slideshow

Division 2 Dailies 7,000 to 99,999

1. New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung - "Lazy M" Nice layout, easy to read. "www.beheardblog.com" Very clean, very clever. "Train horn blowing" Very creative, cute artwork made me laugh.

2. The Baytown Sun - "Robson's Diamond Jewelers" Original layout, will draw customers in for merchandise and price. Lots of time on layout. "Holiday gift guide" Good idea for the holiday. "Bayer" I loved this one. Makes me want to work for Bayer, employees must love their employer (longevity, attendance). Good use of artwork.

3. Odessa American - "Anita Goudeau Designs" Beautiful artwork, tastefully layed out, clean. Immediately caught my attention. "Ector County coliseum" Almost too much information, but definitely got the message across and probably sold lots of tickets. "NIE" Purpose is clear, good artwork and layout.

4. The Galveston County Daily News - "Jean Lafitte Lofts" Too much information for the space, but made me want to read it. "Mall of the Mainland" Beautiful color, easy to read, clear and concise. "United Way" Good use of color, well layed out.

Division 3 Dailies Less Than 7,000

1. Sweetwater Reporter - "Laugh and the world laughs with you" What a "quirky" idea! Loved the joke on newspapers contrasted with the "great-deals-no-foolin'" from the advertisers. "Sweetwater" Sounds like a fun weekend with lots going on! Each ad stands-alone too! "House" Very creative ad that blends well with the sports football theme.

2. Terrell Tribune - "American Cancer Society" Nice local feel to a national organization ... makes the reader want to get involved! "Coggans Funeral Home" Great sentiment and copy writing! Makes the reader feel that your loved ones will be cared for. "House" Attention-grabbing headline and graphics.

3. Stephenville Empire-Tribune - "Easter heat and air" Love the photo! A real attention getter. "Kia Zaetly" Attention grabbing headline. Extremely colorful but it works. "Serratelli" Silhouette graphic gives an authentic country western feel!

4. Taylor Daily Press - "First State Bank" Eye-catching graphic! "Terra Properties" Great concept & graphic. "Citizens National Bank" Ad does a great job of identifying with the readers. Like the use of actual bank customers!

Division 4 Semiweeklies 4,001 or More

1. Wise County Messenger - "Magic Pony" Great small space ad, creative take on the concept and nice use of the reverse type. "Popilicous" Cute and attention getting. Nice use of color and graphics. "Fit-n-Wise" Nice layout to take advantage for the space. Good, relatable concept.

2. Boerne Star & Recorder - "Authentic Custom Homes" Very professional, clean ad. Nice use of negative space and graphics. "Bandera Chevrolet" Great graphic and map. "Automotive guide" Nice, clean, professional layout. Great graphics.

3. Round Rock Leader - "Reliant Energy" Love the artwork, great use of space in layout design. "Hungry Howie's Pizza" Nice graphic and use of ovals to highlight items. Nice reverse headline. "Tres Lindas" Cute concept, graphics. Attention getting border.

4. Hood County News - "Southwest Suzuki" Nice layout and use of color. "Lake Granbury Medical Center" Nice layout; great graphics. "Van Griffith Kia" Attention getting border and great use of color.

Division 5 Semiweeklies 4,000 or Less

1. The Light & Champion, Center - "Lynne's Eat 'n In" Good artwork. Gives a good feel for the beauty of the location. "Ray Jone Chevrolet" Very nice and clean. Not too cluttered, nice headline. "IHLO" Excellent use of space, not too much information. Great art.

2. Jacksboro Gazette News- "Compass Hospice" Lots of information but easy to follow, well layed out. "Frijole Fest" Eye catching, fun graphics, text. Gives the feel of a good time! "Jacksboro National Bank" Great ad! Good art, type, use of space. Not cluttered, very easy to follow. Great headline!

3. The Brownfield News - "I'm making a difference" Wow! Very dramatic! "Meadow ISD" Nice recognition of school. "Harvest Festival 2005" Good hometown feel. Enough in formation without being cluttered.

4. Lampasas Dispatch Record - "Kevin's Fast Lane Car Care" Very cute, creative! Easy to read no clutter. Great use of clip art. "Copycats" Art goes well with headline. "Lampasas Builders Mart" Good description of a specific event/sale. Good use of space!

Division 6 Large Weeklies

1. The Jasper Newsboy - "First National (senior)" Great artwork, effective copy and great balance in the ad makes it extremely effective and easy to relate to. "First National (pride)" Wonderfully effective unique concept makes this ad stand out as well as gives the reader a distinctive "hometown" feel about the advertiser. "First National (zeroed)" Very non-traditional approach for a traditional advertiser definitely works here. The campaign as a whole really displays the bank's "hometown" appeal while targeting different demographic groups.

2. Park Cities People, Dallas - "Texas Sweetness" Very effective small space ad. The typography as well as layout makes this ad stand out among the others. Effective use of negative space. "Ben Jones" Extremely effective use of negative space. The ad is clean, and is visually appealing. Also the typography used is extremely effective in maintaining the use of negative space. "HP Presbyterian" Also an effective small space ad, the copy is what sells in this case. The use of the bold phrase along with effective use of negative space make this ad visually appealing while getting the message across effectively.

3. Fredericksburg Standard Radio Post - "Bed and breakfast" The ad does have a soft, serene feel. The photos at the bottom are effective in displaying what the advertiser offers. "County fair" Wonderful typography and use of color make this ad effective in conveying the feel of a county fair. "Dog on good mechanic" This ad is wonderful, by far the most memorable thanks to the creative headline and great artwork. The advertiser's message is conveyed loud and clear, and is not likely to be forgotten.

4. The Free Press, Buda -"Budafest" Nice use of color and artwork make the ad's selling point clear. "Simon Ford Mercury" Great artwork and a creative concept make this ad stand out. "Lone Star Propane" Creative tagline with artwork make this ad unforgettable.

Division 7 Medium Large Weeklies

1. The Community News, Aledo - "Aledo bond (secrets)" Excellent concept that involved the reader in a topic that could be boring otherwise. Lots of info conveyed in an easy-to-digest format. "Aledo bond (where)" Another excellent concept to make the point! Creative treatment of info that could have been dull and routine. "Moritz" Great graphic and great art makes this ad a winner!

2. Lake Travis View, Lakeway - "Expressions" Yum! Looks good enough to eat! This ad makes me think that "Expressions" is a WONDERFUL place to stock up on "groceries" for special occasions. "Realtor" This ad gives me confidence that Russ Eitel is the best Realtor in town. Lots of good information conveyed in an easy to read design. "Bee Cave Visions" Very creative ad that does "double duty!" Very effective.

3. North San Antonio Times - "The shoe club" Great art makes this ad a winner! Shows that small space ad can be powerful! "LeeLee" Another great small space ad. Very clean and to the point! You need to shop this store often (daily) for fabulous shoes! "Okent's" Ahhh! This ad is so sweet and sentimental! It makes me feel that this business has got to be a great one to business with... I get a sense of top quality flooring.

4. Westlake Picayune, Austin - "Agave" Good small space ad that definitely tells the reader what to expect from this store. "Westlake Outdoor" Clean layout and design and nice photos send a "quality" image to the reader! Great color choices - a little different from the norm! "Students of the week" What a great way to involve a "national" advertiser with a local community! Lots of "good will" for Outback follows this campaign, I would think...Great way to get the advertiser to commit for a long time! Kudos to the salesperson.

Division 8 Medium Weeklies

1. Iowa Park Leader - "True Value" Nice use of color. Creative layout of coupon on the white can of paint. Excellent job and very original. "Ken's Pizza" Very good graphics. Green color makes the ad stand out. Impossible to miss this ad and can tell instantly what the purpose is. Very well done. "Rock in the Park" Nice design and layout. Headline well done, nice touch with guitar element on some letters. Visually pleasing and very high quality works.

2. Leader News, Lytle - "Hatis Western" Good photo, nice tie to Father's Day with reclining feet. "Music festival" Great ad. Very nice use of reverse color around the fiddle. Well done. "Little Red School House" Nice use of photo. They do just what they should do -- make parents comfortable with school. Good layout.

3. West Austin News - "Twin Liquors" Neat design and creative headline with use of word spirited tied to holiday season. "Nalle Woods" Great layout, ad stands out and draws eye to copy. Very well designed. "Elegant" Very nice layout, photo makes theme of the ad very elegant.

4. Lexington Leader - "Tranum" Good color. Nice placement of auto photos. "Alcoa" I love this ad. Great photo, especially the expression of the young girl. Well done. "Bluebonnet" Nice concept. Cow holding headline a neat and original idea.

Division 9 Small Medium Weeklies

1. Leonard Graphic - "First United Methodist" Nice use of color. Classy, clean ad. "Skytex" Great ad placement and layout. Nice use of reverse. ""First Baptist" Colorful and interactive. Very attention-getting.

2. McGregor Mirror - "First National Bank 1, 2 & 3" Catchy headline, nice use of negative space. 2 - Great artwork. Unique approach to traditional advertiser. 3 - Nice use of graphic to brand bank.

3. Muleshoe Journal - "MYRE Auto Sales" Great image, nice use of border to create attention-grabbing small space ad. "Carolyn's Red Hat Fling" Great use of artwork to create a traditional feel in the ad. "Carolyn's Christmas" Great use of negative space! Nice sell.

4. Hico News-Review - "Dough or doe" Catchy headline, nice concept. "Bucks in vault" Great continuation of the concept from the previous ad to build recognition. "House" Nice use of negative space.

Division 10 Small Weeklies

1. The Eldorado Success - "First National Bank" Good originality, but too many fonts. Keep it a little simpler, especially with a bank. "Memorial day" Nicely done, simple and says it all with one sentence and photo. "House" If this is original idea, somebody needs a raise! Good job.

2. Overton Press - "Last roundup" Original, nicely done, especially since you had no access to color position. "Graduation" Boy, they are proud, aren't they? Good ad her family likely wanted lots of copies of. "Veterans" Very nice, love the vintage photos, next year try to get a group shot of current day.

3. East Bernard Express - "Don Elliott" Nice use of art, surprisingly "unbusy" for a car dealer! They usually want too many specifics about vehicles. "Caporales" Like the pepper but name of restaurant hard to read - nice and clean overall though. "Ellison Chevrolet" Nice public service, type, community oriented ad, clean.

4. The Princeton Herald - "Princeton Pharmacy (Christmas)" Very nice color reproduction, not too busy, good border. "Classic Gardens" Nice ad. I'd buy something. "Princeton Pharmacy" Good idea but a little drab, too dark.