NonProfit PR Awards: Social Responsibility Campaign

Campaign: Tell a Gal P.A.L. 2008 Campaign

Winner: The Allstate Foundation & Zeno Group

Nearly 75% of Americans know someone who is or has been a victim of domestic violence. But the issue has largely remained taboo. In light of this, the Allstate Foundation’s Domestic Violence Program asked the Zeno Group to create an initiative that would educate the public on the widespread impact of domestic violence, while positioning Allstate as a leader in economic abuse education and services.

To help break through the media clutter, the program launched in September 2008 in advance of October’s breast cancer awareness month. Actress Ana Ortiz from TV’s Ugly Betty was chosen as a spokesperson for the campaign. Recounting her personal ordeal with domestic violence, Ortiz participated in a national satellite media tour that reached 15 key markets. Videos that featured Ortiz and domestic violence survivors were posted on YouTube and the ClickToEmpower.org Web site, which contained a viral component where visitors could “Tell a Gal P.A.L.” about domestic violence via a template e-mail.

The campaign secured more than 80 million media impressions and 363 media placements, with coverage in USA Today, US Weekly and PeopleEnEspanol.com.

Honorable Mentions:

First Book & Pi Beta Phi: Nonprofit Partners of the Year—In 2008, Pi Beta Phi women’s fraternity and First Book launched a multi-year partnership to provide more than 1 million new books to children in need throughout North America. In one year, more than 500,000 books have been distributed.

Bank of America/RF| Binder: Banking on Neighborhoods One at a Time—In 2008, the Bank of America Charitable Foundation awarded a total of $20 million to local non-profits in 44 U.S. markets and London. RF|Binder was able to increase media coverage of the foundation, which included 229 pieces of print, online and broadcast coverage.

US Postal Service, Corporate Communications: Stamp out Hunger, the National Association of Letter Carriers Food Drive—In 2009, the food drive saw more than 10,000 cities and towns in all 50 states participate, setting an all-time record for food donations of 73.4 million pounds.

Delta Dental of Missouri/The Hauser Group: 2009 “Land of Smiles” Tour—To help combat the widespread dental decay, Delta Dental sent Tooth Wizard, his sidekick Panda and arch-enemy PlaqueMan to perform at elementary schools statewide, reaching 73,000 young school-aged children in more than 300 schools.

CVS Caremark/Weber Shandwick: CVS Caremark “All Kids Can” Teaches Kids about Inclusion—To educate youth about inclusion of children of all abilities, a national search for the popular CBS character Arthur was designed and facilitated through a Web page, a local launch at an elementary school and a satellite media tour with creator and author Marc Brown.

Katz & Associates: Southern California Caulerpa Action Team, Public Outreach and Education Program—When caulerpa taxifolia, a highly invasive saltwater seaweed, was discovered in two California locations, SCCAT reached out to aquarists, SCUBA divers and harbor masters to eradicate the infestations. Media outlets continue to work toward educating the public about the consequences of caulerpa infestations.

The Body Shop: ‘Yes, Yes, Yes! To Safe Sex’ Campaign 2009—Partnering with MTV Canada, The Body Shop created the global campaign to promote its new product, Tantalizing Lip Butter, and to also raise awareness about he prevalence of HIV in men and women under age 25. The campaign helped raise $82,000 for MTV’s Staying Alive Foundation.

The Allstate Foundation/Fleishman Hillard Chicago: Keep the Drive High School Journalism Award Program—The team encouraged student journalists to facilitate conversations about smart driving among peers via a high school newspaper competition, ultimately leading to 420 newspaper articles being published on that topic and submitted to the contest.

November 9, 2009