MONO TAKES HOME THE 4A’S AGENCY OF THE YEAR O’TOOLE AWARD FOR THE SECOND YEAR RUNNING
The Minneapolis-based advertising and branding agency wins again with innovative approaches to clients' marketing challenges
March 28, 2012 (Minneapolis) – The 2012 O’Toole Award for Creative Excellence in advertising was awarded last evening to mono as best small agency in the country for the second consecutive year during the American Association of Advertising Agencies’ annual conference in Los Angeles. The 4A’s calls it “the toughest creative award in the business.” The O’Toole, presented only once a year, is based on the work agencies do for many brands, and signifies that in this industry, “…you can't win with one great idea, you have to be great again, and again, and again.” It was presented by Chuck Porter, chair of the 4A’s and Crispin, Porter + Bogusky, to mono co-founders Chris Lange, Michael Hart, and Jim Scott.
“We are passionate about pushing the status quo and finding new ways for brands to connect with people,” said Michael Hart, mono co-founder and creative co-chair. “It’s an incredible honor to be recognized twice for the breadth of work we’re doing.”
The award, which mono won in the small agency category (100 employees or less), recognized a range of mono’s innovative experiential ideas. For Blue Cross and Blue Shield of MN, mono engaged people in a conversation about healthy living with The Human Doing, a one-month social experience that put a man, trying to live a healthier life, in a glass apartment at Mall of America. With the Blu Dot Swap Meet, mono created a creative currency by engaging the design community in an online swap meet for modern furniture. In a third campaign, they turned the sights and sounds of a New York City street block into music in order to reinterpret it for Parsons The New School for Design. And in a social campaign for Virgin, mono empowered Millennials to leverage their social media influence with Do Whatever It Takes, a social campaign that raised money to help end youth homelessness.
“When we look back at 2011, it is our experiential work that shines the brightest and inspires us to keep thinking about how to solve problems in new ways,” said mono co-founder and creative co-chair, Chris Lange. “Our goal is to continue being the best at simplifying and creating ideas that attract people to brands in a fascinating and meaningful way.”
The award comes in the midst of skyrocketing growth for the 60-person agency, as mono has added four new clients in the first three months of 2012, including Wilson Racquet Sports, Angie’s Kettle Corn, and the NHL.
Mono co-founder and managing partner Jim Scott noted, “This very well may be our last opportunity to be considered a ‘small’ agency. We look forward to being compared to an entirely different set of peer agencies in the near future.”
adeanovic@mono-1.com
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About mono
mono is a creative branding agency that believes in the power of simplicity. Founded in 2004 by Michael Hart, Chris Lange, and Jim Scott, today mono creates innovative, idea-centric communications that earned them Small Agency of the Year in 2010 from both Advertising Age and the 4A’s. mono works with brands driven to reinvent, re-imagine & rethink the status quo, including Apple, msnbc, Target, Harvard Business School, Prairie Organic Vodka, Blu Dot, the NHL, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota. Check out more of their work at www.mono-1.com.
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