Campaign: America's WETLAND: Campaign to Save Coastal Louisiana
Winner: America's WETLAND
It's no surprise that Hurricanes Katrina and Rita took a devastating toll on the wetlands of coastal Louisiana; what may come as a shock to many people, though, is the
fact that many years of mistreatment were a huge contributing factor to the area's susceptibility to the havoc in the first place, as the state loses 24 square miles of
coastal wetlands each year.
Given the 2005 hurricane season's deadly impact, America's WETLAND set out to raise public awareness surrounding the importance of coastal Louisiana, the potential
economic and environmental consequences of letting it continue on unprotected, and the role the wetlands play in hurricane protection. Through in-depth research, the PR
team identified two clear themes: economic and energy security, and world ecological significance.
Once a specific goal helped bring the initiative into focus, the communications managers got to work spreading the word. In an example of startling irony, the campaign
launched its "Save America's Wetlands Write Now!" school letter-writing initiative with Louisiana's governor just five days before Hurricane Katrina hit; the fallout after
the storm was then harnessed to reinvigorate the effort's momentum in emphasizing the need to protect the wetlands.
The staff responded to said fallout with immeasurable communications prowess: They instantly acted as the communications hub for all media, using their relationship with
the Governor's office and the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation to issue a call-to-action for nationwide assistance. Through a strategic partnership with the Science
Channel, the group produced a documentary called "Coastal Crisis" that originally aired in June 2005; to reinforce the urgency of their message, America's WETLAND
rebroadcast the production and followed up with a second documentary, "Washing Away."
Although the months immediately following the storms were most relevant to their cause, the America's WETLAND PR team did not lessen its efforts as time passed - quite
the opposite. They rallied public support with petitions, featured Wetlands heroes in Mardi Gras parades and teamed with jazz legends to spread the word. The team's ability
to cast a wide net and use all communications vehicles and partnerships - both traditional and off-the-beaten-path - made the shrinking wetlands a front-of-mind issue for
government leaders, media members and communities nationwide. While the campaign's direct impact on the coastline itself may not be seen for a years to come, its tireless
effort and attention to each possible communicational angle promise made the best possible effort in bringing the erosion to a grinding halt.
Honorable Mentions
The Advertising Council's "Buzzed Driving" campaign expanded on the earlier success of the "Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk" program, launching during the holiday
season - traditionally a time when drunk driving fatalities run high. The research-based campaign sought to reverse a perception that people who are "merely buzzed" are
still sober enough to drive safely. The campaign successfully got the message out that "buzzed driving is drunk driving," using public service announcements on local
television and Web sites. The Ad Council estimates the news coverage reached 49 million people, while the TV spots reached more than 97% of the country.
The Brooklyn Public Library's early literacy campaign, "Brooklyn Reads to Babies," emphasizes the importance of reading to kids during the first years of life, targeting
both parents and caregivers. Hoping to reach every family in Brooklyn with children under the age of two, the Library team hosted 11 kick-off events in neighborhood
libraries in 10 of the neediest neighborhoods of Brooklyn after making sure the events were well publicized in the media. The group distributed 900,000 brochures with
reading tips and a suggested booklist in six languages, with the help of more than 30 community partners in the five boroughs of New York City. The efforts reached
8,252,256 people through 25 printed and televised pieces, and 1,580 people attended the kick-off events.