Top Auto Manufacturers Newspaper Ads Honored by NAA

VIENNA, Va., Jan. 9 -- The Infiniti Division of Nissan of North America, Gardena, Calif., and its ad agency TBWA/Chiat/Day, Los Angeles, were honored today with the Best-of-Show prize in the Newspaper Association of America's 2002 DANDY Awards for excellence in automotive newspaper advertising. The announcement was made during the North American International Auto Show at The Cobo Center in Detroit.

Infiniti and TBWA/Chiat/Day received the Best-of-Show award for ``The New Q Campaign,'' which appeared in The Wall Street Journal. Advertiser and agency will split a $20,000 cash prize.

The campaign sought to convey the various features of Infiniti's Q series automobiles using powerful images to illustrate each point. Several images included animals. ``We think putting the Cheetah in the passenger seat says all that needs to be said about the Q's performance, and the cockatiel conveys the 'voice command' features in the unconventional and memorable manner we were looking for,'' said TBWA/Chiat/Day Creative Director Erich Funke in comments appearing in the 2002 DANDY Newspaper, NAA's broadsheet publication featuring the DANDY winners.

``This is just great creative work,'' said John E. Kimball, NAA senior vice president and chief marketing officer. ``It's visually captivating and further attests to the brand-building possibilities of newspapers.''

    The 2002 DANDY Award Winners in the manufacturer categories are:

    Best of Show and DANDY Award, Best Ad Campaign by a New Car Manufacturer

    Entry: The New Q Campaign
    Advertiser: The Infiniti Division of Nissan of North America, Gardena,
     Calif.
    Agency: TBWA/Chiat/Day, Los Angeles
    Newspaper: The Wall Street Journal

    Merit Citation, Best Ad Campaign by a New Car Manufacturer

    Entry: Roomy/Crash Test Dummies/Headroom
    Advertiser: Volkswagen North America Automobiles, Auburn Hills, Mich.
    Agency: Arnold Communications Inc., Boston
    Newspaper: USA Today

    Entry: Used is Good/Re-Turned. Re-Conditioned/Deja VW
    Advertiser: Volkswagen North America Automobiles, Auburn Hills, Mich.
    Agency: Arnold Communications Inc., Boston
    Newspaper: The Dallas Morning News

    Entry: Performance/Curves
    Advertiser: Subaru of America, Cherry Hill, N.J.
    Agency: Temerlin McClain, Irving, Texas
    Newspaper: USA Today

    DANDY Award,
    Best Manufacturer Image Ad

    Entry: Cloud Nine, Cloud Ten
    Advertiser: BMW of North America Inc., Woodcliff Lake, N.J.
    Agency: Fallon Minneapolis
    Newspaper: The Wall Street Journal

    Merit Citation,
    Best Manufacturer Image Ad

    Entry: The Most Powerful SUV in the Universe
    Advertiser: The Cadillac Motor Car Division of General Motors, Detroit
    Agency: D'Arcy, Troy, Mich.
    Newspaper: USA Today

    Entry: Scenic View Will Blur
    Advertiser: Audi of America Inc., Auburn Hills, Mich.
    Agency: McKinney & Silver, Raleigh, N.C.
    Newspaper: The Wall Street Journal

    Entry: Soon to be a Classic
    Advertiser: Mercedes-Benz USA, Montvale, N.J.
    Agency: Merkley Newman Harty, New York City
    Newspaper: The Wall Street Journal

    DANDY Award, Best Use of Color

    Entry: Happy Mothers Day
    Advertiser: Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc., Torrance, Calif.
    Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi Los Angeles
    Newspaper: USA Today

    Merit Citation, Best Use of Color

    Entry: Because Now More Than Ever, Confidence is Everything
    Advertiser: The Oldsmobile Division of General Motors, Detroit
    Agency: Leo Burnett USA, Chicago
    Newspaper: USA Today

    Entry: Sebring Convertible
    Advertiser: DaimlerChrysler Corp., Auburn Hills, Mich.
    Agency: FCB Worldwide, Detroit
    Newspaper: USA Today

The 2002 DANDY dealer-advertising award winners will be announced on Jan. 28 in conjunction with the National Automobile Dealers Association's 85th annual Convention and Exposition at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. All the DANDY winners will be posted on NAA's Web site (http://www.naa.org ) after the dealer categories are announced.

NAA is a nonprofit organization representing the $59 billion newspaper industry and more than 2,000 newspapers in the U.S. and Canada. Most NAA members are daily newspapers, accounting for 87 percent of the U.S. daily circulation. Headquartered in Tysons Corner (Vienna, Va.), the Association focuses on six key strategic priorities that affect the newspaper industry collectively: marketing, public policy, diversity, industry development, newspaper operations and readership. Information about NAA and the industry may also be found at the Association's World Wide Web site on the Internet (http://www.naa.org ).