Advertising: The Bottom Line

Is green marketing a real, concerted effort to improve the environment, or just a cynical attempt to cash in on a trend? What's the future of traditional advertising? Which brand has been doing a good job in terms of both awareness and building a positive image in the eyes of consumers? For the second year in a row, BusinessWeek joined the Effie Awards—the prizes given to the year's most effective advertising campaigns by the New York American Marketing Assn.—to find answers to questions like these. The award winners will be announced June 15.

A group of Effie judges, who gathered for the judging in New York in March, answered a 15-question survey. While consisting of only 108 people, and with a heavy U.S. focus, the panel is an influential one: Judges this year included top-level executives from brands including American Express (AXP), Citigroup (C), and Kraft (KFT), and ad agencies including BBDO and Leo Burnett. The survey is unscientific, but it provides a quick take on what's on the minds of leaders in the U.S. advertising industry.

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