The Society for Marketing Professional Services  (SMPS) recently announced the winners in their 2012 Awards program for marketing materials developed by local A/E firms.  The categories ranged from brochures to direct mail pieces, including holiday cards.  Mackey Mitchell received an “Award of Excellence” for this past year’s holiday card which consisted of six watercolor drawings by architect John Burse which were made into sets of notecards. Judges saw the cards as a “great outreach effort to clients, and that personal touches like this go well beyond the “normal” marketing approaches.”   Another saw it as a great study in how to subtly announce awards received by the firm (John received an honor award for his drawing in the 2011 AIA Drawings competition), and still offer holiday greetings.  “In this day and age of electronic communications and mass-produced , off-the-shelf-cards,” another juror commented, “holiday greetings such as these really stand out.”  If you’d like to receive a set of watercolor notecards, please send  an  e-mail  request to Kathy Ulkus: kathy_u@mackeymitchell.com