2009 Platinum PR Awards: Press Release—Boost Mobile

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As consumers become more cost-conscious, prepaid wireless cell phone carriers are seeing an upswing in business. For Boost Mobile, this proved to be the right time to define itself as a straightforward cell phone brand that doesn’t deceive customers with hidden fees.

Dubbed the all-inclusive “Monthly Unlimited” (MU) prepaid plan, the service costs $50/month. To introduce MU, the Boost Mobile team created a press release to be distributed nationwide. The strategy: Take on a combative tone, calling out the tricks of other prepaid carriers. The team ramped up their outreach to national business media outlets and, in turn, managed to generate headlines weeks before the product’s official announcement.

The no-nonsense approach paid off. The MU launch itself garnered more than 230 headlines and 180+ blog posts within just 48 hours, and more than 134.5 million impressions overall. ■

Honorable Mentions:

The American Chemical Society (ACS): American Chemical Society Weekly PressPac—ACS streamlined the process for journalists covering breaking science stories by simplifying its press releases in the newly created PressPac, which includes hyperlinks to full journal articles and contact information.

GolinHarris & Nintendo: Nintendo’s Sleight of Hand—To increase awareness of Nintendo’s Master of Illusion game, GolinHarris created a unique press release, which mimicked what it felt like to be at a magic show. The 178-word press release led to 250 million impressions during the 2008 holiday season.

Volume Public Relations: From 15 to 15,000—Volume PR execs garnered more coverage for their 2008 press survey by implementing SEO strategies, increasing search results from 15 to 15,000.

October 26, 2009