Co-Winner: American Academy of ophthalmology - Want Scary Eyes? The Dangers of Non-Prescription Decorative Contact Lenses
To the American Academy of Ophthalmology, people who wear non-prescription decorative contact lenses just aren’t seeing straight. So the organization launched the Scary Eyes effort with three objectives: to raise awareness of the risks of wearing the these lenses; raise the public profile of ophthalmology and ophthalmologists; and to elevate the brand of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and its Eyesmart Web site.
AAO deployed a social media press release; an online promotional tool kit for doctors; and a radio media tour. The results were eye-opening: Media outreach garnered 1,500 online and print stories and 100 TV segments, with total impressions hitting 315 million. —SVC
Co-Winner: Porter Novelli - SOY JOY: 'Yo SOY' Hispanic Campaign
With the goal of introducing the SOYJOY snack bar to the growing Hispanic market, Porter Novelli targeted those 18-24 because of their affinity both for snacking on the go and for their use of mobile devices, which would play heavily into the campaign. Partnering with social mobile network MocoSpace, launch tactics for the campaign included the creation of an online/mobile community for SOYJOY and the cultivating of bilingual brand and flavor conversations by teasing a new SOYJOY flavor (pineapple) online.
The results were impressive: close to 1.35 million impressions in Hispanic print publications; 105,000 MocoSpace fans in 10 weeks; and an increase of total awareness of the SOYJOY snack bar of 351% from July-December 2011. —SVC
Honorable Mentions:
American Red Cross – Save-a-Life Saturday: To honor the heroic acts of those who responded at
the tragic Jan. 8, 2011 shooting in Tucson, Ariz., the Red Cross hosted a day of nationwide events focused on first aid, CPR and bleeding and shock management that were promoted by a toolkit of flyers, press releases, talking points and other media and marketing materials. On March 19, 11,000 people received free training at 100 events across the country, including 115 members of Congress and their staff.
Disney Consumer Products – Disney Introduces AppMATes Mobile Application Toys: To introduce the new toy line that comes to life on an Apple iPad, Disney briefed key toy and digital industry influencers, and coordinated efforts with Apple in concert with its holiday gift guide and the opening of the new Apple Store in Grand Central Terminal. The program generated 130:1 ROI on the PR budget.
Edelman – Pantone Color of the Year: Making a Brand Synonymous with Color: Edelman secured The Wall Street Journal to cover Color of the Year for the second year in a row, and garnered an AP article that was syndicated by 25 top-tier media outlets.
Fleishman-Hillard Kansas City – Talking Sex Together (TxT): Going Mobile with Sex Ed and Teen Pregnancy Prevention: In creating TxT, the first free service in Iowa to use weekly text messages to alert teens on safe sex practices, FH awarded teens who answered weekly text polls with $25 Visa gift cards. Radio PSAs, a 16-week Facebook ad campaign and 43,000 branded TxT tchotchkes led 90% of teens to report that the campaign had a positive impact on their attitudes about sex and pregnancy prevention.
Formula – Native Union POP Phones Launch: To promote the retro-designed POP phone, Formula sent the phone via a series of creative mailers to technology influencers—targeting the celebrity, fashion and media worlds—resulting in an average of 40,000 POP phones sold per week during the 2011 holiday season.
National Restaurant Association – Kids LiveWell: Launched on July 13, 2011, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., Kids LiveWell helped parents and kids select healthy menu items when dining out. Social media and“Ask the Nutritionist”online videos helped drive top-tier coverage in major markets, nearly 850 million Twitter impressions and 300,000 Facebook impressions.
Ogilvy Public Relations – The Guinness Storehouse: The Friendliest Place on Earth for St. Patrick’s Day: To promote the Dublin, Ireland, home of Guinness beer among U.S. travelers, Ogilvy PR promoted the Storehouse’s three-day festival in March 2011—around St. Patrick’s Day. The results were frothy: 54 pieces of U.S. coverage in print, online and broadcast outlets and 21,000 total Web visitors to the festival’s Web site.
Osborn & Barr Communications – 2011 Monsanto America’s Farmers Mom of the Year Contest: Agricultural audiences were encouraged to visit AmericasFarmers.com to nominate their favorite farm mom in time for Mother’s Day—in 300 words or less. E-blasts, social media and top-tier media outreach resulted in nearly 6,000 votes cast (up from 4,700 in 2010). The winner: Bette Lu Lerwick of Wyoming.
Qorvis Communications, LLC – Operation HOPE 20th Anniversary Opportunity Bus Tour: From Chaos to Community: To increase awareness of Operation HOPE’s efforts to provide financial literacy programs to underserved communities, the tour was launched in concert with the 20th anniversary of the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles. Driven by media relations and social media, the campaign drew a number of media outlets to cover the event and 350 children in Los Angeles received Operation HOPE’s Banking on Our Future curriculum.
Reading Is Fundamental – Book People Unite: Reading Is Fundamental used a powerful PSA, online banner ads, print and radio spots and an online pledge for people to declare themselves as a “book person” to drive 140 media placements, 79 million impressions and 2,500 pledges.
Red Agency – Foodbank Australia: Bridge the Hunger Divide: To call attention to 2 million hungry people Down Under each year, Red Agency built a scale model of Sydney Harbour Bridge made out of 22 different food products. Coverage of the construction and final product was phenomenal: five major TV news features; more than 20 radio interviews; and Facebook activity that reached 15,000+ people.