We go through this funny dance as part of our Agency of the Year selections every year, resulting in reports here on the global (Wieden + Kennedy), U.S. (Droga5) and digital (AKQA) winners for 2012. Each year, one or all of the winning agencies invariably request that we feature numerous executives on our cover.
That results in a bit of back-and-forth with our honorees—our default position being that four (or more) people on the cover is a design nonstarter. Reactions on the part of the PRs can range from pouting to outrage. A compromise solution of ours calls for featuring an inside spread on a winning agency’s entire team, shot in all its Allman Brothers album-like glory (there I go dating myself again). Then, all turns out in the end, everyone is generally satisfied, and the holidays aren’t ruined after all.
After the challenging but highly rewarding year we’ve had here at Adweek, I can understand the urgency of those agency photo requests. They are teams, after all, made up of different talents, each working on a complicated mission that would likely be impossible without everyone involved. That was certainly true here throughout 2012, and it’s a rare pleasure to see a staff create such self-sustaining momentum for the greater good of the brand.
So as 2012 comes to a close (this is our last print issue of the year), I’m going to pull a “cast of thousands” move of my own and recognize Adweek’s edit squad for its hard work and dedication to creating a media brand that covers and reflects the vibrancy of the industries of advertising, media, marketing and technology and the people who make them tick.
Thank you: Katy Bachman, Emma Bazilian, Gabriel Beltrone, Tony Case, Anthony Crupi, Margo Didia, Ron Goodman, Lisa Granatstein, Christopher Heine, Melissa Hoffmann, Stevan Keane, Robert Klara, Alfred Maskeroni, Andrew McMains, Lucia Moses, Nick Mrozowski, Tim Nudd, Noreen O’Leary, Dan Ouellette, Tim Peterson, Jeff Rudolf, Mike Shields, John Tejada, Sam Thielman, Charlie Warzel, Carol Wells, Kolby Yarnell and Mike Yuhas. You’re a talented bunch. And yes, you should all be in the picture.
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