NEWSLETTERS - Is you're ad good enough? RAE awards contest now accepting entries

Is you're ad good enough? RAE awards contest now accepting entries

The rent-to-own industry's longest held advertising competition is back.

APRO is once again honoring the best radio, television, print, direct market and Internet advertising campaigns created for rent-to-own businesses and companies over the past year.

APRO is now accepting entries for its annual Rental Advertising Excellence Awards (RAE) through June 30. (Click here to read more and download the 2008 entry form).

Click here to watch video of 2007 RAE award winners.

Whether produced "in-house" or by an advertising agency, APRO Public Affairs Director Richard May says the annual award is less about competition and more about public perception. The ultimate goal of RAE is to boost the notion of the important role advertising plays in creating a positive image of the rent-to-own industry.

"Advertising is the number one source of public perception and image, period," May says. "If you want our image to be improved, it's through advertising and the RAE contest honors the best in the business."

The "Community Relations Program" category is of particular interest to the industry, May says. The category -- one of nine this year -- encompasses food drives, donations and volunteerism undertaken by rent-to-own companies. Though not advertising per se, these localized efforts serve the industry by serving the larger community.

"Sometimes this is the only time we find out about what some of these companies are doing in the community," May says. "RTO people tend to be very humble, but this is the kind of thing we want to know about so we can brag for them."

Once all submissions are received, they will be judged by Matt Belew, media supervisor at GSDM of Austin, Texas -- one of the largest and most influential advertising agencies in the world.

Belew, who has judged the RAE awards for the last six years, says he has seen a steady improvement in both content and quality of the submissions over the last several years. With the advent of low cost digital video cameras and desktop publishing and editing software, "in-house" productions are giving agency produced spots a run for the money.

While the continual rise of Web site advertising and online campaigns is of note, dealers should continue to seek a balance with more traditional advertising outlets such as newspapers, radio and television.

"From a report I've seen, investment in online advertising will exceed cable advertising this year," Belew says. "As people get more and more of their entertainment from their computers, we can see technology really pulling people farther and farther from traditional media. Only now you are competing with other ads on the same page and you have to do something to get them to look at you, to click and check it out."

And with the improvement in quality comes a more critical judging component, Belew says. To win either a bronze, silver or gold in one of the RAE categories, your ad has to be better than good. It must be excellent.

No awards will be handed out to fill gaps between first and third, Belew says.

"You can't look at it as advertising," Belew says. "It's more like public relations."

RAE award winners will be formally announced and on display at the APRO convention in St. Louis August 11-14.

Click here to watch video of 2007 RAE award winners.

Click here to download a 2008 RAE award entry form.

mevans@rtohq.org