Republik wins 24 Addy awards

Durham agency and four others get 10 or more Ad Club of the Triangle prizes

Durham advertising agency The Republik cleaned up at this year's Addy competition.

The Republik took home 24 awards, including four golds and a "Best in Show" for a TV commercial it produced for Triumph Boats of Durham. That was more wins than any other agency in the advertising competition sponsored by the Ad Club of the Triangle.

This year's competition attracted a record 536 entries, which in turn reaped a record 182 awards. Four other agencies pulled in 10 or more awards:

* Howard, Merrell & Partners of Raleigh. It won 18 awards, including eight golds.

* Ogilvy Durham, whose 15 awards included 10 golds.

* Anoroc, a Raleigh ad agency, which won 13 awards, including one gold.

* Raleigh's Capstrat won 10 awards.

Winners move to the next level: regional competition. More than bragging rights are at stake. Agencies tout their awards in pitching their business to advertisers.

A total of 77 entrants participated. They included not only advertising and communications agencies but companies that produce their own advertising in-house, according to the co-chairpeople of this year's competition, Jeff Robinson and Whitney G. Wilkerson. Robinson is vice president of sales at Raleigh's Exhibit Resources, and Wilkerson is principal and creative director at Stop Studios in Durham.

Durham's McKinney, the Triangle's largest ad agency, didn't participate in the Addy competition.