Getting rewarded for nothing? Winstanley Associates has it down to a science.

That’s not a dig; the marketing and advertising firm based in Lenox has taken high honors from the American Advertising Federation (AAF) for a self-promotional piece titled ‘Winstanley Nothing,’ an empty, plastic blister pack that the agency used as a bit of tongue-in-cheek direct mail to give clients and prospects a chuckle as they cleared out their inbox.

“Nothing will make you happy,” the package without a product proclaims. “There’s nothing to worry about, there’s nothing inside … it all starts from nothing.”

‘Nothing’ made its debut in the advertising world in March of this year, when it was awarded a gold ADDY award as part of the AAF’s annual awards competition for advertising, design, and marketing professionals across the country. The recognition came during the local competition of the Ad Club of Western Mass. (ACWM). Gold winners from the that event, which were chosen by a panel of five AAF judges from across the nation, were automatically entered into district competition, to be judged against entries from other ad clubs in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

Winstanley took a silver district ADDY, and moved forward to the third tier of competition, earning another silver ADDY on the national level in the category of ‘Advertising Industry Self-promotion.’ Nearly 2,000 entries were judged on the national level, with 413 gold and silver awards handed out.

Much Ado

Ralph Frisina, creative director at Winstanley, said the project is an example of the kind of innovative item the agency likes to create and disseminate once or twice a year, to “cut through the clutter,” as he said, and showcase its talents.

“We try to do a 3D product of some kind, because people get so much stuff across their desks. We like to cut through the noise, and do it with a sense of humor,” he said.

Devising the idea started with a little brainstorming, Frisina added, as well as searching for objects to which an idea could be applied.

“We look for materials that are made by other companies or surplus outfits, and try to come up with a funny idea that fits.”

From there, the concept is finalized, packaging designed, and copy written before the final product is mailed to unsuspecting professionals across the region. Frisina said Annette Ragan, co-creative director, and Meghan Dewar, art director, were particularly involved with the project.

About 600 clients and prospective clients received ‘Nothing’ in 2007; in the past, Winstanley has also sent a ‘tree in a can’ through the mail, a set of ‘Santa Claws’ during the holidays, and bright, pink flamingoes to announce a summertime party. Owner and President Nate Winstanley said the items are light in tone, but because of that, people tend to keep them in their offices, on a bookshelf or tacked to a bulletin board. That longevity, he said, is their greatest strength.

“It shows the true value,” he said. “People keep them because they’re funny, and they also demonstrate our capabilities.”

Much Ado

This is the first national ADDY win for Winstanley Associates, and its owner said he’s been pleased with the ACWM’s work as both a local ad club and as an AAF affiliate.

“Five years ago, we spent the majority of our time with the Albany Ad Club, and we could not access national competition through that relationship,” Winstanley said. “So, we shifted to participating in the Western Mass. show because of its ties to the AAF, and that has given us an entrée into the highest level of competition in the U.S. That’s an important aspect, and one reason why we’ve become active in the club.”

Frisina agreed.

“The ACWM deserves kudos for getting, and trying to get, excellent judges,” he said. “If we want the opinions of people at the same level as us, that’s easy to get. But the club works hard to get good judges from all different areas and levels, and that’s the reason you compete in the first place — to see how and where you measure up. The national ADDYs are awarded to some of the biggest agencies in the country and in the world. To be given an opportunity to play in that arena is invaluable.”

Overall, it was a good year for Winstanley Associates at the ADDYs; not only did the agency secure the region’s only national win (Health New England advanced to the district competition, earning a gold ADDY for its ‘City of Bright Nights Ball 2007’ invitation design), but also garnered the highest number of gold ADDYs at the local celebration, held at CityStage in Springfield.

In total, Nate Winstanley earned six gold ADDYs and one bronze in categories ranging from self-promotion to consumer and trade publications to sales promotion.

What’s more, Nate Winstanley said the agency is currently wrapping up a new project called Pet Peeves, that includes a 3D component similar to ‘Nothing,’ but also a new twist — a Web-based, interactive component that was devised in collaboration with Winstanley Associates’ sister software-development company, Lenox Softworks.

“The idea was to sort of make a little box — the box is empty — to symbolize a place to put your peeves,” he explained. “The piece gets them to go to a Web site, where they can post their pet peeves.”

Not for Nothing

Winstanley said the project, like its predecessors, is rooted in humor. But it will also attempt to create an important link between traditional media and online sources.

“It’s sort of a new protocol for marketing,” he said. “We’re hoping to demonstrate our ability to create an interface between traditional and new media; it’s a great example of using print as a lead to generate traffic for interactive projects, and it’s unique because both companies are involved.”

There may be nothing in store for recipients when they open that little box, but Winstanley Associates has had success with nothing before.

And for them, that’s really something.

Jaclyn Stevenson can be reached at stevenson@businesswest.com