Winner: The Coca-Cola Co. – Expedition 206: 365 Days, 206 Countries, 1 Mission
Building upon the digital activity already buzzing about the brand, Coca-Cola launched Expedition 206 to connect more closely with a young audience—and give them something to tweet about. The program sent a group of young “happiness ambassadors,” selected by consumer vote, to 206 countries where the company does business, within a 365-day period—armed with an array of mobile tools so they could record and update their experiences in real time.
The project identified bloggers and influencers who would support and spread excitement surrounding the adventure. Expedition’s reach has been truly across the map. During the voting period, a full 75% came from outside the U.S., and 78% of traffic to Expedition206.com also came from beyond our shores.
Honorable Mentions:
APRA Porter Novelli – 100 Years Independence of Bulgaria: The key targets of the 100 Years of Independence campaign were Bulgarians living in the country, Bulgarians living abroad and, not least, targeted media with the ability to reinforce Bulgaria's rich history. For the duration of the campaign, the campaign reached reached 150 international publications.
Intercontinental Hotels Group/Weber Shandwick – Holiday Inn: Changing the Overnight World: World-record-holding card stacker Bryan Berg was tapped to build a re-creation of a refreshed Holiday Inn using hotel key cards, resulting in the first-ever Holiday Inn “Key Card Hotel”—a 400 sq. ft. space featuring a bedroom, bathroom and lobby made from more than 200,000 Holiday Inn key cards. The event garnered strong consumer response with approximately 100,000 people “checking-in” to the Holiday Inn Key Card Hotel in five days.
Weber Shandwick /Honeywell Aerospace – The Innovative Catalyst: Honeywell Globally Advances the Next Generation of Aerospace: To raise Honeywell's profile as a solution provider for nascent aero industries, Weber Shandwick targeted business media and the aerospace industry with articles positioning Honeywell regional CEOs as industry experts. Driven by features in Fast Company and WSJ, among others, the communications program solidified Honeywell as a leading innovator.
Norton from Symantec/Edelman – Black Market: Cybercrime Exposed: While Norton traditionally adopted a cheery tone in messaging, reassuring consumers that they were protected, key research indicated that consumers were worried about rising cybercrime risk. The Black Market campaign was a series of exhibits held in London, Tokyo and New York, designed to visualize threats. More than 1,500 people have toured the exhibits, and messaging about cybercrime has been measured to have increased from 12% in 2008 to 40% in 2009.
Rotary International – End Polio Now: Rotary International spearheaded a campaign to eradicate polio globally with a comprehensive site and a series of "Humanity in Motion" public image campaign tools, designed to help local branches with messaging. As a result, Rotary is close to matching a Gates Foundation challenge—the foundation will match grants after $200 million is raised.
Saab Automobile AB – Securing an Independent Future for Saab Automobile: After purchase by GM, Saab's independent image was thrown into question. Saab established a central communications team in Sweden, while encouraging employees to become Saab brand ambassadors. The results: 469,130 visits to the Saab newsroom from 170 countries since its launch in May 2009.