Annual Report

Stantec Inc. 2003 Annual Report
Stantec Consulting

Stantec, an engineering and architecture firm with over 50 offices in North America, set a goal to produce an elegant, classic annual report celebrating their 50-year history¾for under $5.00 per copy. Stantec also wanted to take the opportunity to highlight their people¾because people have been a key factor in their success. To do this, the in house Corporate Communications team at Stantec focused on the company’s history - the goals and achievements of 50 years ago, 10 years ago, and five years ago. The anniversary was marked with a special logo, a commemorative bookmark ribbon, and a “report card.” 1000 of the copies were printed with gilded pages as a limited edition collector’s item for key shareholders, clients, and leadership. Most importantly, the annual report featured 50 great faces of Stantec, people nominated by their peers as representative of the Stantec spirit. Under tight timelines, the Corporate Communications team produced all the writing, editing, design, and layout for the Stantec 2003 annual report. Final results: 10,000 copies printed for $47,000 or a cost per unit of $4.70. The report met all corporate reporting and disclosure requirements. Response from shareholders and investment community was positive. Share price increased 7% in the month following the release of the annual report. One staff shareholder wrote, “I have just finished reading our 2003 annual report. It gave me a feeling of great pride for what we have accomplished in the past year and in the past fifty years.”

2002 Annual Report
National Beer Wholesalers Association

The National Beer Wholesalers Association represents nearly 2,200 beer distributors across the country. Advocating on their behalf before the federal government and with public opinion leaders is the group’s primary mission. When creating the Annual Report, the Association sought to instantly grab the readers’ attention by delivering important information about the group’s activities in the most appropriate package possible – a publication shaped like a 12 inch-high stein, complete with mug handles and froth! In addition to making its readers thirsty, the Annual Report also served to educate members of Congress, media and industry leaders on the Association’s numerous activities in the legislative, regulatory and public arena over the past year.

Application of Research & Measurement

Using Communications Research to Maximize ROI for Analyst Relations Teams
Context Analytics

Context Analytics helped Genentech maximize positive coverage and facilitate rapid market acceptance of the landmark asthma drug, Xolair, with a program that assessed media coverage of the drug during its approval by the Federal Drug Administration. By providing a quick, insightful assessment of preliminary FDA committee coverage that tracked which topics were covered and how they were characterized in the media, Context Analytics enabled Genentech to refine its messaging and media outreach strategies to ensure an improved pick-up of the client’s key messages in coverage of Xolair’s approval by the FDA and its market launch in fall 2003.

Xerox Office Group: Color Works!
Text 100 for Xerox

The Xerox Office Group set out to create a program that would get the attention of small business owners and show them the value of adding color to documents in the workplace. Through a national survey of small businesses under 100 employees, the team learned small businesses feel that adding color to work documents results in better-motivated employees, new business wins and an increased understanding of printed documents. The Color Works survey has received a total of 312 media hits, which is 693 percent of Xerox's original goal of 45 hits.

Cause-Related Marketing

Yoplait Champions
Cone, Inc.

Ordinary people doing extraordinary things in the fight against breast cancer! In 2003, Yoplait extended its successful cause-related marketing campaign, Save Lids to Save Lives, by launching the Yoplait Champions program. The objective of the program was to extend the campaign from the grocery store shelves to local communities across the country to reach out to their target consumer in a more impactful way. In collaboration with the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and SELF Magazine, Yoplait conducted a nationwide search of 25 ordinary people doing extraordinary things in the fight against breast cancer. Twenty-five men and women were recognized for their achievements at a special SELF Magazine awards ceremony where they met Nancy Brinker, the founder of the Komen organization and were awarded a $1,000 donation to the charity of their choice. During an all-expenses paid trip to New York City the 25 Yoplait Champions, Nancy Brinker and Yoplait representatives appeared on the “Today Show”. From July to October 2003, over 125 million media impressions were garnered, helping to move the Save Lids to Save Lives program beyond a promotion and elevated the brand’s leadership positioning in the breast cancer cause.

The Great American Bake Sale
Parade Publications

“The Great American Bake Sale, presented by PARADE Magazine and Share Our Strength, is a groundbreaking national program to end child hunger in America. Each year, people from across the country are encouraged to host or participate in bake sales in their communities. All funds raised are donated to Share Our Strength, which then makes grants to innovative nonprofits fighting child hunger in the United States. Since it’s inception, more than 975,000 people have baked, sold or bought and together and we have raised more than $2.4 million to fight child hunger.”

Canon4Kids
Canon U.S.A.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and Canon U.S.A. have collaborated since 1997 to raise public awareness about the growing issue of child abduction. Canon stresses the need for parents to update photos and have them available to assist authorities in a search for a missing child. Canon also provides photographic and printing products to law enforcement agencies nationwide to aid in the recovery of missing children. The current initiative, Canon4Kids, features pictures of missing children along with the NCMEC hotline number in various venues. As part of this effort, PGA TOUR golfer Briny Baird and Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour golfer Michelle McGann each place a photo of a local missing child on their golf bags during each tournament in which they play. The photos are seen by millions of people who watch in person or on television.

Debt AIDS Trade Africa-http://www.data.org
Mindshare Interactive Campaigns

In 2003, Mindshare Interactive Campaigns worked with DATA on the full scope of Internet design, custom technology development, branding, promotion and maintenance services. The goal was to redesign their Website and improve the performance of DATA’s grassroots recruitment efforts and inspire, educate and activate audiences to raise awareness about the Africa crisis by World AIDS Day. This allowed only three months to envision, plan, design, build, produce and launch the campaign and Website. The project is a powerful example of a creative, interactive approach to illustrate a complex issue and capture the attention of its target audience. The result is a bold, interactive and fun online hub for DATA audiences that captures the mission of the organization. DATA’s online success shows that organizations can benefit greatly by implementing an integrated strategy for communications, recruitment and outreach—using the grassroots Web site as an online hub for a broad audience.

Community Relations

Doubletree "Teaching Kids to CARE" Program
Cohn & Wolfe

The warm welcome at a Doubletree Hotel -- two signature, fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies -- is just one example of the brand's internal "CARE" philosophy. When faced with the task of extending Doubletree's "CARE" culture and supporting message outside its hotels to 135 communities, Cohn & Wolfe created Teaching Kids to CARE, a community-based service program, which educates thousands of elementary school students about the importance of caring and giving back to the community. Now in its third year, Teaching Kids to CARE has become a bi-annual initiative, with kids donating donating hundreds of thousands of cookies in the fall and planting thousands of trees in the spring.

The Home Depot Do-It-Herself
Ketchum

In the highly competitive world of home improvement retailing, The Home Depot and Lowes are head-to-head in the fight for market share. The Home Depot’s goal was to attract female customers by empowering them to “Do-It-Herself” without alienating the core male and pro customers. Nearly 43,000 women attended the inaugural “Do-It-Herself” workshop in May 2003. This success was dwarfed by the popularity of the second workshop – 55,500 women attended. Store sales climbed by a double-digit percentage these nights over the previous year. Based on the success of this program, The Home Depot has committed to make “Do-It-Herself” an ongoing quarterly initiative.

AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Day
American Kennel Club

The American Kennel Club is a not-for-profit organization best known for maintaining the largest registry of purebred dogs in the world and overseeing canine sporting events. The 120-year-old organization's mission also encompasses a commitment to educate the general public about the importance of responsible dog ownership. To that end, the AKC created an overall umbrella initiative -- AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Day -- through which AKC could highlight its many programs and services, as well as those programs and services offered by more than 5,000 AKC-affiliated clubs around the country that directly impact responsible dog ownership.

Crisis Management

California Recall Debate
Perry Communications Group

Sponsors of the 2003 California Governor’s Recall Debate was hit with a barrage of negative media and political scrutiny after gubernatorial candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger announced the debate would be his one and only of the election cycle. Several candidates threatened to withdraw from the debate in an effort to embarrass Schwarzenegger, causing a media storm and potentially leaving the California Broadcasters Association with an empty debate hall – and its member TV and radio stations with dead air. Perry Communications Group was called in to keep all gubernatorial candidates attending. PCG immediately placed CBA's President and other key spokespeople on radio talk shows and political news articles to ‘fuel the media fire’ by publicly and vigorously defending the debate format. These placements, just as the debate story began to peak in the media cycle, made the story larger, generated more coverage – and ultimately, more pressure to keep nervous candidates in the forum. To ensure candidates really felt the pressure to stay in the debate, PCG developed media-delivered messages such as, “If a candidate doesn’t show up – we’ll just show his or her name on an empty chair.” All of the candidates reversed their positions and participated in the debate -- and more than 500 reporters with 70 satellite and microwave trucks covered the event. The debate received enormous amounts of media attention – with no mention of the prior debate controversy.

McDonald's Canada and BSE Crisis
McDonald's Restaurants of Canada Limited

The fast-food industry is accustomed to dealing with crises, yet rarely does a crisis emerge that has the potential to devastate a company at its core. On May 20, 2003, this was the possible scenario McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada Limited faced when the Canadian government confirmed that a single cow had tested positive for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE, or “Mad Cow Disease”). Although no meat from this animal entered the human food supply and had no association with the McDonald’s supply chain, the situation caused a national crisis and severely impacted the food industry. As a leader in the quick service restaurant industry, and largest purchaser of beef in the country, this had the potential to dramatically affect McDonald’s Canada.

Immediately the company reacted to maintain the confidence of internal and external stakeholders, position themselves as an industry leader and encourage and influence regulatory change. Strong communications efforts and government relations activities ensured that McDonald’s Canada suffered no perceived ill-effects from the situation. Sales were not negatively affected and no shift in product mix or consumer demand was noted.

Surviving the Ice Storm of 2003
Kentucky Utilities Company

About 20 months before there was Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Ivan in Florida, there was a disastrous ice storm that glazed over a good portion of central Kentucky, with one to two inches of ice... on everything. The consequence was the most severe destruction ever suffered to the infrastructure of Kentucky Utilities Company... the largest electric utility in Kentucky... leaving roughly 140,000 customers without electricity, 2/3rds of the city of Lexington, Kentucky. The public relations task was to keep customers informed about progress being made to restore service, in the face of many of them not having electricity to hear the messages... all the while... taking on slings and arrows from customers, some local city council members and the local daily newspaper. Providing openness at every turn was just one of the ways the communications department of KU survived the ice storm of 2003.

Employee Relations

Syncom Celebrates 40 Years
The Boeing Co.

Change the tone of the news. Positively affect investment analysis. Stem the flow of exiting employees. Oh yes, and raise the morale of 7,000 employees while you’re at it. These were the objectives of the Boeing PR team in December of 2003.

In 1963, Boeing Satellite Systems invented the world’s first geosynchronous communications satellite…Syncom. Boeing Satellite Systems employees are as revolutionary to communication as the Wright Brothers are to flight. However, after 4 decades as the world leader in satellite communications, these same employees were not sure they even had a role in the future of the industry that they invented. The Boeing PR team waged an all-out war against the crushing blows of an 81 percent drop in worldwide satellite orders, a negative media blitz, layoffs, and revolving-door leadership. The group used Syncom’s 40th anniversary to link the company’s illustrious past to its bright future. The Boeing PR team planned and executed a week-long internal and external celebration of the pioneering spirit of Boeing Satellite Systems employees, past and present. The week featured internal news articles, retrospectives, media visits, interviews, and mailers to employees’ homes—culminating in a spectacular employee appreciation program with luminaries Walter Cronkite and David Hartman. And it hasn’t stopped yet. Just a couple of months ago, when we were all watching the Olympic games via satellite, the Boeing PR team reminded employees that it was Syncom that relayed the Olympics to the world…for the very first time.

The Retail Sisonke Journey
Nedbank Retail Banking, a division of Nedbank Limited

Creatively using traditional African story-telling techniques to bring its messages alive, the Sisonke Journey is a colourful internal communications initiative for Nedbank Retail Banking, one of South Africa's four major banks. The story is centered around a quest to revive a Wetland ecosystem, with each element in the Wetland being a metaphor for an element of the organisation. The creative theme is carried through all communication elements. In evaluating the campaign's objective to entrench a set of common values in the organisation, independent research found that 87% of staff believe that the organisation is making progress in living the values.

First Data Corporation, First Data Ensures Employees Are
“First To Know”
First Data Corporation

When First Data announced its plans to merge with Concord EFS in April 2003, the Mergers & Integration communication team knew employee relations would be a vital component of the $7 billion transaction—a transaction that would form a company with more than 30,000 employees worldwide. What the team didn’t know at the time was that the path toward combining First Data, a global leader in electronic commerce and payment services, and Concord, a leading electronic transaction processor, was to be fraught with twists and turns that kept them busy for more than a year. After plans for the deal were announced, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit in an attempt to block the merger on the grounds that it would give one company too much market share. Employee communications now had seemingly conflicting objectives—not only did it need to convey the benefits of the merger, but it also had to tackle negative perceptions that the company was creating a monopoly. Furthermore, the DOJ’s quiet period kept the team’s hands tied by restricting what they were allowed to communicate within their own companies as well as with each other.

The communication team’s overarching objectives were to keep employees as informed as possible during the lengthy regulatory approval process and to provide useful, timely communications to employees when the merger closed—without allowing the uncertainty of the closing timeline to hinder the team’s readiness for “day one.” By ensuring that this important audience was the “First to Know,” the team strived to build trust and credibility with its current and future employees; this would, in turn, support longer-term efforts to form a cohesive culture for the combined organizations.

The team knew it had been a successful campaign when the follow-up survey revealed high employee satisfaction, including the following employee quote: “It’s great to be a part of a company that values the employee. It makes me work even harder!”

Event Marketing

Microsoft Tablet PC Airport Demo Program
Jack Morton Worldwide

Microsoft sought to get the Tablet PC into the hands of potential users and challenged Jack Morton Worldwide to reach 100,000 people through hands-on demonstrations. Chasing a “moving target” demographic of mobile professionals, Jack Morton determined that airports provided the best opportunity for meaningful interaction—specifically the areas past security, where passengers are confined prior to flights. They coordinated background checks on employees, installed wireless hubs and addressed innumerable logistics related to both technology and security. They created and implemented a program of staffed demonstration stations in areas of maximum visibility within high-traffic terminals of major U.S. hub airports—sites selected based on an analysis of monthly business travel. An online reporting website was created to collect daily results and input leads. Jack Morton also assisted Microsoft in soliciting the participation of Original Equipment Manufacturers (or OEMs)—Acer, Motion, Toshiba and ViewSonic—whose Tablet PCs were featured. The initial Tablet PC Airport Demo Program (from December 2002-February 2003) brought extremely encouraging results and crowded kiosks—resulting in more demo programs in additional cities and an extension of the program to June 2003. The total program achieved over 125,000 hands-on demonstrations—exceeding the goal by 25%. Over 600 corporate sales leads were generated and escalated to OEMs. Microsoft itself selected the program as a Best Practice and included it in the company’s Best Practices Fair, part of its annual Global Briefing, a gathering of over 14,000 worldwide employees.

Miller Urban Entrepreneurs Series
Flowers Communications Group

Miller Brewing Company (MBCo) asked Flowers Communications Group (FCG) to develop and spearhead the execution of a program that would help to improve the overall image of Miller Brewing Company and its brands. FCG presented the Miller Urban Entrepreneurs Series, a business seminar series and national grant competition for young adult (21- 30), African-American entrepreneurs. In partnership with several community-based organizations and Black Enterprise magazine the program has provided invaluable information to more than 2,000 young entrepreneurs. To date, Miller Brewing Company has awarded $450,000 to 40 urban businesses to help them succeed.

External Publication

Liz Claiborne Inc. 2003 Women's Work Program "No More Tour" Fact Sheet/Poster
Patrice Tanaka & Company, Inc.

Liz Claiborne, Inc. 2003 Women's Work Program -- Cause-related Marketing Program Women’s Work, Liz Claiborne’s 13-year-old domestic violence awareness and education program, reaches new audiences each year with focused anti-abuse messages. The company’s longtime commitment to end violence against women has raised awareness among millions of Americans and has been a catalyst for others to join the cause. In 2003, Liz Claiborne reached out to college-aged men and women through a national college bus tour and student film festival developed with Marie Claire magazine. The 2003 campaign generated over one hundred million consumer media impressions, and Liz Claiborne continues to be recognized as an innovative, socially responsible corporate leader. Liz Claiborne, Inc. 2003 Women's Work Program - Best Internal Publication As part of it's 13 year old anti-abuse awareness and education campaign, Liz Claiborne Inc. created a two-sided poster designed to educate the public about violence against women and provide tools and resources on the issue. The poster featured information on sexual violence, relationship abuse, child abuse and elder abuse as well as resources on how to get involved or seek help. The reverse side featured Liz Claiborne Inc.'s signature pink and red “Love is not abuse” artwork. The poster was distributed on college campuses and downtown locations during a college bus tour, at education seminars for law enforcement professionals hosted in conjunction with Polaroid and to local domestic violence advocacy groups, retail outlets and the media.

Business On The Go Magazine
Bell Mobility

Wireless technologies and applications are helping businesses worldwide enhance productivity, reduce costs and improve customer satisfaction. To highlight their own mobile solutions, Bell Mobility, Canada's largest wireless service provider, developed Business on the Go -- a magazine designed to educate customers and prospects about available wireless technologies. Business on the Go was developed with an editorial mindset so readers would view the content as educational and informative rather than traditional sales collateral. With of budget of only $100,000 US, Business on the Go helped Bell Mobility:

• Drive customers to an e-commerce website 36% more efficiently than the paid media campaign
• Drive double digit growth in wireless data sales in Q4/2003
• Successfully position the company’s innovation leadership with customers, prospects, media, analysts, employees, partners and government stakeholders.

Financial/Investor Relations

Tractor Supply Company-Defining and Harvesting a Niche
Financial Dynamics

When Financial Dynamics began working with Tractor Supply Company, the Company had a very limited following on the Street, visibility in the financial media was virtually non-existent, and the Company's stock was undervalued. Through an integrated investor and media relations program Financial Dynamics successfully met its original and aggressive goals: correcting misperceptions that existed about Tractor Supply Company, elevating the visibility and sponsorship of the company within the investment community and media, and expanding the stock's valuation.

These efforts have helped Tractor Supply Company define, leverage, and harvest its unique niche in the market -- and this has reaped tremendous rewards across the board. After record fiscal 2003 earnings were announced in January 2004, the stock price hit a new all-time high, reaching $45.82 (split adjusted). Moreover, the Company's market cap is now $1.5 billion and still climbing. Finally, while reporters once laughed and said "Who?" when we called them, the phones have now reversed, with the media calling us to gain access to one of the hottest investment stories in specialty retail. The crowning achievement in this regard is our recent experience with Forbes, who called with interest in including the Company in the January 12, 2004 issue as the retailing sector's Company of the Year for 2003.

Medco Health Celebrates Independence Day
Coyne PR

In March 2003, Medco Health Solutions, a $33 billion company and the nation’s leading pharmacy benefit manager, announced new CEO David Snow, the first step in preparing to spin-off from Merck and become an independent publicly traded company. Medco’s spin-off was the largest domestic corporate spin-off in more than three years. The communications plan included strategies to reach Medco’s diverse audiences including clients; the investment community; Medco employees and members; and the media that currently or would shortly be covering Medco. The communications tactics included an investor road show, a series of high profile print and broadcast interviews, branded giveaways to the Wall Street community, and analyst days at the company’s automated pharmacy. Media coverage included more than 235 stories reaching more than 59.7 million people over a four-day period, 17 feature interviews, and more than 90 broadcast segments.

Global PR Campaign

Connecting iPass Around the World
The Hoffman Agency

The Hoffman Agency's global PR campaign for iPass helped the company navigate a successful IPO and increase worldwide media coverage by nearly 600 percent. Thanks in part to the Agency's expert strategies and skillful global execution, iPass was able to increase revenues by 37 percent and sign up 50 additional Forbes Global 2,000 customers. The Hoffman Agency and iPass continue to work together to raise awareness of the company's Internet access offerings for remote and mobile workers around the world.

Out of the Box: Unwrapping the New UPS
Edelman

As part of the largest re-branding campaign in its 96-year history, UPS was set to unveil a new logo -- removing the familiar bow-tied package -- to reflect the company’s expanded capabilities. Due to SEC requirements, they faced a firm announcement date of March 25, 2003, to ship its newly-branded annual reports. On that day, UPS planned to hold a consecutive series of worldwide media and employee events to unveil the new brand. However, just four days before the planned announcement, war broke out in Iraq. UPS quickly shifted to contingency plans and changed the tone of its announcement and events. Despite the war, UPS was able to meet the original program objectives with an entirely different approach and minimal execution time - resulting in a campaign that captured the attention of all key stakeholders, communicated the expanded capabilities and future vision of the company and began to establish UPS’s leadership in an evolving business category of “synchronized commerce.”

Internal Publication

Inform--A Newsletter for Stantec Employees
Stantec Consulting

Communication is key to employee satisfaction and retention. An effective internal publication can contribute to employee satisfaction and retention by keeping employees informated about company events, policies, vision, and strategy. With this in mind, the Corporate Communications team at Stantec, an engineering and architecture firm with 4,500 employees across North America, set out to improve the firm’s internal newsletter Inform. After requesting employee feedback via a survey on the Intranet and in an issue of the publication, the team developed a fresh new approach and a new look. The revamp improved the communication value of Inform and aligned the publication with the company’s internal and external branding program. The end result was a bold and colorful redesign with a total cost per employee per month of $.71 – less than a cup of coffee. The team was able to achieve their goal without increasing the cost to Stantec, in fact, they were able to do this with a slight reduction in costs. Employee reaction has been extremely positive from all levels of the organization.

Marketing Communications

Gazebo Room-"Stop the Marination!"
Pavone

It’s a public relations nightmare no one wants to have: An angry mob of protestors making a series of impromptu appearances at events attended by your client. But that’s exactly the scenario Pavone created to promote Gazebo Room Salad Dressing. Mixing humor with reverse psychology, their campaign urged consumers not to use the popular salad topping as a marinade. To do this, Pavone invented a fictitious activist group, dressed them in chicken suits, and set them loose with placards in hand to create a tongue-in-cheek spectacle that broke through the holiday clutter in a flurry of yellow feathers.

Holiday Inn Towel Amnesty Day
GCI Group

Washington Mutual engaged Flowers Communications Group (FCG) to provide strategic counsel for the company’s urban homeownership initiative, which was developed in conjunction with Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Johnson Development Corporation. This groundbreaking commitment was designed to help consumers in urban communities realize the dream of homeownership. As a result, 15 specialized Home Loan Centers were established in New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. In addition to providing ongoing counsel, FCG developed and executed a Home Loan Centers communications program, under “The Magic of Homeownership” tagline, that integrated a national media event, local market launches and community relations.

Media Event

The Heart Truth Campaign
Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide

Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide created The Heart Truth, a national awareness campaign to warn women about their risk of heart disease, on behalf of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. The centerpiece of the campaign is the Red Dress, which debuted as the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness in a groundbreaking partnership with America's fashion industry in 2003. The Red Dress is a red alert: heart disease doesn't care what you wear, it's the #1 killer of women. It reminds women to protect their heart health at every age and inspires them to take action. In a 2000 survey, only 34% of women spontaneously listed heart disease as women's leading cause of death, a figure that jumped to 46% in 2003 -- less than one year following The Heart Truth launch.

Iraq Humanitarian Airlift
Diageo

In March 2003, Medco Health Solutions, a $33 billion company and the nation’s leading pharmacy benefit manager, announced new CEO David Snow, the first step in preparing to spin off from Merck and become an independent publicly traded company. Medco’s spin-off was the largest domestic corporate spin-off in more than three years. The communications plan included strategies to reach Medco’s diverse audiences including clients; the investment community; Medco employees and members; and the media that currently or would shortly be covering Medco. The communications tactics included an investor road show, a series of high profile print and broadcast interviews, branded giveaways to the Wall Street community, and analyst days at the company’s automated pharmacy. Media coverage included more than 235 stories reaching more than 59.7 million people over a four-day period, 17 feature interviews, and more than 90 broadcast segments.

Media Relations

Visa USA's Identify Theft Initiative 2003
Visa USA and Creative Response Concepts

Seeking to address consumer concerns about identity theft, Visa USA, last year launched an aggressive public relations campaign to promote their Identity Theft solutions. The two-phase initiative included a first-in-the-industry policy limiting the account information that could be printed on cardholder receipts. That announcement was followed by the launch of a unique partnership with the consumer network Call For Action to offer assistance to victims of identity theft. The results: “Visa Acts To Calm Fears Of ID Theft,” proclaimed a USA Today headline, while a Chicago Sun Times headline said, “Visa crunching numbers to combat identity theft.” CNN news anchor Heidi Collins reported, “Ever checked out your credit card receipt when you go to a restaurant or you usually put your credit card number right on there? Today Visa came out and said, 'Not anymore.' From here on out, only the last four digits will be shown.”I

n all, the media campaign generated more than 32 million media impressions. More important, they’ve documented hundreds of cases in which identity-theft victims received one-on-one assistance in reclaiming their identities, while well over a million hits have been logged on the Web site.

Multicultural Campaign

"The Magic of Homeownership" Launch
Flowers Communications Group

Washington Mutual engaged Flowers Communications Group (FCG) to provide strategic counsel for the company’s urban homeownership initiative, which was developed in conjunction with Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Johnson Development Corporation. This groundbreaking commitment was designed to help consumers in urban communities realize the dream of homeownership. As a result, 15 specialized Home Loan Centers were established in New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. In addition to providing ongoing counsel, FCG developed and executed a Home Loan Centers communications program, under “The Magic of Homeownership” tagline, that integrated a national media event, local market launches and community relations.

Public Service Announcement

Keep an Eye on Your Ears
American Speech-Language-Hearing Assn.

Through a national PSA campaign entitled "Keep an Eye on Your Ears," the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is educating consumers about noise exposure and reminding the general public to mind their ears and ultimately their hearing health by recognizing that exposure to common, everyday noises as potentially detrimental. Based on its long history of positively affecting the lives of millions of Americans, ASHA is proud of the scope and outcome of the "Keep an Eye on Your Ears" PSA campaign. Through December 31, 2003, the total estimated exposure in dollar ad-value was estimated at nearly $4 million, airing in all 50 states, and in more than 300 cities.

MultiVu's Video News Release Launch of Rite Aid's Diabetes Program
PR Newswire/MultiVu

MultiVu, a PR Newswire company, worked with Rite Aid’s agency of record, MARC PR, and Rite Aid to produce and distribute a multimedia news release and a video news release as part of the launch of Rite Aid’s new Diabetes Program. The strategy for Rite Aid was three-fold: to be known as a significant resource for diabetes management outside of a customer’s doctor, to be known as the diabetes expert in the drug chain category, and to be an integral part of the solution toward diabetes awareness and management. After consulting with MultiVu, MARC PR agreed that the use of a video news release and multimedia news release would be best suited to these objectives. The VNR program, for which MultiVu and MARC PR are being acknowledged, was executed through three main phases - Pre-Production, Production/Post-Production and Distribution. In pre-production, MultiVu worked with MARC PR to identify story ideas, explaining the importance of including patient testimonials and advice from doctors and pharmacists. MultiVu advised MARC PR to identify stories that would educate and raise awareness within the general population about diabetes diagnosis and preventative care. MARC PR identified a doctor, pharmacist and patient to use for the video news release and worked with MultiVu to develop a script. MultiVu developed a production timeline, created a shot list (detailing the footage and sound bites needed to make the VNR successful), prepared interview questions and provided overall counsel in this phase.

The video for the VNR was shot in one day. The B-roll of the Rite Aid store was taped in New Jersey, and the interviews were completed in MultiVu’s studio in New York. MultiVu managed all aspects of the video shoot – from scripting to directing to editing, which took place at MultiVu’s New York studio. The Rite Aid/ADA campaign was scheduled to launch on November 1st as part of National Diabetes Awareness Month. MARC PR was concerned that Rite Aid’s message might get lost among the many others from organizations promoting their missions. To combat that, MultiVu recommended sending a “teaser” notification announcement one week before the actual VNR distribution to assignment editors and healthcare reporters alerting them to the upcoming story. In addition, MultiVu discussed incorporating local angles in the pitches for the VNR distribution. MARC PR supplied a list of 200 Rite Aid stores that would be holding Diabetes Days throughout November, allowing MultiVu’s media relations staff to create and pitch stories with local angles. On November 3rd, the VNR was distributed through PR Newswire to reach thousands of broadcast newsrooms around the country. On that same day, MultiVu’s media relations staff pitched assignment and healthcare editors all over the country. Overall, the Rite Aid launch was a tremendous success.

"The Really Good, Really Big, Really Cheap Book Sale"
The Leslie Agency

In just two short years, The Really Good, Really Big, Really Cheap Book Sale has become the country’s largest one-day book sale. This year, more than 100,000 books donated from citizens throughout Greenville, South Carolina, helped raise more than $71,000 for the Greenville Literacy Association, a non-profit organization designed to eliminate illiteracy in Greenville. The Literacy Association credits most of the success of the fundraiser to regional marketing firm, The Leslie Agency. After creating the name and logo for the event, The Leslie Agency spearheaded a pro bono advertising and editorial campaign valued this year at more than half a million dollars with total impressions exceeding 84 million! The event has nearly doubled the number of book donations received at similar sales in major markets such as Chicago and Detroit.

Product Launch

Clean Capture Launch in Japan
J-Spin Communications

Over 85% of all cameras produced worldwide are designed in Japan, the survival of start-up NuCORE Technology depended on whether or not it could succeed in the Japanese market. However, in Japan, digital camera chip image processor start-up NuCORE was virtually an unknown-with little past marketing history activity. NuCORE had limited marketing funds and no other marketing initiatives were in place; brand awareness would rely solely on public relations, making it crucial to obtain maximum media exposure among key audiences. J-Spin Communications met the challenge by getting consumers and camera makers to pay attention to the overlooked key element that affects both picture quality and performance in digital cameras—the image processor (Clean Capture). J-Spin executed a successful media campaign that raised awareness and positioning of Clean Capture by elevating market interest of image processors in digital cameras, fuelling further adoption of Clean Capture in digital still & video cameras.

ESPN HD
ESPN, Inc.

In 1996, the government mandated that the nation’s broadcasting standard, in use for more than 50 years, would switch to a digital method of transmission. In April of 2002, the FCC proposed voluntary industry actions to speed up the digital television transition. ESPN decided to take a leadership position in the evolution of high-definition television, historically providing content to drive consumer demand for new technologies, so it was only fitting to do it again. ESPN launched the nation’s first 24-hour, high-definition national sports service in the country, ESPN HD, on opening day of Major League Baseball, March 30, 2003. ESPN’s strategy was to build consumer demand and awareness for the product. Knowing that sports fans are proven adopters of new technologies, it was key to build demand in order to help drive distribution agreements with ESPN’s affiliates. Therefore, ESPN consistently targeted consumer publications like the sports pages of “USA Today.” This strategy would drive fans to call their local cable or satellite provider for the service and pressure them to distribute the programming. Over the past year, ESPN HD has secured carriage deals with over 80% of the country’s multichannel service providers. Fans continue to sign-up for high-definition services in record numbers. With the success of ESPN HD’s launch campaign, and continued efforts to generate press for ESPN HD, ESPN HD has become one of the company’s most successful product launches in recent history.

Public Service Announcement

Keep an Eye on Your Ears
American Speech-Language-Hearing Assn.

Through a national PSA campaign entitled "Keep an Eye on Your Ears", the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is educating consumers about noise exposure and reminding the general public to mind their ears and ultimately their hearing health by recognizing that exposure to common, everyday noises as potentially detrimental.

Based on its long history of positively affecting the lives of millions of Americans, ASHA is proud of the scope and outcome of the "Keep an Eye on Your Ears" PSA campaign. Through December 31, 2003 the total estimated exposure in dollar ad-value was estimated at nearly 4 million dollars, airing in all 50 states, and in more than 300 cities.

Oh, Harold
Fletcher Martin Ewing

"Oh, Harold" demonstrates the impact of loved ones in communicating the importance of regular breast and cervical screenings. "Oh, Harold" provides a simple, yet creative way for loved ones to approach the subject of cancer and reinforce the importance of cancer screenings. As part of an overall statewide Cancer Awareness and Education campaign, Fletcher Martin Ewing successfully contracted a commercial director to direct and produce this PSA free of charge. "Oh, Harold" ran approximately 182,000 times statewide from March 2003 until the end of May 2003 at no charge. The toll-free number was included at the end of the PSA and enabled the GCC and DHR to quantify the campaign's impact.

Before the statewide initiative began in fall 2002, only 1.25 calls were received per month by the call center managed by the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service (CIS). By the end of May 2003, calls to CIS reached an average of 300 per month and have been received from every Zip code in Georgia.

Speak Up. Speak Out.
Weber Shandwick

"Speak Up. Speak Out." is a program of the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault (TAASA) a statewide organization committed to ending sexual violence in Texas. Each ad in this powerful campaign features an actual Texas survivor of sexual assault, talking about her personal story. The campaign's goal is to increase awareness of available rape crisis services and lift the stigma associated with this "silent crime." "Speak Up. Speak Out.", which marks the first time any state has undertaken a public awareness program of this magnitude regarding sexual assault, was developed by Dallas-based IPG agencies TM Advertising and Weber Shandwick.

Web Site

Cisco Systems, Inc.
Corporate PR Team, Web Innovation @Cisco

The Corporate PR team at Cisco Systems, Inc.was charged with changing the way that Cisco manages its communication efforts by leveraging the Internet. The goal was to increase the reach of their efforts by transforming the company’s traditional online newsroom into a dynamic, multi-media channel. Through collaboration with existing technology resources and appointed freelance writers, Cisco's PR team developed a communications channel that provides an insightful, useful and compelling snapshot of Cisco, its innovations and its vision. This channel reaches a broad audience of internal and external stakeholders. In addition, the site has enhanced the productivity of Cisco’s worldwide internal communication organization, unified global messaging, fueled new international PR ideas and served as a model for other corporate communications departments within Fortune 500 companies. Since its launch, News@Cisco has seen its traffic grow from 40,000 page views quarterly to over 4 million—attracting 1.9 million people annually. The site and the internal PR productivity applications have provided numerous increased efficiencies internally and externally resulting in an estimated annual cost and time savings of $3,700,000.