Campaign: The Ivory Tower and the Smokestack
Winner: University of Cincinnati
Many students and professionals are aware of university cooperative programs, where students work to get hands-on experience in their fields of study while still
enrolled in school. What many people don't know is that the University of Cincinnati is the global founder of the co-op program concept, which began in 1906.
The year 2006, then, marked the program's centennial anniversary, and the university wanted to use the occasion as a peg for outreach; and so The Ivory and the
Smokestack was born. University public relations executives decided that a centerpiece publication would inform and remind the public of its position as founder of
cooperative education; foster a sense of pride and celebration among alumni, students, faculty and staff; and enhance the university's reputation among other cooperative
schools, which number 1,500 worldwide.
Given the breadth of the goals, an in-depth history lesson was needed to ensure all information was accurate and informative. The team studied University of Cincinnati
archives, historical newspapers dating back to the early 1900s, photographs from personal archives and specialized history texts, and they conducted interviews campus-wide
to capture the essence of the co-op program.
Once the publication's content was finalized, the team promoted it via various avenues: Admissions officers use it to explain the concept to prospective students and
their parents; employee-services officers use it to enhance employee relations; the President's office and Development office both offer it as a gift to university
supporters; and the Co-op office uses it to strengthen relationships with corporate partners, and to develop relationships with potential partners.
As a result of their targeted outreach, the communications team raised awareness of the University's history as the co-op founder while influencing other universities to
develop cooperative programs of their own. Plus, a celebratory luncheon held at the University of Cincinnati in April 2006 prompted praise of the book and its message. When
every audience - internal and external - receives a PR initiative so enthusiastically, it's clearly a job well done.
Honorable Mentions
More accurate information on America's poor and hungry is available today than ever before, thanks to a survey done by America's Second Harvest. The report was released
in a large-scale media blitz starting in February 2006. An early Associated Press story started an avalanche of coverage in 170 outlets, and America's Second Harvest
coordinated extenesive media tours. The report has been delivered to all member food banks, members of Congress, major donors, journalists and partner hunger-relief
organizations.
The National Audubon Society faced challenges when putting together its 2005 Annual Report. It's no small feat to make an annual report an engaging publication, and the
Society wanted to draw attention to all of its conservation work, not just its association with birds. Using the Society's heritage, strategically organized sections within
the publication and conservation success stories, the PR team created a winning report, and their efforts - and attention to creative design - were recognized by their
audience and industry publications.
The Mainstay Life Services' mission is to ensure that people with developmental disabilities live full, active lives; so its annual report needed to highlight the
achievements of its members and gain support of contributors, government, vendors and family members of residents. The PR team focused on the organization's 35th
anniversary and illustrated its history with the stories of long-term residents. The resulting publication was a heartwarming account of triumphs and accomplishments; it
even went beyond the projected goal and helped Mainstay Life Services kick-off its first-ever Founders' Day event.