Winner: CVS Pharmacy
Campaign: CVS All Kids Can
CVS enthusiastically supports nonprofit organizations that focus on improving health and education, generating donations of nearly $60 million in the past three years. But it
needed a more strategic approach to charitable giving. The PR team interviewed doctors, educators and other experts to develop its "CVS All Kids Can" program for children with
disabilities, which promoted the concepts Learn, Play and Succeed through funding supportive organizations, from learning environments to playgrounds, research and medical
facilities.
The program raised millions in grants for children with disabilities, boosted awareness of issues surrounding them, elevated its brand issue as a community leader on the issue,
and furthered participation in such charitable events as the Easter Seals Walk With Me campaign. The campaign helped launch and build 13 new CVS All Kids Can Boundless Playgrounds
across the country and funded Disability Awareness Nights at minor and major league baseball games. It developed in-school curricula with Easter Seals focusing on inclusion,
awareness and understanding of disabilities and sponsored Autism Society of America's national conference. In addition, it promoted a strong corporate culture and employee pride
through the CVS/pharmacy Operations and Marketing Conference, where the company's CEO Tom Ryan introduced 1,500 executives and associates to the program.
Honorable Mentions
According to the Centers for Disease Control, an estimated 64% of American adults are either overweight or obese, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Delaware (BCBSD) wasn't going to
take that news sitting down. By partnering with a local elementary school through its "Shape Up Live Well Obesity Prevention Initiative," executives raised awareness of obesity
issues among students and taught them ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Through Open Gym nights, a school vegetable garden and nutrition classes, the PR team attracted the
attention of local newspapers and helped community members embrace healthy living.
Microsoft has all the benefits of being a well-known corporation, and communications executives put that positive notoriety to work in the "Digital Inclusion: Microsoft
Unlimited Potential and Workforce Development" initiative. With the goal of bringing technology and skills training to a quarter-billion people by 2010, the team leveraged its
assets and brought technology to underserved communities worldwide. Through grants and software donations, plus targeted training and strategic partnerships, the company has
supported more than 2,000 community technology centers by investing more than $15 million in cash and software to date.
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita spared nothing, including Shell; the oil company sustained approximately $300 million in damage. But even with this financial hit, PR execs saw
opportunity and implemented the "Coming Home Campaign" with Dittus Communicaions and Beuerman Miller Fitzgerald to support employees and foster regional recovery. A multi-faceted
approach of partnerships, events and media outreach homed in on the "do the right thing for the right reason" message, and the results proved it was a job well done: Shell
employee grants helped get local workers back on their feet - and back to work - within weeks of the storms.
Tyson Foods takes the problem of hunger very seriously, having donated approximately $3 million to Share Our Strength and 25 million pounds of food to local food banks. But
business and reputational challenges required a major PR overhaul, and, with the help of Mitchell Communications Group, the team launched "Tyson Foods Powers the Fight Against
Hunger." Powered by research on hunger statistics, they targeted key audiences and markets to generate more than 17 million media impressions; hold more than 40 major food
donation events in needy communities; and achieved the reputation of an excellent corporate citizen.