Qorvis, SmithGifford Win Four ADDY Awards for Virginia Lottery Advertising

WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwire - March 25, 2009) - Qorvis Communications, one of the largest independent, integrated communications firms in the U.S., and its creative partner SmithGifford, today announced they won four 2009 Advertising Club of Metropolitan Washington ADDYs for television advertising created and produced for the Virginia Lottery.

The TV spot called "Dodgeball, 'Near Miss'" earned Best in Category for the Broadcast category and a Gold ADDY in the Television, Regional/National TV, Single Consumer Products category. The ad promotes one of the computer generated Fast Play Games. It is based on the traditional schoolyard game of dodgeball, but with a twist: "The More You Miss, the More You Win."

The other winners were "Harley Davidson, 'The Man'" and "Tax Free Millions, 'Sheep,'" which promote scratchers and claimed Silver ADDYs in the Television, Regional/National TV, Single Consumer Products category.

"Qorvis and SmithGifford are honored to win four ADDYs for our collaborative work for the Virginia Lottery," said Karen Gauthier, Qorvis managing director, who manages the communications team for the Virginia Lottery. "It is always exciting and humbling to receive the recognition from our industry peers."

Bruce Gifford, creative director, SmithGifford, commented: "We're grateful to the Virginia Lottery for being as excited about this spot as we were. And frankly, they had the best throwing arms on set."

The winning team was led by Karen Gauthier. Bruce Gifford was the creative director. SmithGifford's Drew Magary was the senior writer and Dana Cole was the producer.

The 2009 ADDY® Awards were presented on March 19 at the Carnegie Institute of Science by the Advertising Club of Metropolitan Washington.

About Qorvis Communications, LLC

Qorvis Communications is one of the nation's largest independent, integrated communications firms. Formed in August 2000, Qorvis provides its clients with expertise in the areas of public and media relations, advertising, public affairs, investor relations and financial services communications, grassroots campaigns, Internet-based campaigns, social media strategies, and research and opinion surveys. For more information, visit www.qorvis.com.

About SmithGifford

SmithGifford is a full-service advertising agency in Falls Church, Va., just outside Washington, D.C. We're a group of smart people who do really nice work. Sometimes we are referred to as a group of nice people who do really smart work. During the last five years we've attracted a handful of carefully selected clients who want to build strong brands using highly creative thinking. We are proud of the work we have done for them and even more proud of the results. For more information, go to www.smithgifford.com.

About The Advertising Club of Metropolitan Washington

Since 1918, The Advertising Club of Metropolitan Washington has served as the premier industry organization for area advertising professionals. The D.C. Ad Club celebrated the 41st Annual ADDY® Awards, recognizing the best in creative excellence in advertising in the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area. Our ADDY Awards are the first level in a three-tiered competition sponsored by the American Advertising Federation (AAF). With 60,000 entries nationwide, the ADDY Awards is the nation's largest advertising competition. For more information, visit www.dcadclub.com.

Contact Information: CONTACT: Renate Geerlings rgeerlings@qorvis.com 202-255-2744