TRIAD/Next Level was recently honored with 10 awards, five gold and five silver, at the American Advertising Federation-Akron ADDY Awards ceremony.

Gold Awards were received for:

Tuesday Musical Association 125th Anniversary Poster
• Cleveland Museum of Art 'Generations' Membership Package
• ADM Board 'Recovery Starts Here’ Campaign
• TRIAD/Next Level ‘Crappy Holidays’ Campaign
• TRIAD/Next Level ‘Crappy Holidays’ Photography

Silver Awards were received for:

• 91.3 The Summit Mobile App
• The Giving Doll Website
• Next Level Interactive Website
• Summa Foundation Sapphire Ball invitation
• Tuesday Musical Association - Making of the 125th Anniversary Poster

“It was another incredible year for TRIAD/Next Level. Our award-winning work was a great mix of traditional print design, interactive and integrated marketing campaigns which really showcased our full range of talents and capabilities,” said Rick Krochka, president of TRIAD/Next Level. “What’s more, the work that was honored was produced for a diverse mix of clients and industries and included our Design4Good probono work and self-promotional material. All in all, it really was a great showing for the whole creative team.”

TRIAD/Next Level announces Annie Ochsenhirt has joined the staff as a customer service specialist, traditional + emerging media.

“Annie is a great addition to the TRIAD/Next Level team,” said Mike Zimmerman, director, client services + business development. “She not only brings with her a background in marketing and account management, but great energy as well. Having Annie on board will help increase our capacity for new business and her extensive experience and track record of success are exactly what the company needs for its next major phase of growth.”

Ochsenhirt, a 2004 graduate of Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, IN with a B.A. in Communications, has eight years of project management, account executive and visual management and merchandising experience. Prior to TRIAD/Next Level, she worked as an Account Executive in the wine industry and as a Visual Manager for Anthropologie in Palo Alto, CA. Most recently, Ochsenhirt served as Campaign Manager for the very successful Summit County Children Services Levy in 2012.

In addition to the annual Design4Good program, which provides pro bono design work to area nonprofits, TRIAD/Next Level recently launched a social media campaign contest in association with its annual interactive holiday card. The campaign, which included an eblast, microsite (www.triadadv.com/crappy) and social media blitz, was titled ‘Crappy Holidays’ and showcased TRIAD/Next Level staff members in humorous holiday situations, and allowed visitors to post their own personal holiday stories.

The microsite utilized Facebook’s ‘Like’ button plugin technology so users could vote for an organization, and at the time spread the word about the campaign via personal Facebook pages. Eight charitable organizations from the Greater Akron area were highlighted on the microsite and visitors were encouraged to vote for the organization they preferred to win a donation from TRIAD/Next Level. The nonprofit with the most votes would receive a $500 donation with the second and third place vote-getters receiving $250 and $100 respectively.

“We really wanted to create something different, interactive and that would result in a positive impact for the greater good,” said John Moulagiannis, director, interactive + digital media. “We were able to marry fun and technology, show off our creative capabilities and allow others to interact and join in the fun."

The organization that received the most votes was The Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, with The Giving Doll a close second. The Battered Women’s Shelter of Summit County received the third most votes.

The campaign launched December 19, 2012 and lasted through January 1, 2013.

January 4, 2013 – TRIAD/Next Level will work with 17 local nonprofits as part of its “Design4Good” pro bono partnership program for the year 2013. For the past 19 years, the full-­‐service advertising and interactive design firm has provided local charitable organizations more than $300,000 in pro bono marketing services.

Projects ranging from logo development to brochures, newsletters and websites will be completed for the following organizations:

“Northern Ohio, generally, and Greater Akron, specifically, have been very good to TRIAD/Next Level as our agency has consistently grown through sometimes very tough economic conditions. This is one small way that we can say thank you to the communities we serve,” said Rick Krochka, president, TRIAD/Next Level.

“We’re extremely pleased with the diversity of organizations who applied and the quality of those applications,” added Krochka. “Many organizations were first-­‐time recipients with whom we had no prior relationship. We’re looking forward to working with all these organizations and helping them make a difference in the communities in which we live and work.”

Applications for Design4Good for the year 2014 are available on TRIAD’s website triadadv.com/design4good/. Interested organizations must have a 501c3 or other nonprofit status and strive to meet the needs of the community through various programs and services. Communication materials created through Design4Good will be used to help raise awareness and funds for the organizations.

• Ronald McDonald House of Akron
• CANAPI
• Akron Civic Theatre
• National Multiple Sclerosis Society (Ohio Buckeye Chapter)
• Community Legal Aid Services, Inc.
• Peninsula Valley Historic & Education Foundation
• Community Support Services
• Tuesday Musical Association
• Akron Summit Convention & Visitors Bureau: 2014 Gay Games
• United Way of Summit County/Bridges Out of Poverty Summit County
• Kym Sellers Foundation
• Blick Clinic
• University of Akron: Varsity ‘A’ Association
• Cascade Park Locks Association
• Good Neighbors Inc.
• Fair Housing Contact Service
• AMHA (Building for Tomorrow)