ASI Magazines Honored With Six Prestigious National Awards

ASI’s editorial staff wins one Neal and earns five finalist nominations in coveted Jesse H. Neal awards

TREVOSE, PA – April 24, 2020 – Business-to-business trade magazines published by the Advertising Specialty Institute^® (ASI) were honored with a prestigious Jesse H. Neal Award for art direction and five additional finalist nominations, including nods for Counselor’s annual “State of the Industry” issue.

The Jesse H. Neal Awards are considered the Pulitzer Prize of business media, honoring winning reporting on major industry issues and pressing business challenges while helping guide industry leaders to higher levels of effectiveness.

“The Neals are the most competitive awards in business journalism and we’re honored to be recognized for telling the stories of the people and the issues that matter most to our industry, in print and online, in the service of our readers,” said Michele Bell (@ASI_MBell), ASI’s vice president of editorial and events. “I couldn’t be prouder of our amazing staff.”

The 2020 win is the 15th Neal award won by ASI’s magazines over the years, including eight Neals for Counselor^® alone, more than any other industry publication.

Below is more info on the honored entries:

• Winner, Best Art Direction for a Single Article, “The Fashion Issue,” Wearables magazine, for Hillary Glen, art director, Theresa Hegel, executive editor, and Ryan Geraghty, photographer. This striking photoshoot offered an extensive look at a fashion staple: the classic white T-shirt.
• Finalist, Best Art Direction for a Single Article, “Tracking Trump,” for Hillary Glen. This article featured creative uses of illustration and imagery for a story on the president’s branding influence on the promo industry.
• Finalist, Best Editorial Use of Data, Counselor “State of the Industry,” for Nate Kucsma, executive director of research and corporate marketing, and the Counselor magazine staff. This annual report is used as a business benchmark for industry members throughout the year. It features a barometer of the promo market’s health and an analysis of predictive trends.
• Finalist, Best Range of Work by a Single Author, Counselor magazine, for Theresa Hegel.  Her submitted work includes “Sustainability Matters,” on the adoption by the apparel industry of stronger social and environmental practices; “How to Succeed With Moment Merch”, an article on ways T-shirt designers identify trends in sports, politics and pop culture and design “moment merch” with a lasting impact; and other stories, podcasts and videos.
• Finalist, Best Instructional Content, Advantages magazine “Sales Boost” section, for Sara Lavenduski, senior editor, Monica Guzman, senior designer, and C.J. Mittica, editor-in-chief. This monthly section provides sales advice and insights on market trends from promotional products distributors and outside experts.
• Finalist, Best Profile, Chocolate Inn/Lanco: The Anatomy of a Turnaround, Counselor, for John Corrigan, senior writer. A compelling case study, this feature article detailed how the Top 40 supplier was pulled back from the brink of closure by two industry pros who jumped in, saved the company and spearheaded its thriving second act.

Connectiv, the Business Information Association, a division of SIIA, an umbrella association representing 800+ technology, data and media companies globally, announced the winners of the 66th Annual Jesse H. Neal Awards during an online ceremony. Other winners and finalists included American Banker, Crain’s New York Business, Ad Age and Architectural Record.

For more information on ASI’s editorial coverage of the promo products industry, please contact Michele Bell at [email protected].

About ASI
The Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI^®; asicentral.com) serves a network of 25,000 suppliers, distributors and decorators in the $25.8 billion promotional products industry. ASI’s flagship product, the technology platform ESP^®, manages the industry’s entire supply and marketing chain. ASI also produces award-winning digital and print content, live events and educational programs that enable companies in 53 countries to be more efficient, productive and profitable. ASI’s Counselor^® magazine provides the most authoritative business content in the industry, and the ASI Certification Program features 500+ live and online education courses for over 40,000 professionals. The company, family-owned and -operated since 1962, is proud to have been consistently ranked among the “Best Places to Work” in Philadelphia and Bucks County, PA.