The brand whispering philosophy of Stephens & Associates has led the animal healthcare advertising agency to the winner’s circle at this year’s Business Marketing Association (BMA) Annual Conference in Chicago.  The BMA has awarded Stephens & Associates with four Pro-Comm awards, the only national awards that recognize excellence in business-to-business marketing and communications.

The BMA Awards draw hundreds of entries annually from b-to-b marketing agencies and clients from all around the U.S. Winners must demonstrate both creativity and effectiveness. In other words, work that gets results.

The four winning entries from Stephens & Associates are:

Unwanted Horse Coalition Survey, Category Winner Public Service/Non-Profit Communications – This public awareness campaign reached out to the equine industry on the issue of unwanted horses. The response was overwhelming. Within a few weeks, over 28,000 online surveys were completed and, ultimately, a base was formed for developing solutions to the problem of unwanted horses.

Novartis^® Animal Health, Global, Category Winner for Exhibits – To promote the ATOPICA^® brand of “the simple joy of comfort” at the World Congress of Veterinary Dermatologists in Hong Kong, Stephens & Associates designed a “Comfort Zone” booth complete with cushy seating, a tea and sandwich bar, massage chairs and massages for delegates. Visitors to the booth lined up for massages and booth attendance led to numerous follow-up meetings.

CareCredit^® Veterinary, Category Winner for Campaign with Multiple Mailings – This direct mail campaign encouraged small animal veterinarians to enroll their practice in CareCredit in order to offer CareCredit financing to their clients. Using the theme “Anatomy of treatment acceptance,” the campaign produced a response rate seven times greater than the average direct mail campaign with an astounding conversion rate of 84%.

CareCredit, Dental, Category Winner for Variable Data/Personalized Brochure – This direct mail campaign aimed at newly enrolled dental practices was created to reduce the amount of time between practice enrollment and actively promoting CareCredit payment options to patients. The campaign was successful by all measures, reducing time to active use by 36%.

“The real winners are our clients,” says Chuck Stephens, founder and president of Stephens & Associates. “While we’re delighted to be recognized by the BMA, it’s equally gratifying to know that our work is making a real difference in the marketplace for our clients.”

The award-winning work can be viewed online at the BMA website at www.marketing.org.