LEWISTON, Maine – Rinck took home top honors in the 18th Annual Davey Awards, which honors the finest creative work from the best small shops, firms, agencies, and companies worldwide. The full-service agency won Best in Show: Integrated Campaign – Promotional & Branding for their work with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) “Keeper of the Maine Outdoors” Campaign. Rinck has served as Agency of Record for MDIFW since 2017 and created and launched the Keeper of the Maine Outdoors initiative with a goal of increasing awareness of MDIFW and its mission, as well as educating, informing, and empowering outdoor enthusiasts—such as hikers, bikers, kayakers, canoers, photographers, snowshoers, etc.—to be the best “Keeper” they can be by preserving and being responsible stewards of the Maine wilderness.

The challenge for the 2022 campaign refresh was to continue to position MDIFW as the experts who educate and engage the public on the steps they can take to protect Maine and its wildlife. While the primary goal was centered around educating outdoor enthusiasts how to enjoy recreation safely and responsibly, there was also a component of educating Maine residents whose lives overlap regularly with wildlife in their own backyard.

“Maine is a primarily rural state, and with that comes an abundance of wildlife,” said Amanda Frost, Vice President, Account Service at Rinck. “During the pandemic we saw an influx of people moving to Maine who weren’t necessarily as familiar with the amount of wildlife encounters one could expect in our state. MDIFW experiences high call volumes from the public concerned about the wildlife in their own backyard among other inquiries, so there was a need for this campaign to educate and inform Mainers, including new Mainers, how to live with wildlife. That includes avoiding conflicts with animals, being smart about garbage, and keeping wildlife wild, in a way that would make Mainers pay attention to the advice.”

The creative mandatory for the campaign was to utilize the MDIFW Game Wardens and Biologists as the experts people should look to for information, while ensuring they felt approachable by bringing in a comedic touch.

“With this creative refresh, we focused on natural sounds in Maine: footsteps along a dirt path, animals rustling in the bushes, bears rooting through your trash,” said Rinck Associate Creative Director, Jake MacGillivary. “We had stunning success with all our on-screen talent. Second only to the bear, our real-life officials proved outstanding — capable of deadpanning lines while eating faux cat food or staying dry amidst a deluge from a poorly rigged hose. Client trust reached a high mark on this campaign. We are thrilled to receive this recognition for the effort.”

The campaign came to life in a variety of formats including an engaging website, a “Learn to Be a Keeper” video and audio series that was distributed via paid media including television and radio spots, and an experiential tour that brought brand ambassadors out to share the campaign message to Mainers at various events around the state throughout the summer of 2022. There was also an activity passport for kids. The campaign delivered nearly 6 million impressions and generated over 64,000 clicks to the Keeper website, quiz and newsletter sign-up page.

“This was such a creative and dynamic campaign and we’re really excited to see our work recognized by the Daveys,” said Emily MacCabe, Director, Marketing and Outreach at MDIFW. “The way the Rinck team took the concept and not only came up with a fun idea, but one that really delivered on what we needed it to do was remarkable.”

The 18th Annual Davey Awards received over 2,000 entries from ad agencies, digital agencies, production firms, in-house creative professionals, graphic designers, design firms, and public relations firms. The Daveys are judged and overseen by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts (AIVA). AIVA is an invitation-only member-based organization of leading professionals from various disciplines of the visual arts dedicated to embracing progress and evolving the nature of traditional and interactive media. Current membership represents a “Who’s Who” of acclaimed media, advertising, and marketing firms including: Spotify, Nissan, Tinder, Conde Nast, Disney, Microsoft, GE Digital, JP Morgan, PGA Tour, Wired, and many others.

About Rinck Advertising: Founded in 2001, Rinck is a nationally recognized full-service marketing, advertising, and public relations agency headquartered in Maine with remote locations across the U.S. The firm provides expertise in strategic planning, brand building, creative services, media planning and buying, digital strategy & development, public relations, influencer marketing, affiliate marketing, shopper marketing, and content marketing. Over the last decade, Rinck has built a behavioral change practice specializing in counter-marketing, social marketing, and mass-reach health communications. Rinck represents a range of local, regional, national, and international clients in government, higher education, consumer packaged goods, restaurant service, transportation, banking, law, healthcare, non-profits, and tourism. Learn more about Rinck at www.rinckadvertising.com or check out @RinckAdvertising on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.

About the Davey Awards: The Davey Awards exclusively honor the “Davids” of creativity, the finest small shops, firms, agencies, and companies worldwide. David defeated the giant Goliath with a big idea and a little rock – the sort of thing small agencies do each year. The annual International Davey Awards honors the achievements of the “Creative Davids”, who derive their strength from big ideas rather than big budgets. The Davey Awards is the leading awards competition specifically for smaller agencies as they compete with their peers to win the recognition they deserve. Please visit daveyawards.com for more information.