Campaign: Start! Movement
Winner: American Heart Association and Cone
In 2007, 65% of American adults were overweight or obese, and physical inactivity was cited as the leading risk factor for heart disease and stroke, which rank as the #1 and #3
leading causes of death in the United States.
That startling reality prompted the executives at the American Heart Association to take action--partnering with Cone to reach adults and inspire them to embrace a healthier
lifestyle through walking. Thus, the Start! movement was born.
After conducting in-depth audience and competitive analyses, the team decided on the best place to target their audience: at work. Leveraging key times of year (New Year's, for
example) and preexisting AHA programs (namely, the Heart Walk season held every September), the execs ramped up marketing messaging around the walk-toward-a-healthier-life theme.
Walking to Their Hearts' Desire
A juggernaut of communications components, including grassroots events, an
online hub (http://www.heart.org/start),
viral e-mails, celebrity Start! challenges, local walking events, e-commerce
and lobbying, built the framework of support that ultimately moved more than
90,000 people to register for the Start! movement. Together, they walked more
than 1 million miles.
Honorable Mentions
U.S. Navy Office of Information for "Protecting the Global Commons"--The Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard jointly developed a new maritime strategy in the wake of 9/11, and
U.S. Navy Office of Information executives executed an integrated communications program to ensure the historic act resonated with key public sectors. The strategy, which included
YouTube videos, Flickr galleries and global partnerships, resulted in nearly 25% of surveyed Americans claiming they were aware of the new maritime approach.
Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry and Public Communications for "Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination"--The communications team drove up attendance to the museum's
Star Wars-inspired exhibit by 42% via targeted news releases, an online media kit and exhibit-related demonstrations, significantly bypassing the 28% capture-rate goal set prior
to the campaign's launch.
MarketWave and Mothers Against Drunk Driving for "Walk Like MADD"--The integrated communications campaign leveraged media relations and digital techniques to boost
participation in the event created to combat drunk driving. The level of 2008 participation increased by 27% over the previous year, raising more than $569,000 for the cause.