2009 Platinum PR Awards: Marketing Communications—American Legacy Foundation & the ad*itive

truth Orange Summer Tour 2008

Since being established in 2000, the American Legacy Foundation’s “truth” youth smoking prevention campaign has been saving lives by reducing the number of young adults who begin smoking. In preparation for the launch of its 2008 truth Orange Summer Tour, the Foundation and its partner ad*itive needed to keep its mission top-of-mind in order to reach as large an audience as possible.

The tour’s ninth season was set to be the campaign’s most far-reaching grassroots event ever, with “truth trucks” making their way around the nation to appear at popular music and sporting events. The advertising component centered on “the Sunny Side of truth,” a satire that pointed out the various “hidden positives” of tobacco use. The campaign also reached target audiences via digital means, including music-sharing platforms, mobile marketing and truth’s site.

The tour made its way through 30 states and visited 60 cities, logging more than 45,000 miles and directly reaching hundreds of thousands of teens. What’s more, research published in March 2009 confirmed the efficacy of the campaign, finding that the truth is responsible for keeping 450,000 youth from smoking between 2000 and 2004. ■

Honorable Mentions:

GE Corporate: Plug Into the Smart Grid—GE’s Smart Grid campaign reached the homes of millions thanks to an integrated marketing campaign that included a Super Bowl ad and a microsite, http://www.PlugIntoTheSmartGrid.com">http://www.PlugIntoTheSmartGrid.com, which allows visitors to bring a 3-D hologram to life.

Kaplow & CaféPress: Sport Your Support—The team captured the excitement of Obama’s historic presidential campaign with “Sport Your Support” contests in which consumers could submit original T-shirt designs or political slogans; the proceeds benefited Rock the Vote.

Unilever/Suave & Weber Shandwick: Suavenomics: Living Beautifully for Less—The campaign sent the message that Americans could have saved more than $5.5 billion in 2008 by buying Suave beauty products instead of more expensive brands, generating tons of positive media coverage and a jump in sales.

October 26, 2009