News

From 2005 to 2008, OHMA recognized excellence in On Hold Messaging production with the HOLDIE Awards. We've now taken it to the next level with the MARCE Awards. Each year at the annual conference, two HOLDIES were presented: one to honor the best "real" OHM production created for a client, and one to celebrate the best "spoof" produced for the enjoyment of OHMA members only.

But since last year a lot has changed with the OHMA awards, most notably the name. They're now known as the MARCE (MAR-see) Awards. MARCE stands for MARketing & Creative Excellence. "In changing the name, we wanted to emphasize the marketing power of On Hold Messaging," said the MARCE Awards Chair. "The best On Hold Messaging is not just filler or fluff. It's an effective tool that helps companies increase revenue, build brand and top-of-mind awareness, and meet other marketing goals. The OHM productions voted the best each year should reflect that marketing power."

The judging process for the MARCEs is also different from past years. OHMA members used to vote for their favorite productions. Now, a panel of qualified judges from the marketing, creative and /or audio production fields listens to each entry and rates it based on specific criteria. The judges are not affiliated with and have no contact with OHMA or any member company. The judges don't know the names of the entrants and they are selected by a third-party with years of experience in finding judges for The American Advertising ADDY Award competitions.

At this year's On Hold Messaging Association conference in Atlanta, five awards were presented to four member companies:

 1 Gold
 2 Silvers
 2 Judge's Choice

Click here to listen to the 2009 winning entries and several winners from previous years.