MWB Wins 2023 National ADDY Award for Visit Mississippi Commercial

MWB, a Jackson, Mississippi, advertising agency, won a national ADDY award at the American Advertising Awards held in St. Louis, MO, on June 2, 2023.

The agency received a Silver Addy Award in the "Elements of Advertising: Music with Lyrics" category for a TV commercial produced for Visit Mississippi—the commercial promoted tourism to Mississippi's civil rights sites and attractions.

"We knew early on that we wanted a strong music track for the commercial," said MWB Creative Director Randy Lynn. "I knew of an acapella singing group called Four Washington because the sibling group attended the same high school as my kids. I brought them some rough lyrics, and they returned with an arrangement and a demo track that blew me away. I knew we had something special." MWB composer and audio producer Cole Furlow recorded and produced the track.

"The song lyrics focus on the words 'shine a light,'" said Lynn. "We knew we wanted to end the commercial at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, which has a spectacular light sculpture in its central gallery where visitors hear the song "This Little Light of Mine," an important song during the civil rights era. But that idea also underscores Mississippi's efforts to shed light on this historical period."

"This is a very different type of tourism commercial," said MWB President /CEO Tim Mask. "It's challenging to draw attention to the parts of our state's history that are difficult to understand. But those stories are important, and people want to recognize and experience them in their way, as evidenced by the many visitors visiting our Civil Rights Museum and other related sites. Our partner client, Visit Mississippi, deserves so much credit for encouraging us to create this campaign and supporting us throughout the process."

The American Advertising Awards is the industry's largest and most representative competition, attracting more than 25,000 local entries from advertising agencies across the United States. Local winners advance to district-level competitions and district winners move on to the national competition. The national awards recognized only 200 campaigns.

About MWB

Maris, West & Baker is a creative company headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi; MWB combines award-winning creative, production, marketing, and branding expertise to provide effective marketing solutions for its clients. For samples of the agency's campaigns, visit www.mwb.com.

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