IRVINE, Calif., May 2, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- BDS Marketing, one of the nation's premier sales and marketing services firms, won a Stevie(tm) Award for "Best Marketing Team" in the first-ever American Business Awards competition Wednesday night.
Hailed as "the business world's own Oscars" by the New York Post (September 22, 2002), the American Business Awards are the first national, all-encompassing business awards program honoring great performance in the workplace. Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word "crowned," the awards were presented at a nationally broadcast show at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers in New York City. The ceremony was hosted by Charles Osgood, host of CBS News Sunday Morning and commentator for the CBS Radio Network.
BDS Marketing was recognized for its work on behalf of Motorola's Personal Communications Sector, the unit that manufactures and sells wireless telephones. The firm's multifaceted campaign contributed to a 25 percent increase in marketshare -- from 20.8 percent to 26 percent -- within a mere 12 months.
In winning the Stevie, BDS Marketing beat out other finalists including FedEx Corporation and I-many.
Kristen des Chatelets, chief marketing officer, accepted the award on behalf of BDS Marketing. In accepting the Stevie, des Chatelets said, "At BDS, we pride ourselves on our ability to provide clients a powerful -- and measurable -- return on investment. But we couldn't have won without Mark Karnes and his team at Motorola, whose enthusiasm and willingness to try an innovative approach were crucial to our success. Most of all, we want to recognize our field teams, who fight the battle for marketshare one customer at a time."
A total of 44 Stevies were presented in more than 40 categories, including Best Overall Company, Best Executive, Best Salesperson and Best Corporate Web Site. Almost 500 nominations from companies of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted for consideration. Honorary Stevies were also presented to The Dow Chemical Company for sales, Johnson & Johnson for corporate reputation and WashingtonPost.Newsweek Interactive for customer service and ROI.
Members of the Awards' Board of Distinguished Judges & Advisors and their staffs selected Stevie winners from among the finalists. The Board includes business luminaries such as Rich Karlgaard, publisher of Forbes; Bruce Nelson, president and CEO of Office Depot; marketing gurus Don Peppers and Martha Rogers; Anthony Robbins, chairman and CEO of The Anthony Robbins Companies; Drew Schutte, publisher of Wired Magazine; Jeffrey Tarr, chairman & CEO of Hoover's Inc.; and Donald Trump, chairman, president and CEO of The Trump Organization. Finalists were selected by business professionals nationwide during February and March.
The elegant Stevie trophy was designed by R.S. Owens, the same company that makes the Oscar and the Emmy.
"With the Stevie Awards, business people now have the opportunity to win the same sort of positive attention that up 'til now only entertainment celebrities could get," said Michael Gallagher, founder and president of The Stevie Awards, the organization that runs The American Business Awards. "Tonight we took a giant leap forward in recognizing companies and the people who work for them for their positive efforts, accomplishments, and contributions to their communities."
About BDS Marketing
BDS Marketing, Inc. is one of the nation's leading sales and marketing service firms. Founded in 1984 as a field marketing agency, BDS has since helped pioneer the field of Point of Contact Marketing(tm), which involves the skillful orchestration of a diverse array of tactics in order to reach consumer and retail audiences one on one and includes assisted selling programs, demonstrations, event marketing, sales promotion, training, merchandising and interactive technology. The firm's campaigns are deployed to drive sell-through, mindshare and customer acquisition.
BDS Marketing delivers measurable results for clients including Canon USA, Time Warner, Cingular, Motorola, InFocus, Sony, Verizon, Thomson, Ralphs and Sharp Electronics. BDS Marketing is based in Irvine, Calif.
About The American Business Awards(sm)
A celebration of great performances in the workplace, The American Business Awards are the first national, all-encompassing business awards program. Honoring companies of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Awards recognize outstanding leadership, innovation, perseverance, creativity, teamwork, and integrity through more than 40 categories.
The first American Business Awards -- nicknamed The Stevies(tm) from the Greek word for "crowned" -- were presented at an awards show in New York City on April 30.
The program is overseen by a Board of Distinguished Judges & Advisors, which includes leading business executives, authors, and academics. Sponsors of the 2003 American Business Awards include BusinessTalkRadio, DHR International, Empire Media, Forbes, Hoover's Online, Inc. Magazine, Miller Heiman, Selling Power Magazine, and Wired Magazine.