Leo Burnett’s Toronto office triumphed over 45 international finalists to win Best in Show honours at the 2009 Obie Awards for its James Ready beer billboard campaign.

The Obie’s are organized by the Outdoor Advertising Association of America and were presented yesterday during a 35-minute webinar.

The campaign for the discount beer began in April 2008, with 106 billboards throughout southern Ontario that were only partially complete. The words “Help us keep James Ready a buck. Share our billboard” appeared in the empty space next to a product shot. The idea was that James Ready was asking consumers to help split the cost of the billboard to save money and keep its prices down. (“Guest advertisers” didn’t actually split the cost of the billboard.)

Visitors to the brand’s website could submit photos and messages to run on specific boards. In May, those submissions were posted to the requested boards on a first-come, first-serve basis. Below each user image ran a thank you for helping keep the beer affordable.

“Here is a brand that’s trying to keep its beer a buck, and it did it in such an inventive way,” said Mark Tutssel, chief creative officer of Leo Burnett Worldwide and chief judge of this year’s competition. “It invited people to participate and co-create with the brand in a fresh new way.”

The billboards also won the Obie in the International category.

The James Ready campaign has been recognized once already this year by the Andy Awards in New York, where it won two golds.

Roseanne Caron, president of the Out-of-Home Marketing Association of Canada, was at Leo Burnett’s Toronto office to present the award on behalf of the OAAA.

It was received by the James Ready creative team, which includes writers Sean Barlow and Steve Persico, and art directors Anthony Chelvanathan, and Paul Giannetta. Judy John and Israel Diaz oversaw the work as creative directors.

“What an innovative idea that garnered tremendous consumer response,” Caron said.

“It’s always great for our industry in Canada to be recognized on the global stage,” said Leo Burnett’s Canadian president and CEO David Moore. “I’m particularly proud of the simplicity of the idea—no high tech, no special effects, just pure creativity in one of the world’s oldest mediums.”

Sharing Obie top honours with Leo Burnett was BBDO New York, which won the Best in Show, Multi-format title for its The Economist outdoor campaign in New York City.

In terms of other Canadian entries, Taxi Canada won a Merit Award in the International category for its Aviva creative, while Juniper Park was short-listed for its Sun Chips billboard in California that used shadows and sunlight to create copy on its surface.

There is currently no awards program dedicated to out-of-home marketing in Canada.