“This is fantastic news, and we are truly honored,” said Jim Walker, Chief Creative Officer of TM Advertising. “The Webby Awards are the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet. We couldn’t be more proud of our team and the award-winning work they consistently create in all mediums.”

As a Nominee, Nationwide Insurance is also eligible to win a Webby People’s Voice Award, which is voted online by the global Web community through April 30. Users can cast votes for The Webby People’s Voice Awards at http://pv.webbyawards.com.

The Webbys will announce award winners on May 5 and hold a ceremony featuring its famous five-line acceptance speeches on June 8. Saturday Night Live’s Seth Myers will host this year’s ceremony.

ABOUT TM ADVERTISING
TM Advertising, headquartered in Dallas, with offices in Austin and Seattle, is an independently managed subsidiary of Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG), one of the world’s largest marketing communications companies. Agency clients include American Airlines, Bell Helicopter, Discover Network, EDS, Group Health, Idearc Media LLC, Nationwide Insurance, Redhook Ale Brewery and Texas Tourism. For more information, please visit www.tm.com.

ABOUT THE WEBBY AWARDS:
Hailed as the “Internet’s highest honor” by The New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile web sites. Established in 1996, the 13th Annual Webby Awards received nearly 10,000 entries from all 50 states and over 60 countries worldwide. The Webby Awards is presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Sponsors and Partners of The Webby Awards include: Microsoft Silverlight; The Creative Group; .ORG; Getty Images; The Barbarian Group; Digital Kitchen; Wired; IDG; PricewaterhouseCoopers; 2advanced.Net; KobeMail and Museum of the Moving Image.

“We wanted to create something unique that elevated the brand and really tapped into its experts by providing the customer an environment in which to interact with Sport Chalet’s snow products,” said Eric Feitel, Creative Director for TM Advertising.  “The mountain micro-site gives consumers a cool and engaging look at the latest in sporting gear and provides insight from top professional athletes in a fashion-forward and candid way.”

Created and produced by TM Advertising, American’s long-standing agency of record, the piece was filmed on location in Buenos Aires and Shanghai – two of American’s international destinations – as well as in Dallas. The story includes a cameo appearance by Mark Cuban, owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, and traces a sports agent’s journey around the globe in his attempt to persuade professional basketball teams to sign his talented, yet socially-awkward client, Milos. The agent relies on American’s extensive international network and Business Class offerings, just like the millions of business travelers who fly American Airlines, a founding member of the oneworld® Alliance, each year.

“This new commercial illustrates American’s ongoing commitment to enhance the travel experience for our business travelers,” said Roger Frizzell, Vice President – Corporate Communications and Advertising for American Airlines. “The story is a fun way to let our customers know that we understand the effort they make for their clients, and how we play a part in that important journey.”

“We looked to create a different type of ‘We know why you fly’ moment that spotlights a hard-working business flyer,” said Bill Oakley, Group Creative Director for TM Advertising. “We believe that this is another way to creatively personify what American Airlines can do for its customers.”

The “Big Man” commercial will begin airing nationally this week. Both new commercials are available online at www.aa.com/whyyoufly or www.youtube.com/flyamericanairlines.

“Sneeze” comically depicts one man’s struggles during allergy season, cleverly positioning Superpages.com as an easy relief solution. To view the award-winning ad, which ran on sites including AOL.com, CNET.com, MSN.com, People.com, TVGuide.com and Yahoo.com, click here:    http://awards.tmastaging.net/2008/OMMA/Superpages/sneeze.html (from here, click on Sneeze Vertical or Sneeze Horizontal). 

“Sneeze” was created in collaboration with Janimation and EyeWonder and bested finalists A&E Television (client: A&E Television) and VML (client: Dr Pepper).

Other recent awards won by TM Advertising for the Superpages.com campaign include: Runner-Up 2008 Most Effective Online Marketing Strategy Award presented by the Dallas Ft. Worth Interactive Marketing Association (DFWIMA) for excellence in interactive marketing; and a 2008 Regional Silver ADDY Award for a Superpages.com outdoor bulletin, presented by a regional chapter of the American Advertising Federation (AAF).

“Since it is critical that we deliver quality leads to our small business advertisers, we are continuously leveraging advertising to promote our products to consumers,” said Briggs Ferguson, President-Internet, Idearc Media. “Thanks to TM Advertising, our advertisements receive the critical attention they deserve, and we are honored to have recently received the prestigious OMMA Award.”

Created in 2006, the OMMA awards honor brand marketers, agencies and content providers who continue to push the potential of online advertising creative.

“Our innovative campaign for Superpages.com is a fantastic way for us to showcase our clients’ passion for creating and delivering the most successful interactive branding campaigns,” said Tom Hansen, President of TM Advertising. “We’re thrilled to be recognized by OMMA and to be in such great company with the other finalists.”

“Dave is a unique talent with tremendous passion for great work, and he brings more than 20 years of experience in shaping and evolving some of the top brands in the country,” said Jim Walker, chief creative officer of TM Advertising. “I’ve had the great pleasure of working with Dave over the last several years and am confident that he will be an invaluable asset to the agency, to our clients and to the work.

Weaver has a rich history in advertising, having worked on some of the world’s leading brands at top agencies across the country. His past brand experience includes adidas, Alaska Airlines, Chick-fil-A, Clif Bar, Fox Sports Network, Hewlett Packard, MGM, Nissan, Nestle and T-Mobile. As planning director at TBWA/CHIAT/DAY in Los Angeles, Weaver was the strategic architect behind the global positioning for Nissan’s successful SHIFT campaign, which garnered multiple EFFIEs. Prior to CHIAT, he was planning director at WongDoody in L.A. and Seattle where he won a Gold Lion for a L.A. Dodgers campaign.

“I believe people are the true selling point of any organization,” said Weaver. “TM is home to tremendous talent and a shared mind-set across all disciplines about seeking new, relevant ways to reach consumers, and the development of ideas that build brands and businesses. The opportunity to work with this passionate team that has all the pieces in place was an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

“This is an exciting time here, and we’re thrilled that Bob is joining us,” said Jim Walker, chief creative officer for the agency. “I’ve known Bob since he came to Seattle from Fallon in the mid-’90s. He’s exactly the type of talent who will help us continue to reinvent the way we work and help us build on the tremendous momentum that we’ve created in the last couple of months.”

“My passion is working at an agency that constantly works to break the boundaries of traditional advertising,” said Brihn. “The agency Jim and Tom Hansen have put together is built specifically to challenge conventional thinking. TM represents an evolving agency model that host tremendous creative talent, great digital and strategic resources and a mind-set about seeking new ways of doing things that is almost obsessive.”

Brihn started his career in 1986 at Fallon where he worked on brands such as Porsche, Lee Jeans, Time magazine and Gilbey’s Gin. He also spent time at other Minneapolis shops including Carmichael Lynch and Campbell Mithun where he worked on Harley-Davidson, Samuel Adams and Schwinn. Brihn also had a stint at Cole & Weber in Seattle where he served as executive creative director. He has earned honors from the One Show, Cannes, the Art Directors Club of New York, Communication Arts and D&AD.