Winner: Nike, Inc.
Campaign: Nike and ninemillion.org
Child's play is anything but simple for young refugees around the world who have been displaced by war or other crises. Ninemillion.org, a global campaign led by the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, represents some nine million such children.
The UNHCR, Nike and Microsoft partnered to help them: Nike by providing a tougher soccer ball to help them play in unusual playground settings and by donating proceeds from the
sales of the ball in its retail stores; Microsoft by creating a Web site (at right) to tell the stories of specific refugee children and attract attention and donations; and the
UNHCR by launching ninemillion.org globally.
Take a child. Add a soccer ball. Then picture both in a small, mostly dirt field between grass-thatched huts in Africa, or among abandoned buildings in the borderlands between
Central Europe and Asia. These are not the usual elements of childhood, or of an award-winning PR campaign or partnership. But in the case of Nike, Inc., the UN Refugee Agency,
Microsoft and some other partners, these were precisely the catalysts needed to begin creating a powerful agent for change.
The message was very simple: Help them work. Help them play. The team traveled to various parts of Europe, Asia and Africa to create the powerful video footage that went into
the site. The ninemillion.org campaign has drawn more than 2 million people to its Web site and raised more than $1.5 million to date. Some of this money has already helped such
non-governmental organizations as Toronto-based Right To Play International, which seeks to improve children's lives through sports. The majority of donations are to be invested
in Kenyan and Ugandan refugee communities to sponsor local education and sports projects.
In addition, other media and stakeholder stories have grown out of partnerships with rap star Eminem and English soccer team Manchester United. Eminem designed and auctioned a
line of sneakers for the cause, splitting the proceeds between ninemillion.org and another foundation he supports.
Honorable Mentions
In 2006, Wal-Mart joined forces with America's Second Harvest to increase awareness of domestic hunger and find a solution to the issue through the "Be A Part Of The Solution
To End Hunger" campaign. Customers and associates of Wal-Mart and Sam's Club were encouraged to donate cash. Thanks to the PR team's ability to enlist the power and help of Wal-
Mart and Sam's Club stores by providing a campaign tool kit that included a fundraising guide, campaign ad flyers, and tours of local food banks, this campaign succeeded in
raising more funds within a one-month time frame than any previous Wal-Mart consumer match campaign and was able to reach hungry Americans in all 50 states.
A four-year, $105 million alliance between Habitat for Humanity International and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans was formed in late 2005 to increase awareness of substandard
housing. In an attempt to market and publicize this, the alliance took a grassroots approach, working through local volunteers, Habitat affiliates and Thrivent Financial regional
offices. The campaign focused on a strategy of physically and emotionally connecting people with the issue through a traveling exhibit that features replicas of substandard
housing and video testimonials of real families who deal with it. Simple ways to express interest in supporting "Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity" were offered through
online options for donating and indicating interest in volunteering, making this alliance extremely accessible to all.
Sun Microsystems executives are committed to bridging the digital divide. Through the "Share the Opportunity" campaign, the PR team promoted the company's core value of
sharing, both in terms of time and new technologies, and its Worldwide Volunteer Week (April 23-29, 2006). Employees were encouraged to take part in volunteer projects nationwide,
from a Toiletry Drive in Boston to a Community Food Share in Colorado. In addition, another one of the team's initiatives - the Drive to Learn Campaign - ensured that students had
all the school supplies they needed to succeed in the classroom. Thanks to the team's ability to juggle different philanthropic projects and promote them to target audiences - be
they employees or community members - the company boasts millions of donated dollars and thousands of volunteered hours to date.