ILA 2010 AwardPress Release – 2.2.10
American Advertising Federation to Present Southwest Airlines with Prestigious Advertising Innovation and Leadership Award
Houston, Texas, January 15, 2010 — The American Advertising Federation
(AAF) Tenth District will present its highest honor of leadership and innovation
in advertising to Southwest Airlines and its portfolio of agencies on May 12,
2010. The award recognizes Southwest Airlines and its agencies for many years
of uniquely inventive advertising programs.
May 12 will mark the fourth year for AAF to host the Innovation and Leadership
in Advertising Award (ILA). The ILA Award recognizes companies that exemplify
excellence in four key areas:
Media use – Extensive use of multimedia platforms using traditional and nontraditional
media to create awareness or drive sales.
Employment in District 10 – Extensive employment of people and businesses
within the District 10 region of Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas.
Diversity – Embracing diversity in their messaging and employment.
Leadership-Demonstrating leadership and boldness in their advertising
message and creative use of media.
Dave Ridley, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Revenue Management for
Southwest Airlines, and Kevin Krone, Vice President, Marketing, Sales and
Distribution for Southwest Airlines, will accept the award at a special awards
dinner in Austin, Texas, on May 12.
Dave Ridley said, “Southwest Airlines is thrilled to be honored by AAF. Every day
our Southwest Team and our partner agencies deliver strategic and uniquely fun
and integrated brand marketing communications programs that continually
reward our Customers’ brand loyalty.”
Southwest Airlines’ partner advertising agencies include: GSD&M Idea City –
Austin; Camelot Communications, Inc. – Dallas; Y&R Brands/Wunderman
Southern California – Irvine; Dieste, Inc. – Dallas; and Dae Advertising – San
Francisco.
Jim Datri, AAF national president and CEO, will be on hand from Washington,
D.C., with AAF Tenth District governor Blake Goldston, to present the award to
Southwest Airlines and its advertising agencies at a dinner ceremony at GSD&M
Idea City. The event will be co‐hosted by the Austin Ad Federation.
Ridley and Krone will be keynote speakers for the event and will provide an
overview of Southwest’s campaign. In addition to the award, Southwest will offer
a summer internship for an ILA Scholarship recipient this summer. The
internship winner will receive a $5,000 scholarship from the AAF Tenth District.
The scholarship will be presented by Dana Williams, Director of Marketing and
Communications for Southwest Airlines, at the District’s Annual Convention in
Amarillo on April 16, 2010.
Seating at the May 12 awards event will be limited, and table reservations and
tickets are available by contacting Kevin Dobbs, Executive Director, American
Advertising Federation 10th District, at 1-800-808-4473, or email:
dobbsprt@nts-online.net.
ABOUT THE AAF
The American Advertising Federation (AAF) headquartered in Washington, D.C.,
acts as the “Unifying Voice for Advertising.” The AAF is the oldest national
advertising trade association, representing 40,000 professionals in the
advertising industry. The AAF has a national network of 200 ad clubs located in
ad communities across the country. Through its 225 college chapters, the AAF
provides nearly 7,500 advertising students with real‐world case studies and
recruitment connections to corporate America. The AAF also has 130 blue‐chip
corporate members that are advertisers, agencies and media companies,
comprising the nation’s leading brands and corporations. For more information,
visit the AAF’s Web site at www.aaf.org.
For more information: Ann Iverson, Chair, ILA 2010, annci@sbcglobal.net, 713.622.6936; John Aguillard, CoChair, ILA 2010, john@wisdomgroup.com, 210.313.6600; Kevin Dobbs, Executive Director AAF Tenth District, dobbsprt@ntsonline.net, 432.559.8559.
