inferno Masterminds the Ultimate Heist for the Memphis Advertising Community

When attending an awards ceremony, you wouldn’t usually expect to walk away with stacks of cash or gold bars. Unless you attended the 2022 Memphis ADDYs.

This year, inferno was tasked with the creative concept and event planning for the local American Advertising Awards (better known as the ADDYs). After nearly two years of isolation, it seemed like a no brainer to remind the ad community of the importance of teamwork in delivering great creative. We decided to bring agencies together for the ultimate heist: snagging the Best in Show award.

inferno enticed potential heist crew members with a Saul Bass-esque video encouraging them to try their hand at pulling off the big score.

Over the next few months, agencies received posters and emails encouraging them to submit their work and “Steal the Show.”

On February 19, the creative community in Memphis formulated their plans, donned their disguises, and gathered their crew to watch the master plan unfold at Emerge Memphis. Guests mingled with other VIPs, looking for their next mark, while our criminal mastermind revealed which creative team would steal the show.

While only one lucky team would walk away with the Best in Show award, the other crews didn’t leave empty handed. Best of and silver winners walked away with gold bars and stacks of cash to celebrate their efforts. The hallmark of any good heist is getting away with all the goods – and by the time the event was over there wasn’t a single bill left in the event hall.

While inferno may have been the mastermind behind the heist, we couldn’t help snatching a few awards for ourselves. What’s a good heist movie without a double cross, after all?

Gold ADDYs

Cinematography – Single
Across America
Mother’s Day

Cinematography – Campaign
Across America & Mother’s Day

Video Editing
Mother’s Day

Internet Commercial – Single Spot
Mother’s Day

Silver ADDYs

Video Editing
Across America

Internet Commercial – Single Spot
Across America

Best of Awards

Best Video
Mother’s Day

Judges’ Special Awards

Transnetyx Service Posters

If you missed out on the heist (or simply want to relive the thrill), you can check out all the creative below and review the digital winner’s book to find out which creatives made off like bandits.