Introducing the MARAs

Did you catch Toro's Benjamin Briggs on the cover of the National Post's Toronto section on Saturday February 18 (The Worthy 30 - They're Smart, handsome, talented - and unattached")? Inside we discover that Briggs is 29, Gemini, eats Marmite on toast for breakfast, always carries a hanky and drives a BMW (with a Vespa on the side).

Which brings me to my thought du jour - it seems that every corner of this industry has it's awards - NMAs for editorial, MIAs for media planning, ACEs for circulation excellence. Why nothing for the reps? Sure most people are under the impression that we are dumb and lazy yet still are rewarded with obscene compensation packages and fat expense accounts. But that doesn't mean our fragile egos don't need a gentle stroking every so often. Something to emotionally counterbalance all the humiliations, degradations and rejections that are our daily existence. So let's create the MARAs (Magazine Advertising Rep Awards).

Judging can be done by panels drawn from the ad agency community. Categories can include best dressed (Benjamin Briggs), most handsome (Benjamin Briggs again), most entertaining presenter, most persistent, most honest, least honest, best golfer, best lunch and of course - Reptile of the year!