Campaign: Serving the Community with Cups and Cones
Winner: Dunkin' Donuts, Carmichael Lynch Spong
Across America, the number of volunteer firefighters is sharply declining, prompting an increase in unnecessary deaths related to slow response times. To combat the situation,
the National Volunteer Fire Council and the Dunkin' Brands Community Foundation, in conjunction with Carmichael Lynch Spong, partnered to build youth interest in joining the fire
service.
Combating minimal public awareness about the difference between volunteer and career fire fighter programs-- not to mention a decentralized structure without rules and
regulations in the volunteer programs--the team combined forces to encourage 200 fire departments to register a junior fire program and attract 100 scholarship applications.
The crew boosted interest in the pressing need for local volunteer fire fighters by conducting training sessions in priority Dunkin' Donuts markets. The coffee chain ignited
the collaboration between local franchisees and fire departments. Thanks to the media attention around the sponsored scholarship program, 500+ junior firefighters have registered
with the NVFC--nearly 2.5 times the original goal.
Honorable Mentions
RIF and US Airways for "Fly with US. Read with Kids."--The partnership helped increase the public's awareness of the importance of children's literacy via a program that
encouraged people to record the minutes they read to children. The effort logged more than 3.8 million minutes of reading to children.
Cone for AHA's Sponsorship with Campbell Soup Company--To raise awareness of heart disease as the #1 killer of women, the effort spread the word via celebrity ties, an online
viral community and a consumer call-to-action, encouraging more than 35 retailers to join the movement.
Cone and Jiffy Lube for Maintenance Partners for Life--Jiffy Lube partnered with Cone in 2007 to develop the company's first-ever national cause promotion, ultimately raising
more than $1 million to combat heart disease among women.
Porter Novelli and HGTV for "HGTV Change the World. Start at Home"--The team employed cause marketing around the concepts of community enhancement and the environment to
increase the relevance of the network among stakeholder groups. The network teamed up with multiple nonprofits to achieve significant media impressions and volunteer
participation.
Allstate forIllinois Operation Teen Safe Driving--The effort engaged young drivers to help reduce the number of teens killed in car crashes, educating them about advanced
driving skills.