Roger Vaughn
The American Advertising Federation of Chattanooga recognizes Roger Vaughn as the recipient of the organization’s most prestigious lifetime achievement award, the 2015 Silver Medal.
The American Advertising Federation’s Silver Medal Award Program was established in 1959 to recognize advertising industry professionals who have made outstanding contributions to advertising and who have been active in furthering the industry’s standards, creative excellence and responsibility in areas of social concern. Annually, AAF member clubs present this honor upon outstanding members of the local advertising community.
A seasoned conceptual thinker, strategist, writer and filmmaker with 20-plus years of experience, Roger Vaughn is a partner and creative director at The Johnson Group, a full-service, AAAA-member agency founded in 1996 in Chattanooga. Mr. Vaughn’s advertising portfolio includes television, radio, print and digital work for such clients as McDonald’s, Volkswagen, Comcast, Krystal, Cracker Barrel, Sprint, Cricket Wireless, Sunbelt Granola Bars, Brach’s Candy, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Rubbermaid, and AirTran Airlines. His work has been recognized with multiple local, regional and national ADDYs; national EFFIEs; ShowSouth awards; and ADWEEK magazine’s Icon Award for Technology Marketing.
Joe Johnson, CEO of The Johnson Group, says, “Roger challenges the status quo, every day with his creative thinking. He’ll push the boundaries of creativity so far on some ideas that it scares you. And he’ll really fight for a great idea because he knows it’s the right thing to do. But he also has the wisdom to know when to back off, change direction and continue to lead. The Johnson Group could not be the successful ad agency it has been for 20 years in Chattanooga, without Roger’s unique ideas, creative vision and leadership. In the agency business, there’s no more significant contribution."
In addition to his advertising work, Mr. Vaughn has created music video concepts for high-profile acts including Eric Church, Florida-Georgia Line, Josh Turner, Thomas Rhett and Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek. This work has been recognized with multiple CMA, CMT and ACM awards and nominations. Mr. Vaughn is an alumnus of UTC, with a BA in Communications/Advertising, English and Design. He lives in Chattanooga with his wife Melissa and an absurd number of cats and dogs.
Entries for the Silver Medal awards are gathered each February and March. Nominations are submitted on behalf of the individual. Through a blind judging process, Mr. Vaughn was selected as this year’s recipient. "We are thrilled that Roger Vaughn, partner and creative director for the Johnson Group, was chosen and is being recognized for his leadership, influence and many accomplishments," Casey Knox, AAF Chattanooga president, said. "The Johnson Group is a leader in the creative advertising space, and Roger is a big part of that."
A luncheon will be held in Roger’s honor on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. at Loose Cannon in the Southside with catering by Events with Taste.