Kalaheo resident Marianne Martin, who travels the state selling printing products for Honolulu-based Hagadone Printing Company, recently brought home the state advertising fraternity’s top individual award. She is the recipient of the 2002 Pele Award as the Hawaii Advertising Federation’s
Kalaheo resident Marianne Martin, who travels the state selling printing products for Honolulu-based Hagadone Printing Company, recently brought home the state advertising fraternity’s top individual award.
She is the recipient of the 2002 Pele Award as the Hawaii Advertising Federation’s Advertising Woman of the Year.
Print coordinator for Hagadone on Kaua’i and the Big Island, Martin received her award at the 23rd Annual Pele Awards celebration earlier this month at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki.
She spends most of her time on Kaua’i, working with hotels, resorts and small businesses, and travels to the Big Island around once or twice a month to service clients there. She maintains a “virtual office” at Hagadone headquarters on O’ahu, and takes part in weekly sales meetings via conference calls.
Martin said this year’s award marks the first time a Neighbor Island resident has won the award, normally reserved for high-powered, Honolulu-based advertising women.
The federation each year recognizes an advertising man and woman of the year, normally for years of success in the industry, she said.
“I couldn’t believe it happened,” said Martin, who traces her industry roots to a start as a typesetter in a small print shop.
Previously a producer and account manager for Tsunami Marketing of Koloa, a Pele award-winner in this month’s festivities as well, Martin’s duties at Tsunami included bringing advertising concepts from ideas to print, orchestrating and producing photo shoots, and various other tasks.
Martin, while still working for Tsunami, was producer of the Pele-winning “Truth Hurts” self-promotion advertising piece. She also produced the Hawaii Advertising Federation’s Web site www.hafspot.com, and is the site’s Web.
Hafspot.com has images and other information on other Pele Award winners, as well as information about the state’s advertising industry.
Martin’s favorite Kaua’i photographer is Gelston Dwight of Gelston Dwight Photo Works. He maintains a studio in Wailua Homesteads, and does lots of work on location.
“He’s got good range,” Martin said of Dwight’s abilities to equally capture stills, action, scenery and other images.
Last year’s Ad Man of the Year, Jeff Hendrix, said of Martin, “She’s someone who doesn’t look for the easy answer – or the quick answer – she looks for the best answer. She listens with her heart, and works with a passion,” he continued.
“And it’s really that same passion that drives our whole industry,” he added.
Martin has held key positions at Island Printing Centers, HonBlue, and Tsunami Marketing, and is now print coordinator for Hagadone for the two counties on either end of the state.
Hagadone Printing Company also won a Pele in the supplier self-promotion category, for its “HPC Stationery” work.
Tsunami Marketing won a Pele, in the newspaper self-promotion advertising category, for “Truth Hurts.” Luau Kilohana’s advertising won a citation of excellence award, and the YWCA’s Camp Sloggett Web site won a citation of merit award, for work done by Tsunami.
“We’re very honored that the judges considered Tsunami’s work to be on par with the state’s biggest agencies,” said Robert Rekward of Tsunami Marketing.
“And, we’re grateful to our clients for giving us the opportunity to do some very creative work,” said Valerie Rekward. “They deserve a lot of the credit. You can’t do great work unless you have great clients,” she added.
This year’s Pele Awards bash had a decidedly Outer-Island flair, with Martin winning the top female advertising executive award, Tsunami taking home some hardware, and Maui advertising, design and graphics firms winning eight of 48 Pele Awards.
There were over 750 total entries narrowed down to 226 finalists chosen by non-Hawai’i advertising and design professionals. The Internet category had 45 entries, making it not only the fastest-growing category but the single category with the most entries.
Martin, Tsunami and all other winners qualify for the national competition in Miami in June.
