A Cover Contest Creates Awareness for the ‘Comeback’ Issue

by RaeAnne Marsh

Each of our participants for this month’s cover story was asked to compete by creating an August 2021 In Business Magazine cover that depicted the Greater Phoenix comeback from COVID-19. Six of our top marketing companies involved took on the challenge and worked internally with their creative teams to come up with a concept and execute it for the In Business Magazine August 2021 cover.

We asked each of the cover story participants to vote for their top three covers. Each was sent the covers not knowing which company was responsible for the cover submissions; only our design team knew which companies participated. With our “double blind” process, the candidates were voted upon and the Kiterocket cover, “We Are Coming Back,” was the cover that received the most overall votes.

We have included each of the inspiring covers in this section for all to see. We asked each to name their submission and tell us about about their inspiration and the people who were involved in creating the cover. 

We want to thank each of the six companies that submitted a cover for their time and effort in this contest. It was fun to see what “Comeback” meant to you. We also want to thank all the companies for participating in our August 2021 cover story, “Coming Back: How Marketing Will Build (Back) Business after COVID.” These companies are all based in Greater Phoenix and are doing great work for the businesses in our community to create awareness and market their products, services and community involvement.

So please enjoy looking over these six covers and get to know how some of our top marketing companies in Greater Phoenix illustrate our business community’s come back from COVID-19. 

Editor’s Note: Each of the submissions was given a templated cover to work from. The copy was removed and the InDesign file was provided with no other restrictions, other than to adhere to the masthead and our ability to include the “In this Issue” tab at the bottom left of the cover.

Aker Ink PR & Marketing

Title: Coming Back in Full Color

Creative influence: Adorned in the Arizona flag, the boomerang represents the role of marketing for local business. As it flies across the Phoenix city landscape, the once drab climate (represented in black and white) is brought to life in full color as the boomerang “comes back.”

Those involved: 
Rob DiLorenzo 
Valliere Jones

Website »

OH Partners

Title: Us. Unstoppable.

Creative influence: Virgin Hotels Las Vegas set out on a mission to break through the velvet rope barrier of Las Vegas — off the strip and out of the ordinary. To provide a proper introduction, OH Partners needed to create a buzz booming with anticipation, surprise, delight and a deeper message of inclusivity. “Us. Unstoppable.” rose to the occasion inspired its people that make the place. This campaign embraced individuality and the unwavering “inclusivity for all” mantra shined bright, proving that the unconventional vibe of Virgin Hotels is the future of Las Vegas. 

Those involved: Dean Alexander, Director Kyle Gilbert, Sr. Producer Clay James, VP, Executive Creative Director Shawn Miller, Associate Creative Director Amy Valazquez, Sr. Copywriter

Website »

Winner - Kiterocket

Title: We Are Coming Back

Creative inspiration: Our illustration reflects a sense of communities being rebuilt, of musicians getting back to stages, and coffee shops smelling like warm pastries again; of production lines rolling rhythmically, of construction cranes pivoting with purpose, and happy people soaking it all in. It carries symbols that represent aspects of marketing — text messages, email campaigns, social media, market analysis, search engine optimization, targeting, etc. — that support the rebuilding of our Phoenix community.

Those involved: Martijn Pierik, Author; German Wegbrait, Creative Director; Francoise von Trapp, Editorial Director

Website »

Serendipit Consulting

Title: Business on the Top

Creative influence: The “new norm” was all about Zoom, leisurewear on the bottom and business-appropriate on the top, and pets popping their cute faces into important meetings. The advantage? Many have realized they can bring the faces of their business anywhere in the world, pushing them out of their normal comfort zone and into new opportunities. 

Those involved: Nichole Cook, Sr. Project Manager Dayna DeMaine, Graphic Designer Melissa DiGianfilippo, Owner and President of PR Andrew Leger, Director of Branding Wes Krisay, Creative Director Alexis Krisay, Owner and President of Marketing Justie Lim, Graphic Designer Alex White, Project Manager

Website »

The James Agency

Title: There is No Crystal Ball

Creative influence: COVID shattered our long-held ideas of what works in marketing. Predictability is a thing of the past. Moving forward, creatives will need to remain mentally nimble and “shatter the crystal ball” to succeed.

Those involved: Robert Limmer, Junior Graphic Designer 

Website »

Zion & Zion

Title: The Fuse is Lit

Creative inspiration: Businesses are ready to get back to, well … business. And they’re going to want come back with a bang (pun intended). Their brands have been bottled up for more than a year and marketing will help them take off. The design was inspired by Belgian surrealist René Magritte’s painting titled “Son of Man.”

Those involved: Leslie Sonnenklar, Director of PR & Social Media Ken Spera, Creative Director Aric Zion, CEO

Website »

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