
They may be toasting with Pepsi products at the Smith Brothers ad agency. A team from the North Shore agency took home the prize in a contest run by the Pittsburgh Ad Fed in which the winner's piece will be published in a national magazine next year.
About 25 entries were submitted in the first-ever RFPittsburgh competition, an event tied to a visit by Frank Cooper, chief marketing officer for PepsiCo North American Beverages. Mr. Cooper judged the contest, and Pepsi will choose where the winning entry is published.
The 350-member Ad Fed hopes to hold a similar competition annually, giving members a chance to get in front of marketers for a national brand.
In the inaugural contest, the winning piece shows a smiling woman, a can of Diet Pepsi and a glass that seems a shade more than half full. The text says, "You strike us as a glass-half-full kind of woman." Cathy Bowen and Craig Seder at Smith Brothers worked on the piece.
Honorable mentions went to a piece submitted by The Savvy Group, Downtown, and another entry from Smith Brothers.
All three winning teams will submit their credentials to Mr. Cooper. The top winner also will be reimbursed for photography used in the work.
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