And the Nominees Are …
Announcing finalists for the PRO Awards 2000. Well-known names and little-known companies. New products and ageless brands. Highly visible campaigns and under-the-radar efforts. Big budgets and small expenditures. Complex strategies and the simplest of ideas.
Finalists for the PRO Awards 2000 come in all shapes and sizes, but they do have a few things in common: a great and workable idea, impressive execution, and most of all, success. (Oh, and they were also all conducted between March 1999 and April 2000.)
A panel of industry experts gathered in New York City in July to pour their way through more than 175 entries to this year’s program, and here’s what they found: 31 campaigns considered worthy enough to be finalists in 15 categories for this year’s PRO Awards.
The winners will be announced on Oct. 5 during a special ceremony at PROMO Expo in Chicago.
Some of the campaigns will be – or at least, should be – familiar to anyone calling themselves a promotion professional. Others may be a complete surprise to even the most wizened veterans. Either way, sit back, relax, and take notes.
Best Multidiscipline Campaign Campaign: Life Savers Refresh the Roll Agency/Client: In-house/Nabisco, Inc. Nabisco’s Life Savers added plenty of flavor to its marketing program with a campaign developed and managed in-house that played off the Year 2000 buzz and got consumers involved in the product’s R&D. TV, radio, and Internet advertising, p.r., FSIs, and in-store activity in more than 30,000 outlets asked candy lovers to vote on whether the company should make the classic pineapple flavor Y2K compliant or replace it with strawberry or watermelon. More than 500,000 votes were cast, and volume sales of five-flavor rolls rose 10.5 percent in the promotional period. Assists to Ryan Partnership for advertising and P-O-P creatives and EastWest Creative for additional P-O-P materials. (FYI: Pineapple won out.)
Campaign: Can You Resist? Agency/Client: Frankel/Frito-Lay Tie-ins to the May 1999 release of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace received more media coverage for what they didn’t do than what they did. But Frankel’s effort for Frito-Lay helped the snack maker score its best merchandising sell-in ever (90-plus percent), increase market share by 2.8 percent for the all-important July 4th holiday, and spike brand regard by nine points among kids. The massive campaign centered on an instant-win game delivered in 110 million packages that let consumers choose their odds: play for one of two $1 million payoffs or go for a one-in-10 chance to win other prizes.
Campaign: Baby Bonus Savings Club Agency/Client: Mars Advertising/Farmer Jack Supermarkets Mars helped Farmer Jack keep the discount stores at bay with a loyalty program designed to bring young families back to grocery aisles. Club members automatically receive $20 cash back at checkout whenever they purchase more than $200 in baby products, relieving participants of any maintenance. The program is communicated through press releases, a direct-mail magazine, goody bags at hospitals, circulars, media advertising, and P-O-P. Each month, about 4,000 birthday cards are mailed to one-year-olds. Sales of baby products have risen 17 percent and market share has jumped 39 percent since the launch.
Best Use of Advertising Campaign: Dare to Stay Pure Agency/Client: 141 Integrated Communications/Allied Domecq Looking to improve its status among young, urban males, Allied’s Sauza brand challenged 141 to devise a “better Tequila experience.” The resulting Dare to Stay Pure campaign featured on-premise events in nine markets. Images from the brand’s TV advertising were projected onto female models dressed in white “body socks” to guarantee a captive audience. Supporting activities included on-premise sampling, radio spots, and private parties for accounts. More than 20,000 samples have been passed out at 400 events in an ongoing program that runs through September.
Campaign: Golf Dream House Agency/Client: Momentum/Buick Motor Division It always helps to have a Tiger in your tank. Momentum created a campaign that let Buick accomplish a variety of results: increase viewership of the annual Buick Invitational PGA event, build a database of future prospects, and introduce its new relationship with golf star Tiger Woods. Humorous TV spots starring Woods challenged consumers to guess what his score would be at the Invitational. Two winners received a 45-day share in the Buick Golf Dream House, a Buick Century, and other prizes. The sweeps generated 155,000 qualified names for the Buick database and drove tournament ratings up more than 25 percent.
Best Use of Direct Marketing Campaign: Operation K-9000 Agency/Client: The Botsford Group/Cryovac The Botsford Group went to the dogs for packaging systems manufacturer Cryovac, which was looking to introduce a new product called K-9000 to dry pet food makers. A two-pronged effort began at the Pet Forum trade show, where fresh-baked cookies packaged in the K-9000 were hung from hotel room doors. A high-level list of 150 industry executives then received two additional K-9000 treats: a 20-pound bag of popcorn and two Omaha Steaks (the latter dubbed “The Ultimate Doggie Bag”). The pitch produced a 33-percent response rate and 22 qualified leads – more than triple the goal.
Campaign: Virtual Install Agency/Client: The Launch Group/Quantum Quantum, the leader in the network storage market, charged The Launch Group with introducing the new Snap Server, a less-expensive and more user-friendly system. Three-dimensional mailers sent to 2,500-plus large accounts contained a photo of the server and four screws that could be used to install the real thing when it arrived. Recipients were directed to a Web site where they could interact with a demo, then receive a Black & Decker cordless screwdriver if they agreed to a sales call. The effort scored a 24-percent response rate, including numerous accounts with multiple-unit potential.
Campaign: Camp Jeep Agency/Client: FCB Worldwide, 1-2-1 Marketing/DaimlerChrysler DaimlerChrysler’s annual August Jeep-owner getaway – a 1999 PRO Award winner (November PROMO) – received high praise again, although this time the campaign was handled by FCB Worldwide and 1-2-1 Marketing. That duo reduced the overall invitation total by 130,000 and the cancellation rate by 50 percent while sending Jeep’s “best friends” monthly notifications starting in December. They also coaxed more owners of the Cherokee and Grand Cherokee models to head to Virginia for the event, a priority for the brand this year.
Most Innovative Communication Strategy Campaign: Uncle Sam Operation Cows on Parade Agency/Client: Flair Communications/Dairy Farmers of America The year-old Dairy Farmers of America cooperative needed a program to educate the world about its organization and goals. Flair found a perfect vehicle to do so right outside its office: Chicago’s Cows on Parade summer publicity event, which had Windy City businesses and organizations buying and decorating bovine statues to line the streets. DFA’s cow was dressed as Uncle Sam, and the image was leveraged across all the association’s direct-mail, premium, display, Internet, and other initiatives. The program surpassed goals, brought a 20-1 return on investment, and even raised $3.4 million for the DFA Dairy Relief charity.
Campaign: Tamiflu Launch Agency/Client: Momentum/Roche Pharmaceuticals Roche Pharmaceuticals had a new prescription flu medication called Tamiflu that had been beaten to market by a rival product. Momentum offered a panacea with a mobile tour that deployed eight glass-enclosed, germ-free residences for actors to cities in which a flu epidemic had just broken out. The actors conducted their lives on the backs of flatbed trucks, seemingly oblivious to the curious crowds they attracted. The punch line was displayed on the vehicles: “One person in this town who can probably feel safe from the flu.” The result: Tamiflu outsold its early-bird competitor by a three-to-one margin.
Campaign: Celebrate the Century Express Agency/Client: In-house/U.S. Postal Service The always noteworthy U.S. Postal Service gave its marketing schedule wheels along with legs by turning a four-car Amtrak train into an ever-moving community education program. The train’s displays offer a look at postal products through the years as well as the Postal Service’s place in U.S. history. Launched in March 1999, the tour has attracted more than 200,000 visitors in 47 cities and 26 states. Additional components of the campaign have delivered educational kits to more than 300,000 schoolchildren and produced 2,500 airings of a promotional video. The effort runs through fall.
Best Use of New Media Campaign: Smell-O-Vision Agency/Client: Nickelodeon/Kraft Foods Nickelodeon once again showed why packaged goods partners like Kraft are always ready for a tie-in with Smell-O-Vision, a special programming block that let kids play along at home with 3-D glasses and scratch-and-sniff cards. The cable network ran promotional spots for five weeks directing viewers to grocery stores, where 25 million packages of Kraft Kids Brands carried the specs and cards. (Blockbuster Entertainment also passed out kits in its outlets.) More than 20 million viewers tuned in, which represents almost 40 percent of all children two to 11 with cable access – plus five million adults. Kraft’s volume rose 7.7 percent during the period.
Campaign: Online Racing Auction Agency/Client: In-house/Valvoline Co. Old met new in this in-house program from Valvoline, which sought to increase traffic to the corporate Web site by leveraging the company’s 30-year sponsorship of NASCAR. Valvoline received donations of more than 750 motorsports items for the program, which would donate all proceeds to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. The auctions were held on eBay but featured on valvoline.com, which hosted an e-mail service that provided updates on bidding (and beefed up the company’s database.) The auctions raised $150,000 for the charity and increased traffic to Valvoline’s site by 85 percent.
Campaign: Juicy Fruit Scavenger Hunt Agency/Client: Promotions.com/Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. After a two-year advertising hiatus, Juicy Fruit roared back last summer with a Gotta Have Sweet TV effort from BBDO, then turned to Promotions.com to extend the buzz to the Internet. Banner ads on partnering Web sites drove would-be contestants to juicyfruit.com, where they learned how to play and were sent back to partner sites to find branded buttons that either gave away an instant prize (product or movie tickets) or let them enter a sweepstakes for trips, meetings with celebrities, or a Sega Dreamcast. Juicy Fruit banner ads scored a 1.4 percent click-through rate – three times the industry average – and inspired 200,000 sweeps entries.
Most Effective Long-Term Campaign Campaign: Rock Star Agency/Client: Beyond DDB/United States Gypsum Did you know that Sheetrock was a brand name? USG was aware that its building product had become a generic term for drywall, and so it sought Beyond DDB’s assistance in reestablishing its uniqueness. The three-year Better Idea campaign targeted contractors and installers with direct mail, trade advertising, a sweepstakes, and a Rock Tour of nationwide visits to construction sites highlighted by purchase incentives, premium giveaways, and sweeps sign-ups. USG ratcheted up the program each year, adding a NASCAR tie-in for year two and TV spots in year three. The efforts paid off with an eight-percent increase in sales and a 14-percent jump in brand awareness.
Campaign: Miss Chiquita Summer Fun Agency/Client: The Botsford Group/Chiquita Fresh North America Chiquita’s annual summer program has earned kudos before (1999 PRO Awards). Last year’s campaign utilized the strategic foundation of the last two efforts, but refreshed the creative through a Miss Chiquita’s Summer Fun Adventures sweeps dangling three vacations and 100 family tents. Shoppers took entry forms from P-O-P displays, affixed the famous Chiquita sticker, and mailed them in. A full-page ad in People and radio spots in 20 markets supported. Retail participation increased by 30 percent in ’99, and sales growth hit double digits for the third straight year.
Campaign: Celebrate the Century Express Agency/Client: In-house/U.S. Postal Service Best Activity Generating Brand Awareness/Trial Campaign: IBM Store Agency/Client: Einson Freeman/IBM The inventor of the personal computer hasn’t been known for its PCs in decades. OfficeMax was also having trouble with sales in the category. Einson helped bring the two together for a store-within-a-store that got upfront positioning and put IBM-trained sales associates face-to-face with shoppers. Advertising in circulars, grand opening activities, and premium giveaways supported. After the first 12 weeks, IBM PC sales were up 37 percent over prior-period and year-ago numbers. This campaign is also the Hard Luck Story of the Year: IBM reversed strategy at the end of ’99 and halted all retail sales activity. (Rival Gateway took its spot in OfficeMax stores.)
Campaign: Launch of Blue Agency/Client: Momentum/American Express To launch a new Blue card targeted to a younger demographic, American Express and Momentum devised a campaign centered on a free Sheryl Crow and Friends concert in New York City’s Central Park. The event aired via the first-ever national “trimulcast” on Fox TV stations, 60 radio stations, and the Internet at blueconcerts.com. A “Blue Crew” distributed 25,000 concert tickets around New York City to drive applications for Blue through an instant-win game. The number of cards in force exceeded company goals by 71 percent, while Internet applications exceeded goals by 150 percent. A post-concert survey found that 80 percent of those “very likely” to apply for Blue were not American Express cardholders.
Campaign: Kissmobile Tour 1999 Agency/Client: Marketing Werks/Hershey Foods The numbers are huge: 234 million impressions (including placements on three TV programs and in the Wall Street Journal), 520 event appearances, three million samples distributed, and $2 million raised for Children’s Miracle Network. And all that from just two traveling vehicles. Granted, those vehicles were shaped like Hershey’s Kisses, and they did traverse the country for most of the year. But Marketing Werks’ tour nearly tripled Hershey Foods investment in media value alone. Add in the goodwill generated by the cause overlay, the visits to schools and children’s hospitals, and all that free chocolate, and you’ve got a tasty campaign.
Best Activity Generating Brand Volume Campaign: Austin Powers Groovy Giveaway Agency/Client: Communicator/Nabisco, Inc. Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me was a smashing success for its theatrical marketing partners, and Communicator figured it could get equally good results by connecting Nabisco’s Cornnuts brand with the film’s fall video release. An instant-win game ran on 15 million packages and was supported by 10,000 P-O-P displays, print ads, a Web site, and stickers and inserts in the video. An in-school component got three million sample bags into the hands of pre-teens and teens. Fourth-quarter sales jumped 23 percent over the prior period, reversing a 10-percent decline. Trade support rose 30 percent.
Campaign: Life Savers Refresh the Roll Agency/Client: In-house/Nabisco, Inc.
Campaign: Vote for Your Favorite Donut Agency/Client: Flair Communications/Dunkin’ Donuts To celebrate its 50th birthday, Dunkin’ Donuts wanted a campaign that would float all boats – sales volume, store traffic, p.r. visibility, and employee excitement. Flair devised a three-month campaign that asked consumers to pick their favorite for a chance to win cash or free products ($50,000 and donuts for life was the top prize). A bevy of P-O-P, local radio tie-ins, tags on national TV and radio spots, and off-site events supported. Sales rose 28 percent, traffic jumped 51 percent, more than 816,000 votes were cast, and media impressions were off the charts. (The winning donut? Boston Kreme.)
Best Activity Generating Brand Loyalty Campaign: Camp Jeep Agency/Client: FCB Worldwide, 1-2-1 Marketing/ DaimlerChrysler
Campaign: Kissmobile Tour 1999 Agency/Client: Marketing Werks/Hershey Foods
Campaign: Beauty on the Move Agency/Client: In-house/Sara Lee Branded Apparel How do you reach the 49 million American women size 14 or above? How about a mobile tour that visits 100 Wal-Marts in 14 states? That’s what Sara Lee’s Just My Size brand did this year with a program that launched in February. A transformable 18-wheeler contains seven different exhibits including touch-screen computers and interactive kiosks, a product showroom, a photo studio, a cosmetic center, and the Wheel of Prizes. Procter & Gamble hopped on board to sample HBA products. The effort thus far has reached more than 48,000 women and pushed sales volume up almost 15 percent at tour stores.
Best Business-to-Business Campaign Campaign: Windows 2000 Launch Agency/Client: Momentum/Microsoft Corp. Launching a new product while daily headlines trumpet the government’s anti-trust case against the company is no easy feat. Momentum assisted Microsoft in steering attention toward the Windows 2000 operating system with a special event held during a three-day programmers conference. A 60-foot laptop literally set the stage for an event that brought Bill Gates, actor Patrick Stewart, and guitarist Carlos Santana before a live audience of 5,000, a Webcast crowd of 50,000, and 150,000 people in 60 countries via satellite. The event sparked 200 press reports and a 10-percent rise in positive perception among IT professionals, and helped sell one million copies of the software in the first month.
Campaign: Boise High Agency/Client: Momentum/Boise Cascade Office Products The Boise-Momentum relationship has been winning a lot of awards (including a 1999 PRO). This year, the duo created a campaign targeting women 18 to 49 built around a faux 1964 high school yearbook. Boise mailed 255,000 copies of the yearbook and other memorabilia to customers. Products were advertised as part of typical yearbook sections such as class pictures and sports. An Internet overlay drove customers to a Web site chronicling a high school romance. The effort, which also included events and a sales force overlay, generated a 44 percent increase in sales of promoted products and a $5.5 million return on Boise’s investment.
Campaign: FSI Council Awareness Agency/Client: FCB Worldwide/FSI Council A campaign by the industry for the industry: The newly established FSI Council needed a program to educate marketers and retailers on the brand-building capabilities of the insert – in a manner that would inspire increased usage. FCB assisted in putting together an effort focused on the underwriting of eight research studies, the results of which were then used to create engaging direct-mail pieces and trade ads. Since the initiative began in 1997, attrition among consumer packaged goods makers has been halted, average coupon duration has risen, and the percentage of full-page FSIs (vs. half-page ads) has increased.
Best Account-Specific Retail Campaign Campaign: Wal-Mart Veterans Day Agency/Client: Idea Connections/Eastman Kodak Co. In a campaign to spark trial of Kodak’s Picture Maker photo-reprint kiosk, Idea Connections tapped into the emotion of Veterans Day, offering free five-inch-by-seven-inch reprints of any shot of a man in uniform. The photos were also used for in-store displays “Honoring Our Hometown Veterans.” Outlets without kiosks worked with “buddy stores” to expand the program’s reach. Merchandisers, posters, employee badges, PA announcements, and notices in Wal-Mart fliers supported. In an overlay with American Greetings, shoppers signed giant cards that were delivered to local VA hospitals. More than 34,000 photos were compiled for the tribute. The campaign will run again this year.
Campaign: Pre-paid Phonecard Launch Agency/Client: DVC Group/AT&T AT&T had just won Wal-Mart’s pre-paid phonecard account from Worldcom, so the telecommunications company wanted something that would immediately impress its new retail partner. DVC got the ball rolling with an operations guide for managers outlining steps toward an easy product transition. It then developed a campaign that ran in 2,400 stores and featured promotions for the graduation, back-to-school, and holiday periods. Special cards, packaging, and displays were created for the different executions. Sales during all three efforts exceeded objectives by better than 150 percent. In the third quarter, AT&T cards became the chain’s impulse-purchase category leader by outselling even batteries.
Campaign: Intergalactic Encounter Agency/Client: In-house/Saban Entertainment Looking to top a hugely successful 1998 event tour for its Power Rangers franchise, Saban outdid itself by creating the World’s Largest Inflatable Moon Walk, and getting the Guinness Book of World Records to verify it. Joining again with retail partner Wal-Mart and master toy licensee Bandai America, it developed a weekend tour that hit 31 Wal-Marts, backed by an on-air sweeps and heavy local support. More than 4,000 fans attended each weekend, and more than 92,000 people entered the sweepstakes. Bandai’s sales increased by more than 400 percent and sales of other Power Rangers products rose 40 percent at each stop.
Best Dealer/Sales Force Activity Campaign: Cleared for Take-Off Agency/Client: McCracken Brooks Maier/Washington Mutual To generate incremental sales of specified mortgage banking/ financial services products and build team spirit, Washington Mutual embarked on an incentive campaign featuring collateral kits with a decidedly hipper feel than standard banking materials. Salespersons and managers earned a choice of home-related merchandise for reaching goals, while support staffers received gamecards for chances at instant prizes. Non-winning pieces were entered into monthly grand-prize drawings for higher value home-related merchandise. Washington Mutual’s adjustable rate mortgage fundings increased by 30 percent during the three-month period. More than 1,000 tier rewards were distributed, and more than 10,000 rewards were presented to support staffers.
Campaign: Global Quest for Success Agency/Client: Impiric/Citibank A sales recognition program that ran in three world regions and 37 countries, Quest for Success used motivational messages from high-level executives and promotional devices to drive the global sales force. An “Olympian Award” gave managers the opportunity to nominate achievers for country-specific recognition. Other programs included a worldwide e-mail exchange and a sales brainstorming session that encouraged managers to initiate idea forums. The program involved nearly 1,500 participants. As the program entered the last quarter, global sales were on track to meet ambitious revenue goals, and some countries were positioned to exceed their specific goals.
Campaign: Spice Island World Flavors Introduction Agency/Client: WatersMolitor/Tone Brothers To gain retail attention for the launch of a World Flavors line of spices, WatersMolitor developed a trade campaign centered on Old World imagery and confident messaging. A sales-force incentive dangled aviator jackets for leaders in existing and new accounts, and the annual meeting carried a Takin’ Back the Business theme. Free samples were delivered to retailers in cardboard treasure chests. Public events and in-store displays including shippers, racks, and shelf strips enticed consumers. The full line of nine World Flavors SKUs was accepted by 100 percent of target accounts, and Spice Island sales rose 20 percent for the year.
Best Idea or Concept Campaign: Intergalactic Encounter Agency/Client: In-House/Saban Entertainment
Campaign: Can You Resist? Agency/Client: Frankel/Frito-Lay Campaign: Boise High Agency/Client: Momentum/Boise Cascade Office Products
Best Art Direction Campaign: Camp Jeep Agency/Client: FCB Worldwide/1-2-1 Marketing/DaimlerChrysler
Campaign: Uncle Sam Operation Cows on Parade Agency/Client: Flair Communications/Dairy Farmers of America
Best Copywriting Campaign: Uncle Sam Operation Cows on Parade Agency/Client: Flair Communications/Dairy Farmers of America
Campaign: Camp Jeep Agency/Client: FCB Worldwide/1-2-1 Marketing/DaimlerChrysler
