More than 120 marketing professionals turned out Feb. 3 for the 31st Annual Marketing Excellence Awards sponsored by the Baltimore Chapter of the American Marketing Association.

Taking top honors with “Overall Campaign of the Year” was BGE for its campaign aimed at teaching children how to stay safe around natural gas. The campaign, created in conjunction with the Baltimore office of Weber Shandwick, features “The Adventures of Captain Mercaptan” as well as the Ironman comic book character. Captain Mercaptan takes his name from “mercaptan,” the safety additive BGE and gas utilities put in natural gas to give it a rotten egg odor and make it easier to detect.

Accepting the award from AMA Baltimore’s Eileen Gwin and Dov Hoffman was BGE Marketing Manager Keisha Clarke-English. Master of Ceremonies was past president Rob Macdonald.

“Runner-Up Campaign of the Year” went to Baltimore agency Mindgrub for Brain Balance, a supplemental learning education center with more than 55 locations nationwide. In addition to brand identity work, Mindgrub conceptualized and built a comprehensive nutrition system named Balance 360, with a web portal and an extensive nutrition guidebook, social media integration, and access to a registered dietician, which can be obtained with a unique code through a member portal.

“2nd Runner-Up Campaign of the Year” went to the Maryland Health Connection for its work with Weber Shandwick to promote the official marketplace for Maryland individuals, families and small businesses to shop, compare and enroll in health insurance plans.

For additional information and to see a complete list of winners, see the previous AMA Marketing Excellence Awards coverage in the Capitol Communicator.

(Stay current with items of interest to communicators at Capitol Communicator, www.capitolcommunicator.com.)