MPA Awards
Published 12:00 am Friday, February 6, 2009
Cassie White (left) and Margaret Buntin show the 11 awards they received at the Mississippi Press Association Mid-Winter Conference in Jackson. Panolian managing editor Rupert Howell said the accomplished graphic designers “find innovative ways to get advertisers’ messages to the consumers.”
By Rita Howell
The Panolian’s advertising and graphic design staff received 11 awards at last weekend’s Mississippi Press Association Mid-Winter Conference in Jackson.
Graphic designer Margaret Buntin was awarded a first place plaque for “Best Auto Advertisement” in black and white. Her winning entry was an ad for the Belk Ford/Oxford Toyota dealership and pictured sales rep Dekki Jones of Batesvile in a “wanted poster,” behind bars “for offering great deals.”
The Panolian competes in the division with the state’s largest weeklies and bi-weeklies.
Also garnering recognition for The Panolian was graphic designer and classified specialist Cassie White, who earned a second place award for “Best Grocery or Restaurant Ad” in black and white, an ad she created for Smokin’ M Catfish.
White also won a third place award for “Best Classified Page or Section” and shared an honor with Buntin for a half-page ad for The Candle Shoppe which claimed second place for “Best Retail Ad” in black and white.
Buntin also won two additional second place certificates for “house ads” promoting The Panolian, and four more third place awards, including a colorful promotion for Pride Hyundai. She also won a third place certificate for a Heafner Motors advertisement and for “The Sky’s the Limit,” a special section honoring local high school graduates.
“We are proud of our dedicated staff members who have once again brought accolades to our newspaper in competition with some of the finest publications in the state,” Panolian managing editor Rupert Howell said.
“In these challenging economic times, we are confident that we can give our customers the maximum benefit for their advertising dollars,” he continued. “Our creative and resourceful staff finds innovative ways to get advertisers’ messages to the consumers. Our peers have now recognized their abilities.”
Also attending the MPA conference were Panolian advertising sales representatives Bob Boggan and Carol Knight, special projects manager Madison Kilgore, publisher John Howell, Rupert Howell and Rita Howell.
