2011 Platinum PR Awards: PSA

Winner: U.S. Census Bureau – 2010 Census Greg Biffle PSA

As part of its effort to reach NASCAR fans—a traditionally hard-to-count audience—the U.S. Census Bureau hired driver Greg Biffle for one of its national public service announcements. In the commercial, Biffle “lays rubber” in his cul-de-sac as he encourages everyone to fill out the 2010 Census form and mail it back. He goes on to explain that the census is an essential tool to help communities get their fair share of funding to improve schools, hospitals and roads. It was essential for the Census Bureau to hire someone who could engage and reach NASCAR fans and encourage them to, as Census Bureau Director Robert Groves said, “speak for their community by filling out the forms and mailing them back.” The effort was a success as the PSAs helped the 2010 Census exceed expectations by having a participation rate of 74%. —SP

Fast Fact: The 2010 Census PSAs received more than 350 million views.


Honorable Mentions:

Concepts Inc. & The Campaign for Disability Employment – The “I Can” PSA Campaign: Concepts Inc. filmed PSAs starring seven real people with disabilities to emphasize what all people can do when given the opportunity. The campaign has garnered more than $14.2 million in donated ad space.

R/P Marketing Public Relations – The Green Chair Campaign for Donate Life Ohio: With the Green Chair representing the loss of someone who did not get a needed transplant, PSAs starring local celebrities, organ recipients and donor families sitting on the chair helped the organization surpass its goal of 240,000 new registrants by 23%.


Back to the 2011 Platinum PR Awards

September 14, 2011