COLUMBUS, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Wendy’s Company has selected Ron Foth Advertising, of Columbus, Ohio, as the National winner of their 1^st annual Advancing Field Media Excellence (AFME) award. Foth earned the honor for the agency’s “It’s the Bacon, Baby” campaign featuring ESPN College Basketball icon Dick Vitale in support of the Baconator® cheeseburger. The AFME award is a new component of Wendy’s efforts to elevate emphasis on strategic thinking and thought leadership aimed at the store level. This prestigious award will be given annually to agencies that create outstanding marketing and media plans and achieve great results. “It is an honor to be the first agency to receive this national recognition from Wendy’s,” said Ron Foth Sr., President/CEO of Ron Foth Advertising.

As part of the review process, Wendy’s selected regional winners from across the country. Foth was not only selected as the North Region winner, but also the National winner for their concept, strategy, consumer understanding and results of their “It’s the Bacon, Baby” campaign. The agency produced television and radio commercials, in-store signage, digital elements, ringtones and other applications featuring Mr. Vitale with the Baconator, showcasing his fun and enthusiastic personality that has made him a sports broadcasting legend. And with Dick having over 500,000 Twitter followers, the social media chatter began months ahead of the start of the promotion and continued to build until the very end. The campaign aired throughout the Northeast in March of 2013 and included an online microsite/contest where consumers could register to win a Wendy’s Baconator lunch with Dick Vitale and $5,000.

“I had a blast working with Wendy’s and the superb Foth team,” said Dick Vitale. “The reaction by everyone was absolutely AWESOME BABY, WITH A CAPITAL ‘A’. You name it, whether on Twitter, on the streets, at a basketball game, and everywhere I went all I kept hearing was ‘IT’S THE BACON, BABY!”

About Ron Foth AdvertisingRon Foth Advertising is an award-winning, full-service ad agency and production company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Founded in 1975, Foth offers marketing, branding and digital solutions to clients across the country and around the world, including The Wendy’s Company, Safelite AutoGlass, MGM Casinos, San Francisco’s California Academy of Sciences, Ohio Tourism/Office of TourismOhio, Safeway Supermarkets, The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Nutramax Laboratories, Stanley Steemer and many more. For more information, visit www.ronfoth.com.

About The Wendy’s CompanyThe Wendy's Company is the world's third largest quick-service hamburger company. The Wendy's system includes more than 6,500 franchise and Company restaurants in the United States and 27 countries and U.S. territories worldwide. For more information visit www.wendys.com or www.aboutwendys.com.