Co-Winner: Sealed Air Corporation – Bubble Wrap Protects the Captain
After New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter and longtime teammates Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte appeared on the May 3, 2010, cover of Sports Ilustrated, Jeter soon became the last man standing due to injuries to the others. The SI cover jinx had struck again. Always looking to tie Bubble Wrap to news of the day, Coyne PR and Sealed Air commissioned a special roll of the wrap—complete with Yankee pinstripes and Jeter’s uniform number 2—to send to the superstar, to keep him from getting hurt. After that, a media blitz ensued, garnering coverage in USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, the major New York dailies—and four broadcast segments by CNN Headline News. —SVC
Co-Winner: Ogilvy PR Worldwide and MaggieMoo’s Ice Cream & Treatery – Tax Day ‘Sundae Stimulus’
Looking to create awareness, gain national media exposure and differentiate its brand from larger competitors, MaggieMoo’s tapped Ogilvy PR to engineer a rather “taxing” initiative: a MaggieMoo’s Tax Day ice cream giveaway. For national media outreach, the Ogilvy PR team, led by senior VP Steven Rice, developed a trend story utilizing larger brands’ tax day promotions. To local media, only the MaggieMoo’s giveaway was pitched. The trend story landed in the April 2010 issue of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance as well as on the CBS Early Show. Nearly 18,000 visitors came to the MaggieMoo’s Web site on Tax Day on April 15, and 90% of them were first-time visitors. —SVC
Honorable Mentions:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse: CDC used a dose of “zombie humor” via its blog, Twitter and Facebook to get the public thinking about being prepared for all eventualities.
Goodyear – Goodyear Assurance “Fuel Max: Border to Border”: Coyne PR and Goodyear promoted a new tire’s fuel efficiency via a record-breaking trip on a single tank of gas.
Illinois Tollway - Drive Now. Text Later.: A kickoff press conference, online outreach and posters and bumper stickers helped drive the state’s effort against texting while driving.