When the organizers of Adweek's Brand Genius Awards decided to host the annual ceremony and dinner at New York's Edison Ballroom, the concept for the event's logo clicked into place. The filament light bulb, one of Thomas Edison's most influential inventions and a long-standing symbol of bright ideas, not only matched the site's name, but it seemed the most appropriate image to associate with a night that honored the 10 most memorable branding efforts of the year and the marketers behind them.
"It happened simultaneously," said James Cooper, Adweek's executive editor, on whether the logo inspired the venue choice or vice versa. "We were looking at a bunch of different event places and had a couple of different plans. It seemed like kismet that we came up with this great icon for the event that dovetailed nicely with the venue."
For Matthew Stoelt, the producer of the event, it was simple step to take the logo and produce a working, three-dimensional version for the main visual of the night. Custom lamps, each fitted with a single bulb, served as centerpieces for the dinner tables, providing a soft glow and an unfussy, slightly architectural look in the Art Deco ballroom. More light bulbs decorated the stage, hanging from a fabric-covered grid that anchored the central video screen.
Some 400 attendees turned out for the November 28 affair, which had Joy Behar serve as M.C. and paid tribute to brand executives such as Chrysler's chief marketing officer Olivier Francois, Lisa Mann, vice president of cookies and marketing services at Mondelez International (formerly Kraft Foods), and Lionsgate's chief marketing officer Tim Palen.
