about the indie impact awards

why have ’em?

independent out of home media is different from other advertising media. it needs recognition that reflects that.

There are numerous awards shows out there. Too many to count. So why add one more to the dust-collecting hardware pile? Because there aren’t any that consistently acknowledge and champion the hard-fought wins and unique positioning of independent out of home creative teams.

Independent out of home advertising creative teams function in a unique way that sets them apart from teams at the large-scale publicly-traded out of home companies. There are rarely marketing departments pulling research. And seldomly do the creatives have more than a couple days to pull off the impossible feat of posting brilliant work, mere days after having met their client for the first time—ever. It’s tight and the client relationships reflect that, as they’re often more intimate—and more demanding. The creatives in smaller out of home companies wear not one or two hats, but many, ensuring that their company and the clients they represent receive the best possible advertising solutions available to them.

Independent out of home advertising creative teams don’t resemble the standard agency teams, either. Where agencies have copywriters, photographers, creative directors, graphic designers, account executives, traffic coordinators, and production designers—an independent billboard operator might have a designer. And that designer is also the copywriter, creative director, production designer, owner, and payroll department.

The clients in many of these independent out of home markets are also worlds apart. Whereas regional, national, and international brands have name recognition and years, if not decades of brand equity, their advertising can, and often does lean into that. These brands produce colossal campaigns, based on an assumed history with their target audience. Uncle Rico’s Mexican Restaurant in Muenster, Texas doesn’t have that luxury. Smaller brands are not universally known. It’s these brands, that make up the bulk of independent out of home creative teams’ portfolios. It’s these brands that have to try harder and do more, with far less.

Independent Billboard Operators, or The IBO to those in the industry, get this. And because of that, they, alongside Up To Something’s Richard Molinaro and Todd Turner, have created the Indie Impact Awards. An awards show that supports creatives in all of these unique scenarios, by giving them an international platform for their work. An awards show that considers the judges and their ability to understand the submitted campaigns, what it takes to post them, and what it means to each and every client these companies represent. An awards show that champions the intricate nature of smaller brands, the operators that represent them, and the unparalleled relationships that propel the industry forward.

The Indie Impact Awards—Powering Independent Creative.