The Web Marketing Association presented Columbia Management a 2012 Internet Advertising Competition (IAC) award for outstanding achievement in Internet Advertising. Columbia Management's "A Way of Working that Works" campaign, developed by Sullivan, won for Best Financial Services Online Campaign.

Click here to view the official IAC award announcement. You can view Sullivan's creative entry here. Keep reading to learn how "A Way of Working that Works" came to be:

Columbia Management is one of the nation’s leading asset managers. However, a history of mergers and acquisitions had clouded its story. Within the firm, and in the marketplace, there was no clear picture of who Columbia Management was or what it stood for. Columbia Management enlisted Sullivan to create an advertising campaign aimed at driving brand awareness and consideration while simultaneously promoting its high performing mutual fund products.

Sullivan developed a compelling creative platform that captures Columbia Management’s true point of difference—a way of working defined by rigorous research, discipline and an eagerness to question established thinking—especially their own. As part of the surround-sound campaign, Columbia Management launched a series of standard online advertisements targeting financial advisors and financial intermediaries.

The online advertisements showcased three distinct investment themes: income-oriented equity, short-term credit and scarce growth opportunities, each linking a top performing fund with some aspect of how Columbia Management works.