Winner: Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company – Supporting Firefighters for Safer Communities
Since 2004, Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company has awarded millions of dollars in grants each year to fire departments for life-saving equipment, firefighter training and community education materials through its Heritage Program. Looking to expand the reach of the program and further align it with business goals, Fireman’s Fund offered a PR/marketing plan for each independent agency awarding a grant and listed key media outlets important to them (such as trade journals and homeowner associations). Follow-up surveys with agencies have been positive. Fireman’s Fund has heard numerous stories of agencies winning new business thanks to the Heritage Program outreach. —SVC
Honorable Mentions:
Astro Malaysia Holdings Sdn Bhd (Astro) – Astro Hostel: The educational broadcast company built hostels for rural students while its employees provided school supplies and curriculum help.
Recyclebank and The Bateman Group – Gamification Goes Green—Recyclebank’s Green Your Home Challenge Sparks Eco-Friendly Actions: A nationwide digital contest awarded points to the most green households. The effort became a model for “gaming for good” efforts.
SAP – Creating Opportunities for Farmers in Ghana: Local partnerships and business software supplied by SAP helped women farmers who harvest shea nuts increase their incomes by up to 82%—media coverage on the project was high.
Telemundo Media – El Poder de Saber (The Power of Knowing): In promoting the educational advancement of young Latinos, the initiative included a series of PSAs featuring Telemundo’s TV stars, which gained more than 13 million views between Nov. 2010 and Nov. 2011.
TTNET – Saplings and children growing together at primary schools for a better environment: The telecommunications provider worked with Turkey’s school kids to fight the problem of erosion by planting cedar tree saplings.
Urban Zen Foundation and Euro RSCG Worldwide PR – Hope, Help and Rebuild Haiti: Donna Karan’s Urban Zen hosted a special charity event featuring two presidents, renowned doctors and movie stars galore—the proceed benefiting Mirebalais Hospital in Haiti. The soiree produced major media coverage worldwide.