Winner: General Mills Inc. – Honey Nut Cheerios ‘America’s Favorite Cereal’
After selecting authentic lovers of Honey Nut Cheerios—something Chris Tamburino, senior account executive at Coyne PR, says was a challenge as the brand has many fans who actively express their love for the product online—General Mills sent the cereal-lovers a “cereal celebration kit” comprised of Honey Nut Cheerios-branded gear, party supplies and even an oversize cutout of the cereal’s mascot, Buzz the Bee. Using the kits, these fans threw breakfast parties and documented the celebration via photos and videos. This content was shared with the brand and was utilized for banner ads, videos and the cereal’s Facebook page. This engagement effort was complemented by the cereal’s “Billion ‘O’ Giveaway”—a nationwide program that let consumers sample the cereal. In its first month, the campaign drove nearly 700,000 click-throughs to the branded Web site (FavCereal.com), inspired 1,000 photo and video submissions from fans and generated 6.6 million online conversations about the Cheerio’s brand. —SP
Honorable Mentions
Consumer Electronics Association – CEA’s Innovation Movement: Declaration of Innovation: CEA enticed consumers to support its declaration of free trade and broadband deployment with the chance to win high tech gear. On Facebook, CEA created a custom "Voices Tab" that played short narratives written by fans expressing how innovation has positively affected their lives.
Kimberley Clark/Ogilvy & Mather Hong Kong – Huggies Babies-On-The-Go: Parents in Hong Kong could not resist Huggies’ request to upload their baby pics on Facebook. They were rewarded when the top 60 "liked" photos starred on "Huggies Babies" double-decker buses around the city. The campaign generated enough interest to increase Huggies' Hong Kong Facebook group fan page to 115,000 fans within 20 days of the launch.