Why Ad 2 - Admerica 2022
A Message from Ad 2 Hawaii President, Priscilla Zheng
“Return to normal”, “when we go back to in-person”. These were phrases we’ve all heard about a thousand times over in the last year. But, has it happen yet? We had a taste of it recently with the national AAF Admerica Conference in Nashville this month. For me, it was a reinvigorating experience. It reminded me of the bigger purpose of why Ad 2 and AAF exist - to belong to a group of like-minded, talented individuals. The unifying voice for advertising.
The conference was four days packed with national meetings, the American Advertising Awards show, networking opportunities, the Ad 2 Public Service Competition, and so much more. From our Public Service team, Kristina Ono and Meredith Graf told the moving story of our campaign with Hawai‘i Wildlife Center. We placed third nationally! Our success was made possible by the hardworking Public Service Committee, our client HWC, our industry supporters Kinetic Productions and Post Hub, and AAF Hawaii. We were also grateful and fortunate to have Paul Lam, our AAF District 13 Governor, there with us. He knew just about every person we came across and introduced us to his extended network.
From left to right: Priscilla Zheng, Kristina Ono, and Meredith Graf. Holding the 3rd place award and check for the Ad 2 National Public Service Competition.
After the preparation and jitters were over for the Public Service Competition, we could really enjoy meeting the national Ad 2 network. The last in person conference happened before I even joined Ad 2 Hawaii in 2019, so this was my first time meeting everyone in person. It quickly became so easy to connect with people that I recognized from tiny Zoom squares. It felt like I was catching up with old friends. The biggest reward of being involved with Ad 2 on the national level is having friends from all over - Texas, Florida, California, Nevada, Wisconsin, and more.
Ad 2 leaders from across the nation pose for a photo at dinner.
Another highlight of the conference was the American Advertising Awards show. Wow. It’s an indescribable feeling to be in the same room as the creative minds who produce viral commercials - many that we see during Super Bowl. The award show dinner was three hours filled with beautiful works of advertising. I left feeling inspired and wanting to one day work on a project of that level.
From left to right: Paul Lam, Kristina Ono, Priscilla Zheng and Meredith Graf at the American Advertising Awards show.
This taste of “return to normal” energizes me for what we can do at Ad 2 Hawaii as we slowly make our way out of the pandemic. I look forward to making more local and national connections happen, to more business cards being exchanged, and to more doors of opportunity opening for each and every one of you. However, it takes a team to pull something amazing together. If you would like to join me in making ad-mazing things happen for the 2022 - 2023 year, please consider joining the Ad 2 Hawaii Board! Reach out and let’s make it happen!