Winner: Cone, Inc. - Timberland “Don’t Tell Us It Can’t Be Done” Campaign
To encourage business, government and consumer action around the issue of global warming around the Copenhagen climate conference in December 2009, Cone and Timberland executed a comprehensive outreach campaign and petition to young climate change influencers and environmental media, including the Huffington Post’s Olivia Zaleski. Coverage was decidedly top-tier, including 43 placements in U.S. and U.K business and environmental publications, including Bloomberg Businessweek, Newsweek, The Sunday Times, The New York Times and Fast Company. The effort increased brand visibility, with Timberland being voted as one of the “Top 5 Greenest Companies” by EnvironmentalGraffiti.com. —SVC
Adding a Live Element: “It would have been great to offer consumers who participated in the petition live Twitter or Skype chat sessions with key influencers in the climate change debate, providing a real opportunity for their voices to be heard and another media hook,” says Erin Zwaska, account executive at Cone.
Honorable Mentions:
Coyne Public Relations – Give a Day Get a Disney Day: Multi-tiered media plan drives drives more than a million consumers to pledge a day of volunteering..
Euro RSCG Worldwide PR – Yele Haiti: Euro pitches Wyclef Jean to print and broadcast outlets to keep awareness of Haiti earthquake devastation alive.
Haflslund and PR–operatorene – Hafslund’s Children’s Climate Festival: Kids participate in a contest to create energy-saving solutions for their
schools, with the winners showcased at a green festival that drew 35,000 people.
PepsiCo – The Pepsi Refresh Project: Driving Awareness and Engagement Through Media: PepsiCo's project would award up to $1.3 million in grant money to ideas that the public selected by online vote. The campaign was jump-started by a live “Great Ideas Brainstorm” session on Facebook featuring Kevin Bacon and Demi Moore.
Mass Mutual Financial Group – Mass Mutual Completes Solar Installation: Mass Mutual attracted more than 100 media outlets to cover its 2.4 million solar construction project at its headquarters in Springfield, Mass. The thermal panels will provide 50% of the campus' hot water needs..
Weber Shandwick Dallas – Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy: Focusing on learning instead of sports, golf great Phil Mickelson and wife Amy tee up a national media tour to drive awareness for science and math education.