Campaign: The Dirty Truth About America's Handwashing Habits
Winner: The Soap and Detergent Association, American Society of Microbiology and Ogilvy PR
How many of us really observe washing our hands frequently, particularly in public venues? The SDA Association wanted to put this question to the test to raise public awareness
that cleaning one's hands is the single most important thing people can do to prevent illness.
Sprucing Up
To expose the hygiene practices of Americans, SDA and the American Society of Microbiology contracted an independent handwashing study, both observational and via telephone.
The findings were released in conjunction with National Clean Hands Week. National media were invited to a joint press conference with the ASM; the releases were placed on PR
Newswire for distribution.
Clean Outcome
Messages about the health importance of handwashing appeared in USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, WebMD, Good Morning America, CNN and ESPN. Media coverage also appeared in
local TV outlets in Chicago, Boston, New York City, Miami, Houston and Detroit.
Honorable Mentions
Canadian Library Association + Impact Public Affairs Concerned about Copyright--To get the message out about new copyright legislation in Canada, this team arranged a press
conference at the Parliamentary Press Gallery in the nation's capitol. A press release announcing the event was sent to over 600 media outlets in Canada.
Ogilvy PR Worldwide for The Flower Promotion Organization and the Society of American Florists--Flowers are noted for their décor but can they be conducive to emotional well-
being? This question was examined in a study and the findings released in a press kit that resulted in media placements.
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center for Skinny Gene--The hospital created a press release publishing the findings of its "skinny gene," paper, which argued that
some people are predisposed to thinness based on a single gene. This resulted in more than 190 media placements.