3 Reasons Why FCB Chicago Won the Most Prestigious 2017 PRO Award

Posted on by Patty Odell

It was just about a year ago when agency reps from FCB Chicago took to the stage at the Leaders of Brand Activation to accept the most prestigious PRO Award—the Platinum PRO—for its client Contours and the Baby Stroller Test-Ride.

With the call for 2018 PRO Awards underway—the deadline is March 23—I took a look back at that exceptional campaign to ferret out what made it so spectacular. I wanted to understand what it was about the execution—and results—that made the judges take notice and push the campaign to the top above the hundreds and hundreds of other entries. Three key components stand out:

1. Humor
What they did: Determining how comfortable baby strollers are for their petite passengers is difficult; after all, babies can’t tell you after a test drive, “Ouch, the seat incline hurts my neck” or “Oof, this is one bumpy ride.” So Contours, a maker of premium strollers, decided to give adults a test drive instead, in an adult-size replica of its Bliss stroller. As attendees watched the sizzle reel, they roared with laughter.
Why they did it: It’s a fact that—when done right and with relevancy—humor in marketing engages consumers and can send a single piece of content soaring through cyberspace, amplifying a campaign far beyond its intended target for an infinite amount of time.

2. Video
What they did: Rather than create adult versions of its strollers for multiple retailers nationwide, it offered test rides to shoppers only in select Buy Buy Baby stores. Those who agreed to climb up in the giant stroller and be pushed along sidewalks and in parks were filmed to create attention-grabbing digital content.
Why they did it: Creating content, like video, lets consumers attend an event that they didn’t get a chance to experience first hand. Contours disseminated the video via Facebook, Twitter, Periscope and YouTube ads as well as on its own social channels. The video of grown men and women commenting on the comfort of the ride while being babied in a huge buggy generated plenty of giggles among viewers—and plenty of social sharing. In less than a month the video earned 53 million views, fueling a Twitter conversation that reached 48 million people and contributing to 479 million earned media impressions, with Good Morning America and Today, among others, covering the campaign.

3. Pint-size Budgets
What they did: Contours had a budget of just $55,000. A limited budget combined with a big idea can have a major impact.
Why they did it: All this buzz led to a 225% leap in traffic to the product pages of Contours’ website and a 15% push in year-over-year unit sales per store per week. Contours’ parent company, Kolcraft, was pleased enough by the results that it was considering adapting the tactic for some of its other baby products—so if you come across an adult-size baby carrier on your travels, don’t be surprised.

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