Awards fever is still in the air. In part two of our platinum flashback, we bring you updates on four more winners from the 1999 Platinum PR Awards. They offer proof that
stellar campaigns indeed have legs. Here's where they are now:
Gillette Still Razor Sharp
Porter Novelli swept the marcom category in 1999 by turning stubble (and its removal) into an international phenomenon. Positioned as a "scientific breakthrough," Gillette's
MACH3 razor rose to the number one spot in each of the 18 countries it hit in less than six months. And in the U.S., it garnered a 70 percent market share in the same time
period. PR highlights included a company sponsored, rocket-powered motorcycle that broke British land-speed records in the U.K., a post-launch event at the Concorde Museum in
France, and a launch day photo opp in which NYSE President William R. Johnston shaved off his beard of 17 years on the stock exchange floor.
Today, Porter Novelli continues to freshen the product's image, focusing on editorial pitches to male grooming editors, according to Account Supervisor Sheryl Kornfeld. A
holiday initiative in December positioned the razor in a string of "high tech" gift ideas alongside personal computers, zip drives and printers. To complement the print push, the
agency launched a tandem satellite media tour that ultimately reached more than 7 million with broadcast interviews in 75 markets. In February, a similar effort themed, "Get
Closer This Valentine's Day," paired the MACH3 with other non-competitive products in a sampling of love-day gift ideas. The romance tour aired in 81 markets and made 6.9 million
impressions. (Porter Novelli, 212/601-8022)
Literacy Campaign Rewritten to Get Press
Media relations kudos went to Baltimore-based Warschawski PR for its $36,000 campaign promoting a series of Hebrew literacy courses throughout the U.S. and Canada. To gain
exposure for the National Jewish Outreach Program (NJOP), the agency played up the statistic that 80 percent of North American Jews don't know how to read Hebrew. Timing was
everything in getting ink. Press releases were issued in the fall of 1998 during the Jewish High Holidays to give editors a timely angle. In the end, over 15,000 Jews took the
free classes, and the NJOP secured 400 bits of press coverage, reaching 20+ million readers.
Warschawski repeated the campaign in 1999, but adjusted its approach so reporters wouldn't view the story as old news. "We moved away from pushing the negative [illiteracy]
angle and instead pitched the program as a strong countermeasure to combat the ill effects of Jewish assimilation in North America," says agency founder David Warschawski. As a
result, the 1999 campaign reached 70 million people through media placements in high profile pubs such as the Miami Herald and Philadelphia Enquirer. And the literacy program saw
a 33 percent increase in participants (20,000) over the previous year. (Warschawski, 410/318-8200)
College Tuition Program Learns From Past
Dome Communications proved its media prowess with a campaign launching College Illinois!, a state-sanctioned program that enables parents to pre-pay in-state and out-of-state
college tuitions for their kids. After the Illinois General Assembly approved the program in 1997, the agency armed itself with research that would entice the press. Figures
showed that college tuition was increasing at a rate of 234 percent. Positioning the pre-payment option as a financial planning solution for families, Dome secured more than 700
print stories and more than 140 broadcast segments, with coverage hinging on testimonials from program purchasers. Illinois residents bought more than 11,000 prepaid tuition
contracts in the program's first year.
Dome used the second enrollment period in 1999 to fine-tune its approach. Whereas initial efforts had targeted a broad range of ethnic communities, the second year strategy
focused more intently on Hispanic and Polish consumers (who'd proved to be most receptive to the program). A presence at the Chicago Latino Book and Family Festival reached
several thousand people.
Press coverage remained strong in 1999, largely due to a new pitch angle. "We played up a financing option that allows people to make a downpayment and lower their monthly
payments," says Dome Account Supervisor Melissa Wharton. Year two also provided an opportunity to clear up market confusion about the differences between prepaid tuitionprograms
and college savings plans.
To build support among businesses, College Illinois! is now forging partnerships with local chambers of commerce and corporate HR departments. "College funding, for many
families, is second only to retirement in complexity and expense," says Mike Adams, manager of marketing and public information for the state program. "Most families do their
financial planning in the workplace. It's where they are comfortable and where they expect to see options." (Dome, 312/467-0760; College Illinois!, 847/831-8299)
PR Firm Gets Play Despite Failed Stadium Deal
Finally, the Glastonbury, Conn. firm Cashman & Katz scored points for a public affairs initiative that prompted Connecticut legislators to rubber stamp the construction of
a new football stadium. With only a three week lead time and a meager $4,500 budget, C&K convinced state lawmakers that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft's plan to
bring the team to Hartford would benefit residents and the business community. Campaign highlights included a public pep rally and a media blitz , which yielded ink in The New
York Times and coverage on Hartford's leading news radio station - as well as TV air time just hours before the legislative vote and Monday night football.
Ironically, the stadium deal fell through. But C&K partner Ed Katz says his agency nevertheless benefited from its role in the campaign. "We gained a lot of visibility,
which is now a point of distinction when we're working with lobbyists and legislators," he says, adding that the experience has helped the agency win several pieces of new
business. The firm recently opened a satellite office in New York and is now serving clients such as accounting firm Blum Shapiro and the George W. Bush presidential campaign.
Katz says he and partner Tony Cashman learned a good lesson in working on the Patriots initiative. "If a client needed something on that scale and scope now [in the same time
frame] we'd say no," Katz says. Definitely the mark of a seasoned player. (Cashman & Katz, 860/652-0300, 212/899-5485)
Winning Awards Strategies
- Provide easy reading for judges. Use tabs or some other graphic element to separate sections. Similarly, use subheads in your copy to delineate components such as
strategy, tactics, unique challenges and outcomes. - Submit live samples of promotional materials (rather than photos), if possible. Judges like to see the real thing.
- If you're entering a project in an electronic format, specify the software used and how to open the file.
- Type your entry forms. Competition organizers don't have time to poll each other on whether they're reading an "e" or a "c." And they won't call you to fact check. They'll
circular-file your entry. - Protect your materials. Ship in sturdy boxes and avoid sending breakable items.
- Sell yourself, but get to the point. Judging can be an arduous process, and you never know at what point in the day your submission will be critiqued. A flowery, long-
winded approach can mean sudden death for an entry viewed late in the afternoon.