Billboard criticizing mayor, council wins ad award
A billboard criticizing Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and the Baltimore City Council for overhauling the fire and police pension system did more than ruffle feathers at City Hall -- it won the top award from the city's advertising association.
The billboard, created by Barb Clapp Advertising & Marketing of Lutherville for the Fraternal Order of Police and the firefighter's union, won the Best in Show award at last week's ADDY Awards.
Saying Rawlings-Blake and the council "turned their backs on our Police & Firefighters," the billboard was posted near City Hall for several weeks last summer.
The unions launched a flurry of public attacks after Rawlings-Blake and the council overhauled benefits to cut back on skyrocketing pension costs. The changes are expected to save the cash-strapped city $400 million over five years.
The American Advertising Federation of Baltimore selected the the billboard from among 50,000 entries, according to a news release.
Ryan O'Doherty, a spokesman for Rawlings-Blake, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Comments
Just to clarify, this particular billboard was chosen from 320 entries that were submitted for the local AAF-Baltimore ADDY competition.
The 50,000 entry number reflects the total entries submitted nationwide from all U.S. ad clubs.
Posted by: DW | April 19, 2011 3:27 PM