2009 Platinum PR Awards: Podcast/Video—Cosmopolitan

Cosmopolitan StarLaunch

In September 2008, Cosmopolitan set out to find the next “fun, fearless female” musician through “StarLaunch,” an effort to build upon the power of the Cosmo brand via a platform that directly connected with its 18 million monthly readers: YouTube.

“StarLaunch” debuted with a dedicated YouTube channel through which musicians submitted a video of themselves singing their original work. After four weeks of receiving submissions, a panel of judges narrowed the pool down to the top 10, and consumers logged online to vote, ultimately determining the best three.

The initiative culminated with a concert at Terminal 5 in NYC, where the three finalists opened for Natasha Bedingfield. There, the online votes were tallied and the winner announced. Thanks to the interactive approach to engage consumers throughout the process, StarLaunch received 500+ submissions, and the Dec. 5, 2008, show sold out, with more than 2,000 in attendance. ■

Honorable Mentions:

Lion Brand Yarn: YarnCraft Podcast—Lion Brand Yarn’s YarnCraft series of 30-minute bimonthly podcasts includes topics like ecofriendly ideas and crafting with kids, averaging 11,000+ downloads per podcast.

Edelman & API: Energy Tomorrow Through Online Advocacy Today—API’s podcast series, created as part of an energy policy promoting conservation and efficiency, received more than 50,000 downloads in 2008.

U.S. Marine Corps/First Marine Expeditionary Force: “Anbar Web Report”—Using DVIDS real-time technology, a 12-month deployment to Iraq was documented through a videocast and made available online to the general public.

October 26, 2009