PR News CSR Awards Winners and Honorable Mentions 2012

Whether it’s keeping kids reading during the summer months, preserving historic sites or reducing greenhouse gasses by streamlining processes, organizations realize that CSR efforts are no longer an add-on. Here are the CSR campaigns—and the people behind them—that were honored at PR News' 2012 CSR Awards luncheon in Washington, D.C., on April 17. At the event, we saluted the CSR A-List: true believers in the long-term business practicality of engaging in the environmental, community, health and human rights issues of the day. These agencies are veterans in developing and managing CSR programs and social good programs for their clients. We also honored our 2012 CSR Hall of Fame inductees—organizations that have not just made an impact over the past several years but that we feel will likely be referred to as “model CSR programs” for years to come.

CSR A-List

APCO Worldwide 

APCO Worldwide has a team of CSR professionals spread across 30 offices in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, helping clients in nearly every industry engage in a range of environmental, social and governance issues. APCO has developed nine principles for creating and communicating CSR strategies: understand stakeholder expectations; tie all CSR efforts to the business; think creatively about how your business can make a difference; be transparent across all CSR issues; audiences want to know about your CSR efforts; communicate internally and externally; humanize CSR communication; measure and evaluate CSR efforts. Putting these nine principles to work for client Microsoft, APCO helped tell the company’s complex global CSR story by revamping its Citizenship Web site with an interactive world map, adding more data and transparency to Microsoft’s 2010 and 2011 citizenship reports and creating government toolkits to help employees around the world speak with their local governments about the company’s citizenship. The results: All of Microsoft’s stakeholders now have a much clearer view of Microsoft’s CSR activities. —SG April 17, 2012

Burson-Marsteller 

Last year Burson-Marsteller launched its Caring Consumer specialty group, comprised of experts in consumer and brand marketing, CSR and corporate reputation, to help build emotional connections between organizations and consumers who care. This launch is just the latest evolution in Burson-Marsteller’s role as an international CSR leader. The agency recently was honored by PR News in its Platinum PR Awards for communications efforts behind client Hormel Foods’ drive to establish itself as a brand that’s committed to sustainability. For instance, B-M developed a CR report for Hormel stakeholders that was supplemented by a Twitter contest that tested one’s knowledge of the company’s sustainable business practices. With Burson-Marsteller’s assistance, Hormel Foods has, since 2009, jumped 10 places on Corporate Responsibility Magazine’s 100 Best Corporate Citizens rankings to #30. —SGApril 17, 2012

Carmichael Lynch Spong 

Carmichael Lynch Spong’s headquarters in downtown Minneapolis is the ultimate symbol of this agency’s full-on commitment to corporate responsibility and environmental stewardship. Its LEED- qualified workplace is powered 100% by wind-sourced energy, and the agency has reduced its landfill waste with aggressive recycling and composting practices. In addition, its employees enthusiastically dive into community efforts. This commitment extends to its CSR work on behalf of its clients. In 2011, Carmichael Lynch Spong worked with client Supervalu in a partnership with First Lady Michelle Obama as part of a national effort to eliminate “food deserts” in major metropolitan areas. Supervalu and its subsidiary Save-a-Lot Food Stores committed to opening 250 new Save-A-Lot stores over the next five years in and around neighborhoods with limited or no immediate access to healthier foods, such as fresh fruits, vegetables and meat. Carmichael Lynch Spong also worked with client Ingersoll Rand on its new INNOVENTIONS at Epcot green home exhibit, which features products and solutions from Ingersoll Rand brands Trane and Schlage. —SG April 17, 2012

Cone Communications 

For more than 20 years Cone Communications has been linking companies with nonprofits to achieve social benefits. Cone has taken a leadership role in the PR field with its 2011 Cone/Echo Global CR Opportunity Study, a comprehensive look at global consumer perceptions of cause and corporate responsibility. Among the high-profile brands that turn to Cone for its CSR initiatives are Hilton Worldwide, Yoplait, American Heart Association, Nestlé Waters, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Timberland, Purina, ITT, Northwestern Mutual and Time Warner. As part of its overall work to establish Timberland as a thought leader in corporate responsibility and environmentalism, Cone has raised awareness of Timberland’s eco-labeling commitments through its Green Index label and launched the Nature Needs Heroes Consumer campaign for the Earthkeepers product line. —SG April 17, 2012

Edelman 

Over the past couple of decades Edelman has been helping leading brands create meaningful connections between business and social issues, from StarKist’s dolphin-safe tuna and Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty to Starbucks’ Shared Planet and GE’s ecomagination. Edelman’s Business + Social Purpose practice, led by Bob Knott, global practice chairman, and Carol Cone, global practice vice chairwoman, is staffed by more than 200 dedicated CSR and communications strategists worldwide with experience in brand and corporate citizenship, strategic philanthropy, public-private partnerships, engagement and fundraising. Edelman has further established itself as a CSR leader with its annual, highly anticipated Trust Barometer. —SG April 17, 2012

Euro RSCG Worldwide 

Since stepping into her role in 2009, Euro RSCG Worldwide CEO Marian Salzman has doubled down on the agency’s long-held belief that doing good is good for business. As a brand partner, Euro RSCG has been more committed than ever to finding potential charities and soliciting marketplace research to best assess the causes that click with its clients’ values and make smart business sense for them. Euro RSCG and Sears Holdings have worked together to make Sears’ long-term cause marketing program Heroes at Home continually engaging. Its work with Sears opened the door to a partnership with Ford, with the agency ultimately being named AOR for Ford’s Warriors in Pink breast cancer program. Other CSR wins: Purina Chef Michael’s pet rescue event (77.6 million media impressions); the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race (721 million media impressions); and the Transitions Optical Healthy Sight for Life Fund (3.7 million impressions in trade media in the first year). —SG April 17, 2012

MWW Group 

Client service and corporate citizenship have been core values at MWW Group since its founding in 1986—and in recent years these core values have only become more firmly embedded in the culture. On behalf of Sara Lee brand Jimmy Dean, MWW Group helped drive awareness with Sara Lee employees of Jimmy Dean’s partnership with Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign; service activities have helped Jimmy Dean approach its donation goal of $150,000. As part of its work for the McDonald’s New York Tri-State Owner/Operator Association, MWW Group promotes initiatives under Ronald McDonald House Charities. And since 2008, MWW Group has helped drive media coverage of Target’s education programs on local and national levels. —SG

RF|Binder 

Last year RF Binder expanded its already robust corporate responsibility practice by adding more CR specialists and also by offering expertise in the complex standards of corporate responsibility reporting. RF Binder has worked on corporate responsibility and environmental initiatives for clients including Bank of America, Staples, CVS Caremark, Cargill, McGraw-Hill Companies, Bosch and Reebok. RF Binder has raised awareness of BofA’s Neighborhood Excellence Initiative, which has worked to strengthen the financial stability of hundreds of local nonprofit organizations. And for Staples, the agency communicated key messages about a partnership between The Hispanic Scholarship Fund and the Staples Foundation to expand educational outreach and scholarship opportunities for Hispanic students and their families. —SG

Strategic Objectives 

Strategic Objectives, a leading PR voice in Canada for more than 25 years, has pioneered CSR programming in its country. The agency has applied its RACE formula for CSR (research, analysis, communicate, evaluate) for clients such as Leon’s Furniture Ltd., whose program included a partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada, and the Koodo mobile brand’s launch of Koodonation, a community of “microvolunteers.” Strategic Objectives conceived for Cashmere Bathroom Tissue its “Fashion with Compassion” program, an annual fund- and awareness-raiser for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. Since 1986 Strategic Objectives has partnered with The Body Shop on a number of CSR programs, most recently the Stop Sex Trafficking of Children & Young People campaign and petition, which reached the seat of the Canadian government in August 2011. —SG

Waggener Edstrom Worldwide 

Like our other CSR A-Listers, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide practices the corporate responsibility it preaches for its clients. WE is a signatory of the UN Global Compact and based its third Corporate Citizenship Report on the Global Reporting Initiative’s Sustainability Reporting Guidelines. WE’s social innovation practice—which helps organizations position themselves for maximum impact in the intersection of private sector and public good—has worked in recent years with Microsoft, MercyCorps, Pfizer, Unicef and the UN Foundation. The social innovation practice partnered with the Microsoft Education team on the Imagine Cup student technology competition geared toward global concerns. The practice worked with the Pfizer Foundation to brand its signature social investment initiative, focused on promoting women as catalysts for improving health in underserved communities. —SG

Weber Shandwick 

Weber Shandwick’s Social Impact team carries the CSR banner for the agency’s high-profile clients, who are well aware of the connection between business results and sustainability, climate issues and human rights. The Social Impact team’s work reaches across 129 offices in 81 countries; it has partnered with nonprofits such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and with companies including PepsiCo, Bank of America and Yum! Brands. For PepsiCo, Weber Shandwick managed the digital and social media and local media relations for the award-winning Pepsi Refresh Project, and for Yum! Brands the agency supported the company’s core philanthropic mission, “From Hunger to Hope.” —SG

 

CSR Professionals of the Year

John Brock - Coca-Cola Enterprises 

John Brock, CCE’s chairman and CEO, has long been passionate about corporate social responsibility since joining the company in 2006. As CEO, Brock established an operating framework, which sets CCE’s vision and strategic business priorities—with CSR as an integral component. In 2009, the company rolled out Commitment 2020, which focused on achieving aggressive but attainable goals in CSR by 2020. In 2011, Brock met with a group of 25 key stakeholders from CCE’s European markets and asked for their feedback on what sustainability leadership entails. Their input resulted in a fresh sustainability program, “Deliver for Today, Inspire for Tomorrow.” It was announced in Sept. 2011 as part of CRS in Action Week, in which local communities and CCE’s 13,500 employees partnered with key customers and organizations to clean rivers and beaches, implement local recycling programs and more. Brock’s efforts get results. Last year CCE received the Carbon Trust Standard Award in recognition of its carbon management and reduction achievements—earning the top score out of 675 companies. —SVC

Zafar Brooks – Hyundai Motor America 

Hyundai Motor America: Zafar Brooks, director, governmental affairs and diversity outreach at Hyundai, has taken the company’s cornerstone CSR program, Hyundai Hope on Wheels, a long way. Put in charge of CSR initiatives in 2006, Brooks has moved the program from a primarily local-based effort to one with big national reach. Brooks’ leadership has increased donations to pediatric cancer efforts from $1.3 million in 2007 to $20 million in 2011. In 2010, Brooks launched the largest annual philanthropic donation effort for Hyundai, with an initiative to award nearly $7 million during the month of September—National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. In 2011, Brooks led the second annual “Help Hyundai Give Hope on Wheels,” again in September. Creating a unique microsite, a special video gallery of event ceremonies and a TV spot (airing without showing a single car), the effort featured a 28-day, cross-country trip with the Hyundai Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV), collecting handprints of kids impacted by cancer along the way. The campaign attracted 120 media outlets, 12,000+ page views on the microsite and 245,000+ news feed impressions from Facebook. —SVC

Lewis Fix - Domtar Corporation 

Domtar Corporation: As Domtar’s VP of sustainable business and brand management, Lewis Fix has distinguished himself both as an internal change agent for sustainable development as well as an effective external spokesman for the cause. Fix has been with the pulp and paper producer for 10 years, and is a founding member of the company’s Sustainability Committee, which charts the sustainable course for Domtar, and also manages the company’s collaborations with NGOs such as the World Wildlife Fund and Rainforest Alliance. Fix’s relationship with such organizations is considered the model for how companies and NGOs can work together on sustainability issues. In 2010 Fix led the PAPERbecause campaign, which through humor articulated paper’s social and environmental acceptability in a “think before you print” era. The campaign continued in 2011 with a new series of videos and social media outreach. Also in 2011, Fix and his team created and implemented the “Domtar Paper Trail,” an online tool that gives end-users data on the environmental impact of paper purchase choices. This tool embodies Domtar’s—and Fix’s—commitment to transparency by providing accurate data, resetting the bar for industry disclosure practices. —SVC

Michael Kempner - MWW Group 

MWW Group: For more than 25 years, Michael Kempner, founder, chairman and president of MWW Group, has been a strong advocate for CSR efforts at the agency and for its clients. In late 2010, Kempner was appointed to the White House Council for Community Solutions by President Obama. The committee, which includes Michelle Obama and Jon Bon Jovi as members, helps create programs to mobilize citizens, nonprofits, businesses and government to work together to solve community needs, particularly in the area of disengaged youth. From a green perspective, in 2011 MWW partnered with Social Media Week, a global conference dedicated to green initiatives. MWW hosted a panel, “Sustainability 2.0,” which explored the opportunity to harness social media to promote social good. Kempner also created a formal MWW CSR committee to further improve its own impact in the space. MWW provides each of its employees with 10 workday hours to be used for community service projects—an offer that many employees have taken. In addition, in 2011 the agency announced the launch of the MWW Citizen of the year Award, honoring the employee that best embodies the agency’s strong commitment to CSR. —SVC

Sonia Sroka - Porter Novelli 

Porter Novelli: As SVP, director of Hispanic marketing at Porter Novelli, Sroka’s passion for diversity is rooted in her desire to provide the best possible solutions for the agency’s clients through an inclusive and supportive work environment, while making a lasting impact on PR at large. In 2009, Sroka was named to lead Porter Novelli’s National Diversity Council, activating seven local chapters across the U.S.; drafted national diversity plans for 2010 and 2011; and developed the agency’s first diversity vision statement. In 2011 Sroka started planning to take Porter Novelli’s diversity efforts global. In addition, Sroka is a diversity leader within Omnicom, the agency’s parent company. She’s a founding member of Diversity Initiative Group (DIG); on the Diversity Development Advisory Council and has worked with Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn to develop a PR track. To date, five multicultural students have graduate the program and entered the PR field. —SVC

 

Hall of Fame

The Body Shop 

Since The Body Shop was founded by Anita Roddick in 1974, the cosmetics chain has ably demonstrated corporate social responsibility via strong values. The Body Shop adheres to five core CSR pillars: Against Animal Testing, Support Community Trade, Activate Self Esteem, Defend Human Rights and Protect Our Planet. In 1987, The Body Shop launched Community Fair Trade—one of the first companies to execute the concept. Whenever possible, it uses Fair Trade ingredients in its products. Always mindful of the environment, the company has taken steps to making its stores more green. And finally, The Body Shop’s Stop The Trafficking of Children and Young People campaign is raising awareness and funds for those at risk of human trafficking. —SVC

Campbell Soup Company 

Through its CSR program, Campbell Soup Company strives to make a positive impact in the workplace, in the marketplace and in the communities in which it operates. Since 2005, Campbell has invested in more energy-efficient machinery and systems, and in smarter processes. “Minding a business’s environmental footprint is no longer an option, but an imperative—and a best practice that boosts the bottom line,” says Dave Stangis, Campbell’s VP of CSR. In 2010 Campbell announced a series of 2020 goals detailing how the company planned to cut the environmental footprint of its product portfolio in half. This year, Campbell was recognized in two categories at the Climate Leadership Awards: for aggressively reducing green house gas (GHG) emissions and for establishing stringent GHG reduction goals. —SVC

Deloitte - Greening the Dot 

Launched in 2008, Deloitte’s Greening the Dot program has expanded its reach from the office (in 2008) to the home (in 2009) and to the next generation (in 2010). Within this expansion, the core goals remain the same: generate awareness, understanding and engagement in order to foster informed decisions that take into account the impact of one’s choices on the environment. Led by Suzanne Keel- Eckkmann and Jack McFadden, Greening the Dot focuses on action initiatives with near-term—rather than long-term—end dates and uses technology as an enabler: witness the success of PlanetSaver, a software program that reduces screen saver energy consumption (downloaded more than 50,000 times since 2010); and the Next Generation Web site, which offers visitors a toolkit with 23 green projects. —SVC

Timberland 

Timberland’s commitment to sustainability dates back nearly 40 years, and is driven by the belief that a business can create positive impact in the world. Timberland’s CSR objectives—protecting the outdoors, innovating products, improving workers’ lives and engaging in community service—are firmly embedded within its business goals. In fact, Timberland thinks of CSR as a real competitive advantage. The company has dramatically reduced energy costs and its greenhouse gas emissions, and is creating top-line growth by meeting consumers’ growing wants for green products. And it has communicated these accomplishments in an innovative and often fun manner, as demonstrated by its humorous “Man on the Street” videos produced for its 2011 Arbor Day campaign. —SVC

 

Annual Report 

Winner: Bank of America, Weber Shandwick, APCO Worldwide and Hill Holiday Opportunity in Motion: Bank of America’s 2010 Corporate Social Responsibility Report

In 2010, Bank of America published its first comprehensive GRI-compliant Corporate Social Responsibility Report, the scope of which went far beyond the bank’s previous sustainability reports, which focused exclusively on environmental data and factors. The 2010 report also reflected the key business decisions of the year. Laid out in six chapters, the report included a description of the bank as it completed the integration of its two acquisitions, Merrill Lynch and Countrywide, before moving on to Corporate Governance and Risk, Advocacy and Political Involvement, and Procurement. Media coverage on the report reached more than 1.8 million readers via online coverage and 900,000 in print impressions. Outlets including Fast Company and Triple Pundit published in-depth stories about the report. —SP

Fast Fact: Bank of America employees volunteered over 1.3 million hours for nonprofits and community organizations in 2010.

Honorable Mentions:

Apartment Investment and Management Company and Singer Associates – Aimco Corporate Citizenship Report: The report elaborates how Aimco doesn’t just invest in its physical property, but in the environment and the community as well. While the info is detailed, it’s interspersed with infographics and fast facts to make it easy to understand.

Brown-Forman Corp. – 2011-2012 Corporate Responsibility Report: The beverage-maker highlights how it fosters responsible drinking, environmental sustainability, employee relations and community involvement initiatives via in-depth interviews with those in the organization who are leading the charge.

CSC – CSC Annual CR Report: CSC’s 2011 achievements, which include hiring its first ever chief diversity officer, are spotlighted in a detailed report punctuated by blurbs and pictures highlighting milestones, achievements and successful partnerships.

Dresser-Rand – Dresser-Rand 2010 Annual Report: Accelerating Profitable Growth: Dresser-Rand’s annual report is—in the purest definition of the word—comprehensive to the point of including its annual Form 10-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

 

 

 

 

Winner

Bank of America, Weber Shandwick, APCO Worldwide and Hill Holliday – Opportunity in Motion: Bank of America 2010 Corporate Social Responsibility Report 

Honorable Mentions:

  • Apartment Investment and Management Company and Singer Associates – Aimco Corporate Citizenship Report
  • Brown-Forman Corp. – 2011-2012 Corporate Responsibility Report 
  • CSC – CSC Annual CR Report
  • Dresser-Rand – Dresser-Rand 2010 Annual Report: Accelerating Profitable Growth
  • Southwest Airlines – 2010 Southwest Airlines One Report 
  • Sutter Health – Sutter Health 2010 Online Annual Report

 

Blog 

Winner: Amway – Amway One by One Campaign for Children Blog

 

 

The One by One blog started in 2006 as a way to increase transparency, converse with supporters and showcase the impact the organization makes for children around the world. With such a large audience, in 2011 the Amway PR team set out to infuse a worldwide perspective by showcasing hundreds of individual One by One stories on the blog. First though, Amway had to move from an outdated blog platform to a new one that could better incorporate photos and videos while managing multiple languages. Spreading the word to a variety of stakeholders via Twitter and Facebook—and recruiting a team of 14 advocates to serve as guest authors, the blog became a hit with international contributors, as the number of posts increased from outside the U.S. and Canada by 57%. Better yet, the blog has piqued the interest of Amway executives, who see compelling proof points of the value of citizenship to the company. —RD

Fast Fact: Seven internal Amway teams use the One by One blog as a source of content.

Honorable Mentions:

Cone Communications – What Do You Stand For? Blog: The blog served as a one-stop destination for all of Cone’s corporate responsibility related research and industry insights covering topics like the environment, philanthropy, social impact and corporate-nonprofit partnerships.

CVS Caremark and RF Binder – CVS Caremark All Kids Can Blog: CVS and RF Binder created a blog that would serve as a resource for families raising children with disabilities and to provide emotional support to members via an online community. Since its launch in June 2011, the blog has been viewed 1,425 times and CVS Caremark Facebook followers have increased by 60%.

 

 

 

 

 

Winner

Amway – Amway One by One Campaign for Children Blog

Honorable Mentions:

  • Cone Communications – What Do You Stand For? Blog
  • CVS Caremark and RF│Binder – CVS Caremark All Kids Can Blog 

 

Cause Branding Campaign 

Winner: JetBlue Airways and Company 20 Inc. – Soar With Reading: Let Your Imagination Take Flight

 

 

At first glance, JetBlue and PBS KIDS don’t have much in common. But in 2011 the two teamed up to create the “Soar with Reading: Let Your Imagination Take Flight” campaign, designed to keep kids reading during the summer months and inspire them to develop a love for reading. The multi-tiered effort included the distribution of activity booklets featuring travel-themed literacy activities with PBS KIDS characters. An interactive Web site—SoarWithReading.com—housed downloadable activities, summer reading lists and literacy tips, a library locator and more. Live events featuring author readings were hosted at participating libraries and included meet-and-greets with PBS KIDS characters and JetBlue crew members. To support libraries facing budget cuts, the communications team created a sweepstakes in which libraries were nominated to receive $10,000 worth of books courtesy of Random House Children’s Books and JetBlue.

The results: 250,000 literacy activity books were distributed in 65 cities through libraries, PBS stations and other outlets. JetBlue crew members participated in 22 events, reading to children and hosting book drives at their local libraries. The SoarWithReading.com site averaged 57,000 visits per month from June-September. —RD

Honorable Mentions:

First Choice Power and Moroch PR – First Choice Power Food First Program Reaches Goal of Providing 1 Million Meals: First Choice Power, a retail electric power provider, set out to raise 1 million meals for those in need throughout Texas. Facebook promotions raised awareness for the cause and provided $1,000 grants to food banks while employees were encouraged to volunteer with local organizations each month.

National Football League and the American Cancer Society – NFL’s “A Crucial Catch” Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign: The NFL teamed up with the American Cancer Society to raise awareness of the importance of early detection and screening for breast cancer. A special Web site helped the call to action by providing information about mammograms and where to schedule them. Players got in the game by wearing special armbands, cleats and decals to promote the cause.

Tyson Foods and Mitchell Communications Group Inc. – Tyson Foods KNOW Hunger Campaign: Continuing its commitment to hunger relief,Tyson released the results of a survey on Americans’ experiences with hunger. The study revealed that one in four Americans worry about not having enough money to put food on the table. To help those in need, Tyson donated 1million pounds of protein—enough to serve 4 million meals.

Viacom Inc. – Viacom’s “I Will” Campaign: As the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks approached, Viacom set out to encourage people to remember the day by committing to doing good deeds. They partnered with MyGoodDeed.org—the official Sept. 11 national service organization—and nearly 300 employees participated in the I Will tribute.

 

 

 

 

 

Winner

JetBlue Airways and Company 20 Inc. – Soar With Reading: Let Your Imagination Take Flight

Honorable Mentions:

  • First Choice Power and Moroch PR – First Choice Power Food First Program Reaches Goal of Providing 1 Million Meals 
  • National Football League and the American Cancer Society – NFL’s “A Crucial Catch” Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign
  • Tyson Foods and Mitchell Communications Group Inc. – Tyson Foods KNOW Hunger Campaign
  • Viacom Inc. – Viacom’s “I Will” Campaign
  • WWE – be a STAR
  • Yum! Brands and Weber Shandwick Chicago – World Hunger Relief
  • Rebuilding Together and Sears – Heroes at Home

 

Community Affairs  

Co-Winner: National Football League – NFL Play 60

 

 

The NFL Play 60 campaign is designed to tackle the childhood obesity epidemic by educating kids age 6-14 about health habits and the importance of being active for 60 minutes per day. The multi-tiered effort aimed to reach children through different outlets including schools, at NFL games, online and on television. For the in-school program, the NFL partnered with the American Heart Association to educate teachers and students on integrating health and fitness breaks into the daily classroom lessons. On the community front, the NFL hosted more than 1,500 local events across the country. NFL players worked with the community to build playgrounds, indoor fitness training rooms and walking trails. The campaign was a success, with 77,000 schools participating in the NFL Play 60 programs, while the campaign generated coverage in The New York Times and on ESPN. Perhaps the biggest success was the collaboration between the NFL and partner organizations. “Any successful partnership between the NFL and a nonprofit organization requires that both parties stay true to their core values and advance their philanthropic mission,”says Anna Isaacson, NFL director of community affairs. —RD

Co-Winner: Vodafone Turkey – Dreams Academy

The Dreams Academy was formed to reverse social exclusion of the disabled in Turkey, helping them become active and productive through culture and art. The Dreams Academy offered young people with physical and mental disabilities, hearing and visual impairment or chronic illnesses free workshops in painting, dance, photography, design, music and more.

Vodafone publicized the program through live events and campaigns such as World Disability Day. The team produced a “Dreams Academy” advertorial that ran on several national Turkish TV channels and received public acclaim. Since the program launch, 620 children have graduated from the Dreams Academy, with the assistance of 126 Vodafone employees who volunteered to support the program. —RD

Honorable Mentions:

Bridgestone Americas Inc. and Public Strategies Inc. – Bridgestone Americas: Driving Home Teen Driver Safety: Teendrivesmart.com serves as a resource for teens, parents and educators to engage in conversations about safe driving. The “Road Show Rally” contest encouraged driver safety and gave the winning school $5,000 to expand its driver safety program.

The Hershey Company – CocoaLink: Connecting Cocoa Communities: CocoaLink is an innovative way to reach cocoa farming families in Ghana and give them access to cocoa agricultural information. More than 2,000 farmers have registered for the program, which disseminates information through voice and SMS text messages at no charge to them.

Honda Manufacturing of Alabama – HMA 2011 Tornado Disaster Relief: After the tornadoes struck Alabama on April 27, 2011, HMA organized a clean-up and relief activities for associates in the wake of the aftermath. Some 4,000 Honda associates volunteered in the community to work on community service programs and donate funds, vehicles and non-perishable items to relief agencies.

Office Depot Foundation and JKG Group – Office Depot Foundation 2011 National Foundation Backpack Program: In 2011, the Office Depot Foundation expanded its backpack program, providing 350,000 new “sackpacks” to children who couldn’t afford book bags. They were distributed to 180 nonprofit organizations and 29 school districts across all 50 states.

Raytheon Company and InkHouse Media + Marketing – 2011 Raytheon Pi Day Community Relations Campaign: In an effort to thank educators for their hard work in shaping tomorrow’s innovators, Raytheon highlighted Pi Day, March 14. Real pies were delivered to more than 70 local school teachers, while the Boston Globe and other outlets covered the event.

The Walt Disney Company – Disney Magic of Healthy Living: Looking to inspire kids and parents to be healthy, Disney worked with nonprofit play space provider KaBOOM!, community partners and volunteers to transform empty lots into playgrounds. Thirty radio spots on Radio Disney helped rally volunteer help in 14 build locations.

 

 

 

 

 

Winner

• National Football League – NFL Play 60
• Vodafone Turkey – Dreams Academy

Honorable Mentions:

  • Bridgestone Americas Inc. and Public Strategies Inc. – Bridgestone Americas: Driving Home Teen Driver Safety
  • The Hershey Company – CocoaLink: Connecting Cocoa Communities
  • Honda Manufacturing of Alabama – HMA 2011 Tornado Disaster Relief
  • Office Depot Foundation and JKG Group – Office Depot Foundation 2011 National Backpack Program
  • Raytheon Company and InkHouse Media + Marketing – 2011 Raytheon Pi Day Community Relations Campaign
  • The Walt Disney Company – Disney Magic of Healthy Living

 

Corporate – Community Partnership 

Co-Winner: Toys “R” Us Inc. – Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation “Fight Childhood Cancer, One Cup at a Time” Fundraising Campaign

 

 

Toys ”R” Us Children’s Fund partnered with Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) as part of the company’s kids helping kids initiative. To kick off the campaign, the Toys ”R” Us flagship store in Times Square was transformed into an official Alex’s Lemonade Grand Stand. Then, on June 25, Toys ”R” Us stores across the country hosted in-store events where kids and families were able to make donations to ALSF and learn how to get involved with the cause. —RD

Co-Winner: Türk Telekom and Ogilvy Capitol PR – Internet Houses

Türk Telekom, a broadband service provider, set out to bring at least one Internet access point to every district of Turkey. With employees volunteering their time to set up and troubleshoot technical glitches, the “Internet Houses” were opened in 967 districts, providing free Internet access to even the outermost regions of the country. Türk Telekom estimates that about 4 million people per month take advantage of the Houses. —RD

Honorable Mentions:

Benjamin Moore – Color Care Across America: CCAA provides uplifting paint makeovers for emergency shelters in every state to bring attention to the homeless crisis and improve the living environments of those staying in shelters.

Discovery Communications – Discovery Impact—Rebuilding Alabama: After the devastating tornadoes hit Alabama, Discovery employees and on-air talent traveled to Birmingham to repair and rebuild five homes damaged in the storms, partnering with Habitat for Humanity.

JetBlue Airways and Company 20 Inc. – Soar With Reading: Let Your Imagination Take Flight - Corporate/Community Partnership: Jet Blue and PBS KIDS teamed up to keep kids reading during the summer months. The campaign included activity booklets and an interactive Web site.

Transitions Optical, Inc. and Burson-Marsteller – Success is in Sight—Transitions Optical Brings Healthy Vision and Literacy to Thousands of Children Nationwide: Transitions Optical partnered with “Bess the Book Bus,” a nonprofit mobile literacy program, to provide free eye exams, eyeglasses and books to underserved schools and community shelters.

Tyco International, Ltd. – Clean Water Access Initiative: Tyco teamed with Action Against Hunger to bring clean water to people threatened by malnutrition and water borne diseases.

 

 

 

 

 

Winner

• Toys "R" Us Inc. – Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation “Fight Childhood Cancer, One Cup at a Time” Fundraising Campaign
• Türk Telekom and Ogilvy Capitol PR – Internet Houses

Honorable Mentions:

  • Benjamin Moore – Color Care Across America
  • Discovery Communications – Discovery Impact: Rebuilding Alabama
  • JetBlue Airways and Company 20 Inc. – Soar With Reading: Let Your Imagination Take Flight
  • Transitions Optical, Inc. and Burson-Marsteller – Success is in Sight: Transitions Optical Brings Healthy Vision and Literacy to Thousands of Children Nationwide 
  • Tyco International Ltd. – Clean Water Access Initiative 

 

Corporations With Less Than 10,000 Employees 

Winner: Honda Manufacturing of Alabama

 

 

In the wake of the devastating tornadoes that swept through Alabama on April 27, 2011, Honda Manufacturing of Alabama (HMA) took immediate action, providing manpower, relief items and vehicles to help the affected communities—HMA’s own communities—recover from the tragedy.

One of the biggest challenges facing nonprofit organizations in the aftermath of the tornadoes was not only the large volume of requests from survivors, but also an overwhelming number of volunteers wanting to help. HMA provided these agencies with assistance by working closely with volunteer coordinators to plan relief activities that met specific agencies’ and affected areas’ needs. As volunteer groups derived from its base of 4,000 associates grew larger, HMA provided transport to cleanup sites twice a week. HMA, which was operating on a reduced production schedule due to the Japanese earthquake and tsunami in March 2011, further incentivized and rewarded the associates who took the time to help those in need by paying them their normal hourly wage. —SP

Honorable Mentions:

Carmichael Lynch Spong: For Carmichael Lynch Spong, CSR hits home—literally. Its LEED-qualified workspace features sustainable office products and motion-censored lighting in restrooms and storage areas.

Doral Bank: In 2011, Doral Bank launched “d Verde,” a campaign to invest close to $1 million in energy conservation initiatives, and “Women of Success,” to provide assistance to women entrepreneurs.

VHA Inc: At CleanMed 2011, a global conference on sustainable healthcare, VHA hosted tours of an Ascent Reprocessing facility, where attendees learned about device reprocessing and safe sustainability options.

 

 

 

 

 

Winner

Honda Manufacturing of Alabama

Honorable Mentions:

  • Carmichael Lynch Spong 
  • Doral Bank
  • VHA Inc.

 

Corporation With More Than 10,000 Employees 

Co-Winner: Coca-Cola Enterprises

 

 

Corporate responsibility and sustainability at Coca-Cola Enterprises begins at the very top. A specially designated committee of the board of directors meets five times a year to review CCE’s progress on the CSR front, and to oversee the allocation of funding from specific CSR budgets. In September 2011, CCE launched a new sustainability plan, “Deliver for Today, Inspire for Tomorrow,” designed to not only reduce negative impacts, but to also actively make a positive difference in communities and the world. CCE determined three strategic priorities: Delivering on CSR commitments in seven focus areas and measuring itself against key performance indicators as determined by the Global Reporting Initiative; leading the industry in energy and climate change as well as sustainable packaging and recycling; and collaborating with partners and stakeholders to determine where future innovations are required. —SP

Co-Winner: IBM Corporation

“Corporations prosper only to the extent that they satisfy human needs. Profit is only the scoring system. The end is better living for us.” Uttered by former IBM chairman Thomas J. Watson, Jr., this has long been a guiding credo for the company. To IBM, this means going beyond simply writing a check. For its 100-year anniversary in 2011, IBM engaged in a massive hands-on global “Celebration of Service” that inspired a whopping 88% of its global workforce (which, in total, is more than 426,000) to volunteer in thousands of highly localized volunteer programs. IBM also launched its largest philanthropic initiative to date—a $50 million Smarter Cities Challenge grant program that provides 100 municipalities worldwide with action- able advice from the company’s top technical experts and consultants on how to tackle the cities’ biggest problems. —SP

Honorable Mentions:

Honeywell: Honeywell Hometown Solutions—via its Honeywell Educators @ Space Academy scholarship program—offered a series of astronaut-style exercises and simulations that taught 1,500 teachers from 43 countries new practices in science and math education.

Oracle: Among the company’s CSR successes in the fiscal year of 2011: The Oracle Academy delivered more than $2.7 billion in software, curriculum, hosting services and teacher professional development to thousands of global education institutions, and more than 14,000 employees volunteered on 441 projects.

Procter & Gamble: In 2011, P&G’s Live, Learn & Thrive program provided lifesaving vaccinations and clean water in Africa, safe homes across Europe, educational opportunities in Asia and early childhood development in Latin America.

 

 

 

 

 

Winner

• Coca-Cola Enterprises
• IBM Corporation

Honorable Mentions:

  • Honeywell
  • Oracle
  • Procter & Gamble 

 

CSR on a Shoestring 

Winner: The French Will Never Forget (TFWNF) and Euro RSCG Worldwide PR – The French Will Never Forget 9/11 Tribute

 

 

When the U.S. was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001, most of the world was shocked, angered and in mourning. But after France opposed the U.S. invasion of Iraq, a standard cliché began appearing in the American media: that the French did not stand by the U.S. In response, TFWNF, a grassroots nonprofit, was formed in 2003 by four French citizens with the goal of strengthening the friendship between the two countries. To mark the 10th anniversary of 9/11, Euro RSCG first covered the digital and social angles, creating a U.S. version of the group’s Web site and a Facebook page. Then aggressive media outreach ensued to trumpet a 9/11 TFWNF event in New York. Interviews with former NYC Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen were secured with international outlets. In Paris, a replica of the Twin Towers was built near the Eiffel Tower. The challenge of the campaign was sensitivity, says Marian Salzman, CEO of Euro RSCG Worldwide PR. “It was in helping to nuance the messages so they remembered, honored and stood as French New Yorkers saluting from Paris,” she says. The results: a bevy of international media coverage, including 68 major print and online placements around the globe. —SVC

Honorable Mentions:

Baruch College – The Baruch Index of Corporate Political Disclosure: A press conference and webcast heralded the creation of the Index, which measures a company’s use of funds for campaign activities.

Boscobel Marketing Communications – Power IT Down Day 2011: Encouraging government workers to power down their IT equipment, the Day—promoted via social media—achieved 50% more registrations in 2011 than in 2010.

Grant Thorton LLP – Dollar for Difference Campaign: Employees were asked to use a dollar to make an impact in their communities; three fundraising letters ultimately raised $10,000 for charity.

Valley Metro and R&R Partners – Valley Metro Notes: To increase bus and train ridership in Phoenix despite a 30% cut of bus route service, animated music videos demonstrated the best ways to ride, resulting in a 5.1% boost in riders.

 

 

 

 

 

Winner

The French Will Never Forget (TFWNF) and Euro RSCG Worldwide PR – The French Will Never Forget 9/11 Tribute

Honorable Mentions:

  • Baruch College – The Baruch Index of Corporate Political Disclosure
  • Boscobel Marketing Communications – Power IT Down 2011
  • Grant Thornton LLP – Dollar for Difference Campaign
  • Valley Metro and R&R Partners – Valley Metro Notes

 

Diversity Communications 

Winner: Huntington National Bank – Are You In?

 

 

Huntington Bank recognized that employing a diverse and inclusive workforce would have a positive impact on customer relationships and fulfill Huntington’s vision to be“The Bank of the Midwest.”

For the Are You In? initiative, Huntington adopted a comprehensive strategic process that included: identifying key people that could execute the initiative successfully; defining a strategy and measurable actions; developing an inclusion philosophy and conducting leadership, employee and customer interviews; building a Web site targeted at employees; and training employees with Web-based instructor-led training. An end phase drove accountability through metrics and measures, while rewarding best practices. —BM

Honorable Mentions:

Doral Bank – Women of Success/WLN: This three-part initiative helped women along from their first working experience through professional internships, grants for entrepreneurs and loans for small business start-ups. The program is linked to the Women’s Leadership Network, Doral’s social media outlet that provides valuable work information.

Duane Morris – George B. Vashon Lecture Series: Inspired by the historic George B. Vashon abolitionism courtroom victory, the law firm promotes its diversity program while asking hard questions about the issue of racial injustice.

Kaiser Permanente – Supplier Diversity $1 Billion Goal Campaign: To step up the awareness of the Kaiser campaign internally and externally, a letter from the CEO was sent to 500 top leaders at KP, and an external eCard was distributed that emphasized “there’s room for everyone at the Kaiser Permanente table.”

PepsiCo Inc. – SLA Promesa De PepsiCo: In Jan. 2011, PepsiCo kicked-off this three-year Hispanic corporate initiative that promotes Latino progress and builds community relationships by establishing partnerships with national Hispanic organizations to advance Latino leadership nationwide and improve education, health and wellness and community.

Select Health of South Carolina – Type YOU—First Choice Women in Control: To provide culturally and linguistically tailored health programs its members, the Select Health diabetes management program aimed to improve lipid screenings and dilated eye exams among female African-Americans over the age of 30, while enhancing members’ overall diabetes care.

Southwest Airlines – Second North Texas Diversity Summit: Southwest opened its doors for a conversation about diversity, helping employees with their career development by leading workshops on diversity and inclusion best practices, as well as the importance of respecting each other in the workplace.

 

 

 

 

 

Winner

Huntington National Bank – Are You In?

Honorable Mentions:

  • Doral Bank – Women of Success/WLN
  • Duane Morris – George B. Vashon Lecture Series
  • Kaiser Permanente – Supplier Diversity $1 Billion Goal Campaign
  • PepsiCo Inc. – La Promesa de PepsiCo
  • Select Health of South Carolina – Type YOU: First Choice Women in Control
  • Southwest Airlines  – Second North Texas Diversity Summit

 

Employee Relations 

Winner: Kraft Foods and the Kraft Foods Foundation – Make a Delicious Difference Every Day

 

 

As one of the world’s leading food companies, Kraft Foods has made fighting hunger and encouraging healthy lifestyles the focus of its global community involvement strategy. The multi-faceted Kraft Foods volunteer program devotes resources to programs that fight hunger and promote healthy lifestyles. Kraft employees donate more than 200,000 hours of community service annually through its cornerstone Delicious Difference Week (DDW). Kraft’s annual Delicious Difference Awards spotlight five employees around the world for their year-round commitment to volunteerism, and Kraft lets external audiences know how much it value employees’ community service via news releases and other media outreach. Placements include the AdAge GoodWorks blog and The Wall Street Journal, just to name a few. —BM

Honorable Mentions:

Flextronics and Elite PR Consultants Beijing Company Ltd. – Flextronics Employee Caring CSR Program: The company leveraged traditional and social media to publicize Flextronics’ employee-relations efforts throughout China through relationships with relevant NGOs.

Hershey Company – Hershey’s CSR Sales Advocates: The Advocates plan volunteer events for Hershey’s sales teams in their areas, coordinate donations to local organizations, help with local Hershey’s Track & Field Games, fundraise for the United Way Campaign and communicate regularly with the CSR department at company headquarters in Hershey, Pa.

Jimmy Dean and MWW Group – Jimmy Dean and Share Our Strength: Deepening Employee Engagement: Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign was a natural fit for Jimmy Dean—the PR program included pledge taking, sharing experiences and information, and taking action through volunteer activities that directly made an impact on the fight against childhood hunger.

L’Oréal I’ve Got the Power – Employee Energy Conservation Challenge: To influence and change employees’ energy conservation behavior and to reduce energy consumption overall by 20% in its 20-floor New York office, L’Oréal utilized CEO e-mails, desk drops, the company intranet and Facebook.

Molson Coors Canada – Molson Canadian Red Leaf Project: The project incorporated tree plantings, urban greening projects, shoreline cleanup efforts and a commitment to plant 100,000 trees across Canada in 2011. Nearly 100% of media coverage mentioned of the environmental initiative with Molson employees and consumers, and 64% included a call to action.

Philips North America – Philips Cares: The Philips Cares Web site allows employees to search, sign up for, suggest and participate in local community activities. In addition, the site enables Philips locations to enter, promote and track company supported community outreach activities.

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and Edelman – Using Communications to Engage Employees in CR: In order to mobilize its 35,000 partners and staff to participate in volunteer opportunities, PcW and Edelman utilized a robust internal communications system to share information and spur engagement. The initiatives inspired more than 60% of employees to participate in its 2011 volunteer program.

 

 

 

 

 

Winner

Kraft Foods and the Kraft Foods Foundation – Make a Delicious Difference Every Day

Honorable Mentions:

  • Flextronics and Elite PR Consultants Beijing Company Ltd. – Flextronics Employee Caring CSR Program
  • Hershey Company – Hershey’s CSR Sales Advocates
  • Jimmy Dean and MWW Group – Jimmy Dean and Share Our Strength: Deepening Employee Engagement
  • L'Oréal USA – I’ve Got the Power: Employee Energy Conservation Challenge
  • Molson Coors Canada – Molson Canadian Red Leaf Project
  • PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and Edelman – Using Communications to Engage Employees in CR

 

Employee Volunteer Program  

Winner: IBM Corporation and Ketchum – IBM stages largest corporate volunteer event in history, reaching communities in 120 countries

“Celebration of Service” was designed to enable IBM to engage with local communities on volunteer projects on a large scale, while expressing the company’s brand and values to the world. However, it was important for IBM to focus on hyper-local communities too. “The most effective partnerships came from working with organizations or for causes that IBMers truly felt passionate about,” said Lisa Lansperry, manager, corporate communications, IBM. On October 2010, IBM held a “Service Jam,” a massive online brainstorm featuring more than 15,000 executives, philanthropists, volunteers and students from 119 countries to share ideas on volunteerism. Partnering with local community members and NGOs, IBM provided activity kits that offered volunteering ideas; localized media “playbooks”; and more. The results speak for themselves: 300,000 of IBM’s global workforce volunteered, working on more than 5,200 projects in 120 countries, contributing 2.9 million hours of service and helping 10 million people—all of which surpassed the initiative’s stated goals. —SP

Honorable Mentions:

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee – Team Blue Fights Hunger Across Tennessee: An online voting campaign featuring stories on the company intranet about select organizations and their needs gave the employees the power to choose which organization they would like to help.

Discovery Communications – Discovery Impact: Creating Change: Discovery Impact is a 12-hour pro-bono marathon where employees take on creative, marketing and communications projects for 24 local nonprofit organizations. It is complemented by a conference that, in 2010, hosted over 100 nonprofit representatives for a day of workshops and discussions on key issues, such as using social media and attracting volunteers.

HanesBrands and O’Malley Hansen Communications – HanesBrands: Using Green for Good in Latin America: Green for Good uses proceeds from Hanes’ recycling operations to fund community projects across the company’s Latin American operations in El Salvador, Honduras and the Dominican Republic.

Molson Coors Canada – Molson Canadian Red Leaf Project: Molson Canadian distributed tree saplings to all employees on Earth Day 2011 inviting them to a Web site to learn more about its Red Leaf initiative. The campaign further incentivized volunteering by hosting a post tree-planting celebratory event where employees could drink beer and win prizes.

Philips North America – Philips Cares: Philips partnered with VolunteerMatch to create a Web site that allows employees to search, sign up for, suggest and participate in local community activities, as well as enable Philips locations to enter, promote and track company-supported community outreach activities.

 

 

 

 

 

Winner

IBM Corporation and Ketchum – IBM stages largest corporate volunteer event in history, reaching communities in 120 countries

Honorable Mentions:

  • BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee – Team Blue Fights Hunger Across Tennessee
  • Discovery Communications – Discovery Impact: Creating Change
  • HanesBrands and O’Malley Hansen Communications – HanesBrands: Using Green for Good in Latin America
  • Molson Coors Canada – Molson Canadian Red Leaf Project
  • Philips North America – Philips Cares

 

Environmental Stewardship 

Winner: Consumer Electronics Association – The eCycling Leadership Initiative and GreenerGadgets.org

 

 

To raise awareness of electronics recycling, in April, 2011 CEA launched the eCycling Leadership Initiative, an electronics industry-wide effort aiming to recycle 1 billion pounds of electronics annually by 2016. Program execution included a launch press event at the Magnolia Theater of a Washington, D.C. Best Buy store—featuring a 387-pound see-through Plexiglas box, which is the amount of e-waste Best Buy collects every minute at its stores nationwide—a press release and media outreach. A Web site, www.GreenerGadgets.org, welcomed nearly 15,000 unique visitors and almost 36,000 page views in one month after launch. —SVC

Honorable Mentions:

American Airlines and Weber Shandwick – American Airlines Reduces Its Carbon Footprint: A mobile Fuel Smart education booth for events helped exceed program goals in 2011, including 13,000 hits on the Fuel Smart Web site.

Bayer AG – “Dream Production” CO2 Reduction Communication Campaign: Bayer promoted its new industrial manufacturing demonstration plant that switched from using chlorine to a greener technology that will result in better energy consumption and reduced CO2 emissions.

Enermodal Engineering, a member of MMM Group Limited – A Grander View: Communicating Canada’s Most Energy-Efficient Office: To trumpet its new office building, which uses 82% less energy and 89% less water than a conventional structure, Enermodal created a 70-page magazine to distribute to employees, building tour guests, clients and the media.

USANA Health Sciences – USANA Green Initiatives: Employee“lunch and learns”on green initiatives plus online apps to reduce paper usage helped USANA save 3 million tons of paper in 2011.

VHA Inc. and Chandler Chicco Agency – VHA Sustainability Program: Targeting employees, hospital members and suppliers, the health care cooperative launched its first Excellence Awards for sustainability leadership, and updated its sustainability Web site, where members share ideas, challenges and expertise.

 

 

 

 

 

Winner

Consumer Electronics Association – The eCycling Leadership Initiative and GreenerGadgets.org

Honorable Mentions:

  • American Airlines and Weber Shandwick – American Airlines Reduces Its Carbon Footprint
  • Bayer AG – “Dream Production” CO2 Reduction Communication Campaign
  • Enermodal Engineering, a member of MMM Group Limited – A Grander View: Communicating Canada’s Most Energy-Efficient Office
  • USANA Health Sciences – USANA Green Initiatives
  • VHA Inc. and Chandler Chicco Agency – VHA Sustainability Program

 

Event: CSR/Green Focus 

Winner: Carlson Wagonlit Travel – Impact the Gridiron

 

 

In 2011, Carlson Wagonlit Travel wanted to leverage its presence at the Global Business Travel Association International Convention and Exposition to generate meaningful stakeholder interactions. The organization used the opportunity to showcase its sponsorship of a Habitat for Humanity home in Denver, the host city of the convention.

Carlon Wagonlit Travel engaged the local community to get involved in the campaign. Denver-based employees were invited to participate in construction of the house and the dedication ceremony, while hometown airline carrier, United Airlines, signed on as a sponsor.

Part of the Habitat home was on display at an event hosted at Denver’s Invesco Field, home of the Denver Broncos. The Habitat homeowner and her children were the guest of honor. Guests were allowed to sign the home’s rafters, play punt and pass with Broncos alumni and enjoy tailgate food. —RD

Honorable Mentions:

Brita and Edelman – Brita FilterForGood Music Project Helps Dave Matthews Band Caravan Reduce Bottled Water Waste: In 2011, Brita launched the Brita FilterForGood Music Project to connect fans with artists to inspire them to reduced bottled water waste. The Dave Matthews Band was selected as he first strategic music partner for the project to kick off a series of three-day festivals across the country. The project provided reusable Nalgene bottles and Brita Hydration stations that dispensed free Brita filtered water to concert-goers, saving 310,000 disposable water bottles from entering landfills.

Coca-Cola Enterprises – Virtual Sustainability Panel: Collaboration Through the Value Chain Creating a Low Carbon Future: To introduce its new sustainability plan, “Deliver for Today, Inspire for Tomorrow,” CCE hosted a live panel discussion bringing together customers, suppliers and sustainability experts. The company works across its value chain in an effort to grow a low carbon waste business and reduce its carbon footprint by a third by 2020. The panel attracted 100 customers, suppliers and stakeholders.

PHILIPS AVENT and Elite PR Group – PHILIPS AVENT Breastfeeding Campaign: As one of the leading producers of breast pumps and nursing supplies for mother in Taiwan, AVENT launched a multi- tiered campaign to help educate mothers and their families about the importance of breast feeding for one year after birth. Launched during World Breastfeeding Week, they developed partnerships with Taiwan’s largest parenting Web site, Babyhome, held a “breastfeeding for fathers” press conference and created two breastfeeding seminars for working mothers of infants.

 

 

 

 

 

Winner

Carlson Wagonlit Travel – Impact on the Gridiron

Honorable Mentions:

  • Brita and Edelman – Brita FilterForGood Music Project Helps Dave Matthews Band Caravan Reduce Bottled Water Waste 
  • Coca-Cola Enterprises – Virtual Sustainability Panel: Collaboration Through the Value Chain – Creating a Low Carbon Future  
  • PHILIPS AVENT and Elite PR Group – PHILIPS AVENT Breastfeeding Campaign

 

Facebook Communications Campaign 

Winner: Cartoon Network – Stop Bullying: Speak Up

 

 

Cartoon Network spent the summer of 2011 recruiting fellow Time Warner divisions, including CNN and Time, Inc., to a unified initiative that would inspire people to stand up against bullying. In September of 2011, it landed another big fish to the cause—Facebook. The joint venture resulted in an interactive Facebook app that enabled people to make and share a pledge against bullying. The campaign tapped CNN’s Anderson Cooper as the app’s spokesman, who made the pledge and got the word out. The campaign received statements of support from numerous policy makers and advocacy groups, including U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and GLAAD. —SP

Fast Fact: In one month, more than 92,000 people signed the anti-bullying pledge and over 900,000 “liked” the Facebook page.

Honorable Mentions:

American Airlines and Weber Shandwick – American Airlines Invites Customers to “Fly for the Cure,” Launches Virtual Pinkboard to Honor National Breast Cancer Awareness Month: An interactive map encouraged flyers to“pin”a pink ribbon in honor of the person they were flying for during Oct. 2011. Campaign tactics to promote the board included “pink outs” at airports.

Astellas Pharma US, Inc. and Hill+Knowlton Strategies – Science WoRx: Make My LabWoRx 2011 Contest: K-12 science teachers were encouraged to shoot a short video demonstrating a scientific concept. The winning entry would be determined by most “likes.” The campaign resulted in a 66% increase in “likes” to ScienceWoRx’s Facebook page.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida – The Pursuit, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida: A Facebook voting app was launched that allowed users to determine which select charities BCBSF would donate to at the end of that particular month. BCBSF issued custom press releases for winners, accompanied by links to their respective sites.

 

 

 

 

 

Winner

Cartoon Network – Stop Bullying: Speak Up

Honorable Mentions:

  • American Airlines and Weber Shandwick – American Airlines Invites Customers to "Fly for the Cure," Launches Virtual Pinkboard to Honor National Breast Cancer Awareness Month 
  • Astellas Pharma US, Inc. and Hill+Knowlton Strategies – Science WoRx: Make My LabWoRx 2011 Contest
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida – The Pursuit, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida

 

Green PR Campaign 

Winner: Timberland and Cone Communications – Timberland’s 2011 Arbor Day Campaign

 

 

The issue of deforestation is important to Timberland—the footwear company’s logo is a tree, after all. In recent years, Timberland has tapped the interactive power of social media to engage consumers via a Facebook app that lets users plant virtual trees to trigger the planting of actual trees by the company. In 2011, Timberland tapped Cone Communications for a campaign that took advantage of a holiday that is relevant to the importance of trees: Arbor Day. The campaign produced “Person on the Street”-style videos that humorously poked fun at people’s lack of knowledge about the holiday and other tree facts. A quiz that enabled consumers to discover their tree personality also directed them to the Virtual Forest app. To inspire consumers even more, Timberland adjusted its ratio and agreed to plant one real tree for every virtual tree. Aside from grabbing 91 million media impressions, 6,430 virtual (and real) trees were planted the week of Arbor Day, and over 19,000 total in April 2011. —SP

Honorable Mentions:

Avon Products Inc. and Fenton – Green Buildings Campaign – Hello Green Tomorrow: On Sept. 13 and 14, Avon hosted several media members to preview its new green-certified U.S. headquarters, which also gave the company the opportunity to provide a recap of its successes in building green- certified facilities across the world.

Hershey Company – Hershey’s Chocolate World Attraction Solar Panel: Hershey’s flagship retail store and corporate visitors’ center feature 1,092 solar panels that eliminate hundreds of metric tons of greenhouse gasses each year. Green Kiosks, which dispense information on Hershey’s green initiatives, have received more than 21,000 visitors.

PepsiCo and Ruder Finn – Dream Machine Recycling Initiative Supports Dreams for Local Communities and Disabled U.S. Veterans: Dream Machine kiosks allow consumers to earn points for recycling beverage containers and then redeem the points for prizes. The initiative also offers an emotional reward—PepsiCo provides support to Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities. The multi-year campaign generated more than 3.33 billion media impressions from Nov. 2010 to Nov. 2011.

 

 

 

 

 

Winner

Timberland and Cone Communications – Timberland's 2011 Arbor Day Campaign

Honorable Mentions:

  • Avon Products Inc. and Fenton  – Green Buildings Campaign - Hello Green Tomorrow 
  • Hershey Company – Hershey's Chocolate World Attraction Solar Panel Project
  • PepsiCo and Ruder Finn – Dream Machine Recycling Initiative Supports Dreams for Local Communities and Disabled U.S. Veterans

 

Human Rights Communications/Social Justice Communications 

Winner: The Body Shop – Stop Sex Trafficking of Children and Young People Global Petition

 

 

How do you inspire millions of people to band together around a singular cause and affect true, tangible change? For The Body Shop, it came through a commitment to a simple, but focused call-to-action—a petition designed to end the sex trafficking of children and young people. “We learned that a commitment to simple, human communications that strike a balance between hearts and minds will compel an audience to take action,” said Shelley Simmons, director, brand communications and values, The Body Shop Americas. While the communication was simple, everything else about The Body Shop’s campaign was larger than life. The company rolled out the petition both online and in stores, with calls to take action that spanned 50 countries. The campaign secured the support of celebrities such as Rob Lowe, Robert Pattinson and Uma Thurman, each of whom signed the petition and provided signature handprints—for a human touch. And what a powerful statement that was: Seven million signatures directly led to 14 countries across the world committing to adopt new legislation that would combat and stop the sex trafficking of youths. —SP

Honorable Mention:

ManpowerGroup – ManpowerGroup Campaign Against Human Trafficking: ManpowerGroup led the media campaign for Row for Freedom, an initiative from Sport Against Trafficking, in which six ordinary women rowed 3,000 miles across the Atlantic—a route previously used by the Atlantic slave trade—to raise money for charities that support victims of human trafficking. It was just one of the many ways through which ManpowerGroup took a leadership position in driving change to eradicate human trafficking.

 

 

 

 

 

Winner

The Body Shop – Stop Sex Trafficking of Children and Young People Global Petition

Honorable Mentions:

  • ManpowerGroup – ManpowerGroup Campaign Against Human Trafficking  

 

Media Relations 

Winner: NASCAR Foundation and Aspire Communications & Marketing Inc. – NASCAR Unites

 

 

In 2011, NASCAR Unites launched with a goal of uniting the NASCAR industry to help children lead happier, healthier lives. NASCAR Day Car Wash for Kids was one effort to unite the industry in an effort to raise $1 million and generate one million volunteer hours for children.

NASCAR Unites focuses on uniting the NASCAR industry to help children lead happier, healthier lives. Launched on April 29, 2011, at Richmond International Speedway, the campaign featured two events, the “NASCAR Day Car Wash for Kids” and the “Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award. ”The messaging around both events generated more than 500 million total media impressions and $3 million in publicity value. How was this success achieved? “By having creative one-on-one conversations with media to identify the right niche for this story,” says Crystal Emerick, president, ASPIRE Communications.

The launch strategy also included hand-delivered customized boxes featuring NASCAR Unites wristbands and press materials to the media, as well as providing them with one-on-one interviews with key spokespersons such as NASCAR champion Rusty Wallace. —SP

Fast Fact: On launch day, over 500 NASCAR Unites wristbands were worn by fans, drivers, owners and crew members.

Honorable Mentions:

IBM Corporation and Ketchum – IBM stages largest corporate volunteer event in history, reaching communities in 120 countries: IBM’s “Celebration of Service”event had IBM employees engage with communities on volunteer projects that were important to them. Close to 60% of media coverage referenced IBM’s commitment to service.

Intel Corporation and North of Nine Communications – The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair: Improving Intel’s Reputation With a Commitment to Education: The campaign identified notable trends among the science fair finalists in order to customize media pitches that made connections to current events and discussions. The campaign increased top-tier coverage by 21% over 2010, with 100% being neutral-to-positive in tone.

Kangaroo Express and Largemouth Communications – Salute our Troops: The campaign, which included a USO Jeep tour featuring a fully restored Willys CJ-3 Jeep that became a fundraising icon, visited 75+ communities and 300+ stores, while earning 158.3 million media impressions and an average of three news stories per day.

Türk Telekom and Ogilvy Capitol PR – Carbon Neutral Event: To raise its profile as a sustainability-focused company, Türk Telekom organized a media event that featured minimal carbon emissions—a press conference on a sailboat, transportation to lunch via battery-powered vehicles and items made of recyclable materials.

Virginia Beach CVB and BCF – Virginia Beach CVB “One beach, One World” FAM Tour: Four journalists representing key meetings-based trade publications were among those invited on “familiarization tours” (FAMs) that showcased the city’s CSR-related offerings, such as the Virginia Beach Convention Center, which was the country’s first to achieve LEED Gold Certification for Existing Buildings.

 

 

 

 

 

Winner

NASCAR Foundation and Aspire Communications & Marketing Inc. – NASCAR Unites

Honorable Mention:

  • IBM Corporation and Ketchum – IBM stages largest corporate volunteer event in history, reaching communities in 120 countries 
  • Intel Corporation and North of Nine Communications – The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair: Improving Intel’s Reputation With a Commitment to Education
  • Kangaroo Express and Largemouth Communications – Salute our Troops
  • Türk Telekom and Ogilvy Capitol PR – Carbon Neutral Event
  • Virginia Beach CVB and BCF – Virginia Beach CVB “One Beach, One World” FAM Tour

 

Nonprofit/Corporate Partnership 

Winner: American Express, National Trust for Historic Preservation and LaBreche – Partners in Preservation – Twin Cities

 

 

A philanthropic program that engaged 25 historic sites to compete in funding through a Facebook-based American Idol-style voting contest among the public, Partners in Preservation sought to increase awareness around the importance of historic sites in the Twin Cities and connect with a new generation of supporters. Picking 25 sites to participate, LaBreche empowered them with resources to help reach their own constituencies. A strong social media presence was developed to share information and help push the message. The effort secured more than 900 media placements, and quadruple the number of broadcast hits than in 2010. Within a month of being in the program, all 25 sites had established Facebook pages—winning friends and supporters. —SVC

Honorable Mentions:

Abbott and Partners in Health and Edelman – Building Sustainable Capacity in Haiti: A Partnership for Nourimanba: The Abbott Fund launched a unique partnership with Partners in Health (PIH) to find solutions to the severe malnutrition in Haiti, creating a new model for sustainability via work on a peanut-based, ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), called Nourimanba.

Hasbro and the Points of Light Institute – Launching generationOn, a Global Youth Service Movement: PSA’s, technical support and Web development helped launch generationOn, which is stocked with 1,600 pieces of curriculum and hosts the sharing of ideas and calls for action.

Kraft Foods, the Kraft Foods Foundation and Feeding America – Mobile Pantries: Leveraging 11 iconic Kraft brands, the Foundation unveiled 10 new mobile fleet trucks at events across the country in concert with customers and local grocery stores, while Kraft employees pitched in at each site. The pantries have delivered 33 million pounds of food with Feeding America.

National Football League and the American Cancer Society – NFL’s “A Crucial Catch” Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign: NFL players Larry Fitzgerald and DeAngelo Williams anchored the message of early breast cancer detection and screening, resulting in national media coverage and more than $1.1 million raised for the American Cancer Society.

Pacific Gas & Electric, Habitat for Humanity and Fleishman-Hillard San Francisco – Solar Habitat: The energy company helped Habitat for Humanity embrace sustainable building practices, resulting in a program that lowers the electricity bill of a household by $500.

SAP and PlaNET Finance—Creating Opportunity for Farmers in Ghana: SAP’sWeb-based order-management app helps women who harvest shea nuts in Ghana raise their incomes, while generating coverage from The Economist, die Zeit, eWeek and more.

Toys “R” Us Inc. – Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation “Fight Childhood Cancer, One Cup at a Time” Fundraising Campaign: The toy retailer transformed its Times Square store into a lemonade stand to kick off a nationwide in-store effort supported by a Facebook page. This resulted in more than $1.5 million raised in 2011 to fight cancer.

 

 

 

 

 

Winner

American Express, National Trust for Historic Preservation and LaBreche – Partners in Preservation - Twin Cities

Honorable Mentions:

  • Abbott and Partners in Health and Edelman – Building Sustainable Capacity in Haiti: A Partnership for Nourimanba
  • Hasbro and the Points of Light Institute – Launching generationOn, a Global Youth Service Movement 
  • Kraft Foods, the Kraft Foods Foundation and Feeding America – Mobile Pantries
  • National Football League and the American Cancer Society – NFL’s “A Crucial Catch” Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign
  • Pacific Gas & Electric, Habitat for Humanity and Fleishman-Hillard San Francisco – Solar Habitat
  • SAP and PlaNET Finance – Creating Opportunity for Farmers in Ghana
  • Toys "R" Us Inc. – Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation “Fight Childhood Cancer, One Cup at a Time” Fundraising Campaign

 

Philanthropy Communications

 

Winner

The Allstate Foundation and Fleishman-Hillard – Purple Purse: It's Time To Talk About Domestic Violence

Honorable Mentions:

  • American Express, National Trust for Historic Preservation and LaBreche – Partners in Preservation - Twin Cities
  • Hyundai Motor America and Finn Partners – Hope, Healing and Hydrogen
  • Monsanto Company – St. Louis Grown
  • Timken Company - “I Am Where You Turn” Campaign nearly triples UW participation

 

Product Design/Redesign 

 
Winner

OSRAM SYLVANIA and Weber Shandwick – Staying in the Spotlight of a Changing Industry 

Honorable Mentions:

  • Domtar – The Domtar Paper Trail

 

Recycling 

Co-Winner: HanesBrands and O’Malley Hansen Communications – Using Green for Good in Latin America

 

 

HanesBrands has a significant manufacturing presence in El Salvador, Honduras and the Dominican Republic and focuses CSR efforts there in two key areas: environmental responsibility and social responsibility. Hanes recycles more than 70% of its waste throughout its worldwide manufacturing operations, including Latin America, by recycling scrap fabric, wood, metals, plastics and cardboard. Green for Good earmarks funds for community improvement projects identified by Hanes employees. Projects included remodeling nine schools, rehabilitating two hospitals and one ambulance, coordinating three massive beach cleanups and more. Each was supported by Green for Good media events—from ribbon cuttings to graduation ceremonies—and multimedia assets such as photos and videos, a social media news release and a press releases in the U.S. to make the international CSR community aware of the activities. —BM

Co-Winner: Co-Winner: Southwest Airlines – Co-Mingled Recycling Program

Southwest Airlines’ recycling program was created in 2009 to more efficiently minimize waste that would otherwise be disposed of in landfills. What makes this program unique among U.S. airlines is that Southwest established a nationwide program with a single contractor to recycle waste collected onboard its entire fleet of aircraft using collection facilities in its provisioning locations. The program officially launched onboard recycling on the entire fleet of 548 aircraft, but with the assistance of Republic Services, it has grown to include Southwest’s headquarters in Dallas; six customer service and support centers; 22 aircraft provisioning facilities; and all four aircraft maintenance bases in Dallas, Houston, Phoenix and Chicago. “For Southwest, citizenship is an extension of our mission and our history to do the right thing for our people, our communities and our planet while maintaining a strong business model,” says Southwest spokesperson Laurel Moffat. —BM

Honorable Mentions:

Coca-Cola Enterprises – Reducing Waste and Changing Consumer Behavior at Summer Events: To motivate and incentivize recycling, CCE encouraged event-goers in Britain and France to change their behavior by showcasing the recycling process. These initiatives include “Swap for Swag,” a CCE swap shop that exchanges used bottles for PET-made festival essentials, and “The Recycling Garden,” a clean, relaxing garden space with on-site recycling, where PET is crushed into bales to create usable furniture. One sofa at a time, festival-goers watched the garden grow throughout the event.

Consumer Electronics Association – The eCycling Leadership Initiative and GreenerGadgets.org: In an effort to raise awareness of electronics recycling and increase the amount electronics eCycled, on April 13, 2011, CEA launched the eCycling Leadership Initiative, an electronics industry-wide effort aiming to recycle one billion pounds of electronics annually by 2016. The program established collaboration among key players in the eCycling space to come to an agreement on objectives and secure media coverage by environmental and technology reporters.

 

 

 

 

 

Winner

• HanesBrands and O’Malley Hansen Communications – HanesBrands: Using Green for Good in Latin America
• Southwest Airlines – Co-Mingled Recycling Program

Honorable Mentions:

  • Coca-Cola Enterprises – Reducing Waste and Changing Consumer Behavior at Summer Events
  • Consumer Electronics Association – The eCycling Leadership Initiative and GreenerGadgets.org

 

Social Good 

Winner: Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company – Supporting Firefighters for Safer Communities

 

 

Since 2004, Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company has awarded millions of dollars in grants each year to fire departments for life-saving equipment, firefighter training and community education materials through its Heritage Program. Looking to expand the reach of the program and further align it with business goals, Fireman’s Fund offered a PR/marketing plan for each independent agency awarding a grant and listed key media outlets important to them (such as trade journals and homeowner associations). Follow-up surveys with agencies have been positive. Fireman’s Fund has heard numerous stories of agencies winning new business thanks to the Heritage Program outreach. —SVC

Honorable Mentions:

Astro Malaysia Holdings Sdn Bhd (Astro) – Astro Hostel: The educational broadcast company built hostels for rural students while its employees provided school supplies and curriculum help.

Recyclebank and The Bateman Group – Gamification Goes Green—Recyclebank’s Green Your Home Challenge Sparks Eco-Friendly Actions: A nationwide digital contest awarded points to the most green households. The effort became a model for “gaming for good” efforts.

SAP – Creating Opportunities for Farmers in Ghana: Local partnerships and business software supplied by SAP helped women farmers who harvest shea nuts increase their incomes by up to 82%—media coverage on the project was high.

Telemundo Media – El Poder de Saber (The Power of Knowing): In promoting the educational advancement of young Latinos, the initiative included a series of PSAs featuring Telemundo’s TV stars, which gained more than 13 million views between Nov. 2010 and Nov. 2011.

TTNET – Saplings and children growing together at primary schools for a better environment: The telecommunications provider worked with Turkey’s school kids to fight the problem of erosion by planting cedar tree saplings.

Urban Zen Foundation and Euro RSCG Worldwide PR – Hope, Help and Rebuild Haiti: Donna Karan’s Urban Zen hosted a special charity event featuring two presidents, renowned doctors and movie stars galore—the proceed benefiting Mirebalais Hospital in Haiti. The soiree produced major media coverage worldwide.

 

 

 

 

 

Winner

Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company – Supporting Firefighters for Safer Communities

Honorable Mention:

  • Astro Malaysia Holdings Sdn Bhd (Astro) – Astro Hostel
  • Recyclebank and The Bateman Group – Gamification Goes Green: Recyclebank's Green Your Home Challenge Sparks Eco-friendly Actions
  • SAP – Creating Opportunities for Farmers in Ghana
  • Telemundo Media – El Poder de Saber (The Power of Knowing) 
  • TTNET – Saplings and children growing together at primary schools for a better environment 
  • Urban Zen Foundation and Euro RSCG Worldwide PR – Hope, Help and Rebuild Haiti 

 

Social Media Campaign 

Winner: Timberland and Cone Communications – Timberland’s 2011 Arbor Day Campaign

 

 

With its logo a tree, what better way for eco-conscious Timberland to address environmental issues than through Arbor Day. In 2011, the company and PR agency Cone looked to strengthen its legacy of engaging consumers to plant trees—something it’s done since 2009. Research of competitors showed few Arbor Day brand tie-ins, and the holiday had been mostly forgotten by consumers. This gave Cone and Timberland the opportunity to capitalize on Arbor Day. “We used humor, quirky stats and social media elements to get consumers interested in helping support the brand’s reforestation commitments,” says Marc Berliner, VP of brand marketing at Cone.

Cone created a “Person on the Street” video that asked consumers about their knowledge of Arbor Day, favorite tree memories and other quirky tree-related questions. An online personality quiz called “Hortiscope” helped consumers identify their tree personalities and share the results via Facebook. Twitter posts supported the effort throughout the week of Arbor Day. —SVC

Honorable Mentions:

Entergy Corporation—Entergy’s Second Harvest Social Media Campaign: A series of concerts with local and national musical acts drove donations to Second Harvest, resulting in $25,000 that provided nearly 100,000 meals for people in need.

Jimmy Dean and MWW Group—Jimmy Dean Launches Initiative at BlogHer ‘11: A Jimmy Dean booth at a female influencer event lured attendees to take a pledge to fight hunger. More than 1,100 pledges raised $30,000 toward Jimmy Dean’s $150,000 commitment to the No Kid Hungry campaign.

Toys “R” Us Inc.—“Be a Hero for Autism” Fundraising Campaign to Benefit Autism Speaks: A dedicated microsite that featured images of kids with autism dressed as superheroes helped power an in-store fundraising campaign that took in more than $3 million for autism research and awareness in the U.S. and Canada.

 

 

 

 

 

Winner

Timberland and Cone Communications – Timberland’s 2011 Arbor Day Campaign

Honorable Mention:

  • Entergy Corporation – Entergy’s Second Harvest Social Media Campaign
  • Jimmy Dean and MWW Group – Jimmy Dean Launches Initiative at BlogHer ’11
  • Toys “R” Us Inc. – "Be a Hero for Autism" Fundraising Campaign to Benefit Autism Speaks 

 

Stakeholder Engagement 

Winner: SAP – Sustainability at SAP

 

 

SAP’s multimedia sustainability report, a cornerstone of its CSR program, is designed to motivate, record progress and engage a year-round, interactive conversation with stakeholders. For 2011, SAP introduced several new features to extend and maximize the dialogue, including making the report accessible via all smartphones, tablets and a variety of social and mobile channels. The report presents data, trends and detailed insights on 11 core metrics that fall into three main areas of impact: environmental, social and economic. In videos, SAP’s co-CEOs talk about the role of sustainability at SAP, its impact on customers and the overall importance of sustainability for businesses worldwide. In the SAP performance overview readers can use interactive dashboards to explore key performance indicators. The report also includes an updated edition of the SAP Sustainability Map, which displays the full landscape of a customer’s business processes and IT activities related to sustainability. SAP also gave users the ability to comment on each page of the report, and created an entire section to help people get involved by offering resources and interactive “sand pits” to discuss ideas. —BM

Honorable Mentions:

Allstate Insurance Company – 2010 Allstate Social Responsibility Report: Allstate’s 2010 report incorporates key sustainability initiatives designed to deliver long-term value to the company and society, and measurable annual results.

Best Buy and Edelman – Best Buy Releases 2011 Sustainability Report: In lieu of a typical publication, the Edelman team created an interactive microsite to appeal to consumers, who are not everyday readers of CSR reports. To accompany the site’s launch, the team hosted live Twitter interviews with Best Buy leaders, moderated by Forbes contributor Aman Singh.

CA Technologies – What Moves Us—CA Technologies Sustainability Report: Melding the principles of the United Nations (UN) Global Compact in combination with Global Reporting Initiative guidelines, CA Technologies collected more data in more areas using its ecoSoftware solution than ever before.

Dell Inc. – 2011 Dell Corporate Responsibility Report: With its “Thoughtful inquiry” theme, the report communicated the intersection of brand platforms and corporate responsibility, drawn from Michael Dell’s letter at the front of the publication.

FedEx Corporation and Unboundary – FedEx Global Citizenship Report: Delivering a Better World: FedEx’s report includes information about its team members’ efforts in pioneering new technologies that make FedEx systems, vehicles and routes more efficient.

H.J. Heinz Company – Heinz 2011 CSR Report: Heinz’ online report details key initiatives such its Global Agriculture Program and its proprietary HeinzSeed program, which supplies approximately six billion all-natural hybrid tomato seeds each year to growers in more than 30 countries.

 

 

 

 

 

Winner

• Silver Spring Networks, Finn Partners and Blue Practice – Silver Spring Networks' "Connect. Transform": Evangelizing Consumer Benefits of the Smart Grid 
• The Taco Bell Foundation for Teens and Burson-Marsteller – Igniting Stakeholder Participation for the Cause”

Honorable Mentions:

  • Coca-Cola Enterprises – Coca-Cola Enterprises Sustainability Plan
  • Domtar – Ashdown Community Advisory Team
  • Vodafone Turkey – Dreams Academy
  • WorkSafeBC – Raise Your Hand for Young Worker Safety

 

Sustainability/CSR Report 

Winner: SAP – Sustainability at SAP

 

 

SAP’s multimedia sustainability report, a cornerstone of its CSR program, is designed to motivate, record progress and engage a year-round, interactive conversation with stakeholders. For 2011, SAP introduced several new features to extend and maximize the dialogue, including making the report accessible via all smartphones, tablets and a variety of social and mobile channels. The report presents data, trends and detailed insights on 11 core metrics that fall into three main areas of impact: environmental, social and economic. In videos, SAP’s co-CEOs talk about the role of sustainability at SAP, its impact on customers and the overall importance of sustainability for businesses worldwide. In the SAP performance overview readers can use interactive dashboards to explore key performance indicators. The report also includes an updated edition of the SAP Sustainability Map, which displays the full landscape of a customer’s business processes and IT activities related to sustainability. SAP also gave users the ability to comment on each page of the report, and created an entire section to help people get involved by offering resources and interactive “sand pits” to discuss ideas. —BM

Honorable Mentions:

Allstate Insurance Company – 2010 Allstate Social Responsibility Report: Allstate’s 2010 report incorporates key sustainability initiatives designed to deliver long-term value to the company and society, and measurable annual results.

Best Buy and Edelman – Best Buy Releases 2011 Sustainability Report: In lieu of a typical publication, the Edelman team created an interactive microsite to appeal to consumers, who are not everyday readers of CSR reports. To accompany the site’s launch, the team hosted live Twitter interviews with Best Buy leaders, moderated by Forbes contributor Aman Singh.

CA Technologies – What Moves Us—CA Technologies Sustainability Report: Melding the principles of the United Nations (UN) Global Compact in combination with Global Reporting Initiative guidelines, CA Technologies collected more data in more areas using its ecoSoftware solution than ever before.

Dell Inc. – 2011 Dell Corporate Responsibility Report: With its “Thoughtful inquiry” theme, the report communicated the intersection of brand platforms and corporate responsibility, drawn from Michael Dell’s letter at the front of the publication.

FedEx Corporation and Unboundary – FedEx Global Citizenship Report: Delivering a Better World: FedEx’s report includes information about its team members’ efforts in pioneering new technologies that make FedEx systems, vehicles and routes more efficient.

H.J. Heinz Company – Heinz 2011 CSR Report: Heinz’ online report details key initiatives such its Global Agriculture Program and its proprietary HeinzSeed program, which supplies approximately six billion all-natural hybrid tomato seeds each year to growers in more than 30 countries.

 

 

 

 

 

Winner

SAP – Sustainability at SAP

Honorable Mentions:

  • Allstate Insurance Company – 2010 Allstate Social Responsibility Report
  • Best Buy and Edelman – Best Buy Releases 2011 Sustainability Report: "Our World, Connected"
  • CA Technologies – What Moves Us - CA Technologies Sustainability Report 
  • Dell Inc. – 2011 Dell Corporate Responsibility Report 
  • FedEx Corporation and Unboundary – FedEx Global Citizenship Report: Delivering a Better World 
  • H.J. Heinz Company – Heinz 2011 CSR Report

 

Twitter Communications 

Winner: Best Buy and Edelman – Best Buy Sustainability Report Goes Interactive

 

 

In 2011, Best Buy wanted to rethink the sustainability report experience. With the help of Edelman, they created an interactive experience to better connect with employees and customers. Thus, Best Buy’s 2011 Sustainability Report represented the first report of its kind to be launched through social media.

To create an interactive dialogue with stakeholders, Edelman identified key sustainability influencers on Twitter and other social media platforms. They partnered with former Wall Street Journal reporter Aman Singh to moderate an online webinar, which would serve as the launching pad for the report. Participants were encouraged to submit questions via Twitter using the hashtag #bbycsrchat. The communications team monitored the conversation, engaging participants in real time to encourage feedback and questions to further the dialogue.

The results: Best Buy attracted almost 6,000 new @BBYNews followers, generating more than 2.5 million Twitter impressions. In the first two weeks the online sustainability section of the Best Buy Web site received 6,400 page views. —RD

Fast Fact: Visitors to Best Buy’s online sustainability report spent an average of 3 minutes and 35 seconds on the site.

Honorable Mention:

AltruHelp – AltruHelp CSR Twitter Communication Strategy: In 2011, AltruHelp developed a Twitter strategy with the goal of engaging with the CSR community and becoming a thought leader in the space. In just four months, AltruHelp increased its Twitter reach from 18,000 in August to 90,000 in November.

 

 

 

 

 

Winner

Best Buy and Edelman – Best Buy Sustainability Report Goes Interactive

Honorable Mentions:

  • AltruHelp – AltruHelp CSR Twitter Communications Strategy

 

Video Initiatives 

Winner: Miami-Dade Expressway Authority and Glodow Nead Communications – Text the Last Word

 

 

Text The Last Word is an emotionally charged online short film (pictured) that serves as the focal point of the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority’s (MDX) campaign aimed at increasing awareness of the dangers of distracted driving. In the state of Florida no law is in place regarding the use of phones while driving. MDX’s greater goal is to change that, but in absence of a law, MDX set out to attack the problem head on—to speak to drivers and get them to understand the dangers, change their attitudes and adjust their behavior. The site Textthelastword.com hosts the short film and provides visitors with the opportunity to take a pledge to refrain from texting while driving. —BM

Honorable Mentions:

Meals on Wheels – We Are Meals On Wheels: Animated Video Launches National Campaign to End Senior Hunger: Weber Shandwick created a visually compelling video that tells the story of the Meals On Wheels network in a new way.

Pizza Hut Zeno Group Inc. – Pizza Hut and BOOK IT! America’s Biggest Bedtime Story Catches Bieber Fever: The ABBS online webcast read-along featured Bieber reading Dr. Seuss’ classic, Cat in the Hat, reaching more than 500,000 viewers and coverage in USA Today and Star Magazine.

Sears and Euro RSCG Worldwide PR – Heroes at Home: A Hero’s Song: The Heroes at Home program showcased Sears’ commitment to military families, conveying through national media coverage that the company does more than any other retailer to give back to America’s heroes.

Sensiblu Foundation and GMP PR – Fight Against Domestic Violence: Romanian pharmacy chain Sensiblue produced a hard-hitting video about the day in the life of a domestic abuse victim, with 1,500 people sharing and commenting on the film on Facebook.

 

 

 

 

 

Winner

Miami-Dade Expressway Authority and Glodow Nead Communications – Text the Last Word

Honorable Mentions:

  • Meals On Wheels Association of America – We Are Meals on Wheels: Animated Video Launches National Campaign to End Senior Hunger
  • Pizza Hut and Zeno Group Inc.  – Pizza Hut and BOOK IT! America's Biggest Bedtime Story Catches Bieber Fever
  • Sears and Euro RSCG Worldwide PR – Sears Heroes at Home: A Hero’s Song
  • Sensiblu Foundation and GMP PR – Fight Against Domestic Violence

 

Volunteer Program 

Co-Winner: ESPN Inc. – RISE UP - Give Back!

 

 

ESPN wanted to build a unique program that goes beyond a classic “reveal” effort for its new original series RISE UP, which told the story of four communities coming together to renovate their local high school’s athletic facilities: Wellston, Ohio; Chicago, Boston and Seattle. Team ESPN—in conjunction with corporate partners—activated volunteers in each market, including high school athletes, school administrators and coaches to renovate three local play spaces per city. ESPN utilized relationships with ESPN talent, local professional athletes and outside celebrities to raise media interest. In addition, special round table discussions for the athletes and coaches were created to reinforce citizenship messaging and athlete safety and preparedness. —BM

Fast Fact: Over 6 million viewers were reached through the project, and in the four different locations, over 1,000 children were the benefactors of improved play spaces.

Co-Winner: WellPoint Inc. – Community Service Day

To provide healthy food to a wide range of organizations and individuals, WellPoint organized volunteer efforts on April 30 to help provide a meaningful and positive impact in communities across the country. Nearly 4,000 WellPoint volunteers—a 28% increase since 2008—planted 150 trees and 55 gardens, beautified more than 47 acres of green space, painted 15 classrooms and 13 murals, sorted more than 54,200 pounds of food and prepared 23,000 pounds of medical supplies for distribution overseas. —BM

Honorable Mentions:

Crystal Cruises – You Care, We Care Volunteerism Program: To help the port communities it visits around the world, Crystal’s employees participated in a range of volunteer initiatives. Onboard daily papers featured clips about the project, and photos were posted on Facebook.

Mars Inc. – Mars Ambassador Program: The employee volunteer initiative gives up to 100 Mars associates each year the opportunity to spend up to six weeks of fully-paid leave while participating in projects with NGO partners across the markets where Mars operates.

University of Phoenix – “Road to the Gulf”: A Program of the HandsOn Network: The school’s CSR team traveled to enlist volunteers from University of Phoenix campuses and individuals and companies in seven cities to refurbish schools and parks, pack school supply kits, assemble ecology kits and more.

 

 

 

 

 

Winner

• WellPoint Inc. – Community Service Day
• ESPN Inc. – RISE UP - Give Back!

Honorable Mention:

  • Crystal Cruises – You Care, We Care Voluntourism Program
  • Mars Inc. – Mars Ambassador Program
  • University of Phoenix – “Road to the Gulf”: A Program of the HandsOn Network

 

Workplace Innovation 

Co-Winner: The Hershey Company – Hershey Honors Authentic Business Management Program

 

 

The 35-week Hershey Honors Authentic Business Management Program course is taught to senior honors business students at the Milton Hershey School, integrating core learning from classroom experiences and connecting them to relevant, corporate life. The curriculum engages 40 Hershey Company personnel as “Subject Matter Experts,” in on-site, interactive discussions about their work, goals, real-world challenges and successes. Leanna Meiser, corporate social responsibility manager at Hershey, says the program meets a dual need: “Our company wanted to connect closer with the nonprofit through business education to develop students into top-tier potential talent for employment in business and, hopefully, employment with our organization.” —BM

Fast Fact: In 2011, student requests for admission to the Milton Hershey honors business class were up 35% from 2010.

Co-Winner: Kraft Foods – Kraft Foods Garden

Improving the health and well-being of its neighbors is central to Kraft Foods’ corporate culture, and agriculture is a key strategy in its community involvement platform to address the root causes of hunger both abroad and in its own corporate backyard... literally. In 2011, Kraft turned over 8,000 square feet of unused land in a central courtyard at its Northfield, Illinois corporate campus to nonprofit partners for an organic garden that benefits the community. Kraft volunteers teamed with the Chicago Botanic Garden (CBG) and Windy City Harvest, CBG’s sustainable horticulture and urban agriculture job training program for young adults. This includes graduates of the Cook County Boot Camp, former inmates for non-violent crimes who are leveraging urban agriculture as a way to get their lives back on track. Between May and October each year, the garden will yield up to 14,000 pounds of fresh vegetables during three seasonal harvests. —BM

Honorable Mentions:

Deloitte – PlanetSaver: On Earth Day 2010, PlanetSaver was introduced to Deloitte employees as an alternative to conventional screensavers and a way to cut energy consumption. A feature article on the Deloitte Network News (DNN) and a video from the CEO Barry Salzberg to all Deloitte employees led the launch. Regular messaging on local and national levels reinforced the importance of PlanetSaver. In one year, PlanetSaver was installed over 50,000 times, resulting in a reduction of more than a 100,000 kWh hours of energy consumption.

WaterStone Bank – Celebrating 90 Years with $90,000: In the absence of a marketing budget to celebrate WaterStone Bank’s 90th anniversary, dollars from the Bank’s charitable fund were used to celebrate the milestone and increase brand awareness while supporting the community. The bank hosted an online contest to give a total of $90,000 to a few lucky local nonprofits or schools, leading to 8,548,522 votes and 61 deposit accounts opened in April 2011.

 

 

 

 

 

Winner

• The Hershey Company – Hershey Honors Authentic Business Management Program

• Kraft Foods – Kraft Foods Garden

Honorable Mention:

  • Deloitte – PlanetSaver
  • WaterStone Bank – Celebrating 90 Years with $90,000