Grand Prix Winner: Best Overall Campain

SPONSOR: Results International Campaign: Yes Please Agency: Davies Little Cowley Fiddes Client: Philips Lighting Country: United Kingdom The best campaign in the world had all the bases covered, and stood out in a field of excellent campaigns due to the strength of its idea, its simplicity, and its ability to involve consumers in a brand-building and experiential fashion, according to judges.

Charged with creating awareness for the relaunch of Philips’ Softone colored lighting brand, boosting trail among young homeowners, and generating repeat purchases, Davies Little Cowley Fiddes developed a program that sent its client on a few million housecalls.

Two million “Yes Please” bags were distributed to U.K. households. The bags contained a glossy 16-page Softone brochure, a coupon, a questionnaire, and a creative offer for a free light bulb. Consumers filled out the questionnaire, which included a spot for them to select one of seven colored bulbs. They then put the “Yes Please” bag and questionnaire outside their front door. The next morning, the questionnaire was withdrawn from the bag and the desired light bulb – a short-life 10-hour bulb developed specifically for the promotion – was deposited.

Some 700,000 households requested the bulb, resulting in a stellar 35-percent response rate. Another eight percent of respondents redeemed the coupon, and 27 percent filled out the questionnaire, giving Philips solid information with which to start a new database of prospects. Awareness for the Softone brand increased from nine percent to 82 percent, paving the way for a bright future.

BEST ACTIVITY GENERATING BRAND AWARENESS AND TRIAL SPONSOR: Event Architects Campaign: Yes Please Agency: Davies Little Cowley Fiddes Client: Philips Lighting Country: United Kingdom

Runners Up Campaign: Sim & Play Agency: Partner Communications Client: Orange Country: Israel This interactive campaign targeted to students featured smart cards inserted into cell phones that let users play interactive games on a giant screen at four events held on Students Day. Hostesses handed out brochures inviting attendees to visit the Orange Web site to play games and win prizes. A total of 15,000 messages were delivered with the technology at events, and 10,000 prizes were given away.

Campaign: Carphone 19 Agency: Kepner SD Client: Telefonica of Argentina Country: Argentina To promote a new “Service 19” which allows callers to make free calls (costs of which are paid in pre-arranged agreements with recipients), Kepner deployed a squad of BMWs equipped with mobile phones and painted with attractive logos. At stops, passers-by were encouraged to play the Carphone 19 game to win prizes. More than 67,000 people played the game, and call volume rose 30 percent compared with the previous month.

BEST MULTIDISCIPLINE CAMPAIGN First Place: Cornflakes of the Champions Agency: Target Market Client: Telma Country: Israel Telma controls 66 percent of the cornflakes category in Israel, but No. 1 rival Kellogg’s continues to keep the competition red-hot. Looking to block Kellogg’s from gaining market share as well as expand Telma’s own piece of the category, Target Market devised a Cornflakes for Champions campaign to maintain and heighten usage. Israeli basketball star Oded Katash was signed to help the effort. The athlete met consumers and spearheaded the initiative’s nucleus: family basketball competitions held in 19 local youth centers. TV ads, radio spots, and P-O-P supported, and a national sweeps overlay generated additional excitement.

Hundreds of families signed up for the events. Winning families moved on to play each other, and the ultimate winner competed against Katash in a finale staged at Superland, the nation’s largest amusement park. More than 10,000 spectators came to watch. The winning family provided a testimonial for one million cornflakes boxes featuring Katash on fronts. Telma integrated 300 leading private retailers into the effort by inviting them to meet with its executives to discuss strategy. (Katash was on hand for photos and autographs.)

The program was worthy of its champion moniker: Telma sales rose 19.9 percent as a result, and hundreds of thousands of consumers were engaged by the effort.

Judges’ comments: Complete and consistent throughout, reflecting a strong sense of creative relevance.

Runners Up Campaign: LifeSavers Refresh the Roll Agency: In-house Client: Nabisco, Inc. Country: United States Nabisco’s LifeSavers added flavor to its marketing program with a campaign communicated through TV, radio, Internet advertising, p.r., FSIs, and in-store activity in more than 30,000 outlets asking consumers to decide whether or not to keep the classic pineapple flavor in the roll. More than 500,000 votes were cast, and volume sales rose 10.5 percent in the promotional period.

Campaign: Hallmark the Millennium Agency: Capital C Communication Client: Hallmark Canada Country: Canada To help increase sales and consumer traffic in partnering stores last winter, Hallmark invited Canadian parents and grandparents to participate in a Write to the Future campaign. Shoppers could purchase a special greeting card and envelope to be held by Hallmark and mailed in 2010. Purchasers were also entered in a related sweeps. More than 85,000 cards were purchased, five times more than was expected.

BEST USE OF ADVERTISING First Place: Smellevision Source: YTV Client: Kraft Canada Country: Canada Canada’s No. 1 kids network teamed with packaged-goods giant Kraft Canada in fall ’99 on a three-week back-to-school program that drove television viewership, moved merchandise off supermarket shelves, and tingled young nostrils around the nation.

Shoppers at participating grocery stores were handed free SMELLevision gamecards with the purchase of two Kraft products. During YTV’s weekend programming, an animated nose sniffed across the screens and took bites out of specific Kraft products. Viewers scratched the matching Kraft product icon on their gamecards, took a whiff, then called a toll-free number to report which aroma matched up. The 100th caller instantly won a $500 gift certificate from Canadian specialty retailer Roots. TV spots, print ads, Web sites, and in-store P-O-P supported.

The creative program was a great hook for kids. More than 700,000 calls were placed to the toll-free number over the course of three weekends. YTV viewership rose 30 percent, and Kraft saw sales of its brands jump by as much as 33 percent.

Judges’ comments: The campaign was original, fresh, and synergistic.

Runners Up Campaign: Taste of the New Millennium Agency: BLT SA Client: Quilmes Country: Argentina The Argentine beverage company sought to boost sales and create a new image by tying into the strong anticipation for the new millennium. Targeting the 18-plus demographic, the campaign let consumers collect phrases from words found underneath bottle caps or inside cans. The words and phrases told shoppers if they had scored one of 10 Land Rovers or bags, T-shirts, or free product.

Campaign: Win a Lot More Bite Agency: Impiric Client: Schweppes Country: Australia Schweppes protected its 16-percent share of the soft drink market in Australia by reinforcing its “Just a Little More Bite” tagline with an under-the-cap instant-win game offering five Alfa Romeo Spiders. A sweeps overlay let consumers send in two proofs of purchase for a second chance at the car. Impiric created P-O-P and TV spots to support. The effort helped the brand maintain summer season share and generated more than 80,000 sweeps entries.

BEST USE OF DIRECT MARKETING SPONSOR: NCH NuWorld First Place: Dare Double Dare Agency: Marketing Drive Client: Kodak Canada Country: Canada Looking to promote new professional-grade E100VS film and swing some of rival Fuji’s market share its way, Kodak Canada turned to Marketing Drive for a campaign that would target commercial photographers – a group the photo giant hadn’t pitched with a dedicated, value-added marketing effort in five years.

Market research showed professional photographers wouldn’t switch brands without shooting at least 10 rolls of a new film, so Marketing Drive developed a program that would get them a pile of product. In March 1999, 1,200 direct-mail packages were sent to select commercial photographers throughout the country. Each package contained five rolls of the new E100VS film, a brochure highlighting the product’s attributes, and a mail-in offer for an additional five free rolls if the photographers filled out a short questionnaire.

Kodak scored a picture-perfect hit. Forty percent, or 480, of the photographers sent in the completed questionnaire to receive the additional five rolls, and half of those users switched to E100VS full-time. That bested Kodak’s original goal of getting 10 percent to request the extra rolls and switch brands. By the end of the year, Kodak’s new film was No. 1 among professionals in Canada.

Judges’ comments: Double Dare was very gutsy. An outstanding program with excellent results.

Runners Up Campaign: Matav Loyalty Programme Agency: DBM Group Client: Matav Cable TV and Communication Co. Country: Israel In the wake of added competition from a new satellite TV provider, DBM launched a customer-loyalty campaign that reached about 87 percent of Matav’s cable subscribers. Sales reps visited 430,000 households to have customers fill out questionnaires, which were then used to develop a Matav loyalty card good for discounts on pizza, free tickets to amusement parks, deals on magazine subscriptions, and other offers.

Campaign: Measuring Your Comfort Agency: CP Communicacion Client: Iberia Airlines Country: Spain To prove that it had increased the space between seats in business class to 1.32 meters (the most room in the industry), Iberia Airlines sent out mailings to current and prospective customers that contained a tape measure and invited them to check it out for themselves. For added enticement, double points were given to frequent fliers who did so. Business class occupancy shot up by 60 percent in the promotional period, and the overall response rate was 5.5 percent.

BEST USE OF INNOVATIVE COMMUNICATION STRATEGY First Place: Tamiflu Launch Agency: Momentum Client: Roche Country: United States Mobile marketing is the promotion tactic du jour in the U.S., but Momentum’s New York City office put a winning spin on the strategy for drug maker Roche last winter with an effort to introduce Tamiflu, a new prescription flu medication. Roche had been beaten to market by a rival, and thus needed to make a bigger splash than the competition. Doing its first work for the company in the nascent direct-to-consumer pharmacy category, Momentum devised a tour that deployed eight mobile glass-enclosed, germ-free residences housing actors to cities in which flu epidemics had just broken out.

The actors conducted their lives on the backs of flatbed trucks, seemingly oblivious to the curious crowds they attracted. At events, outside staffers handed out brochures and packets of chicken soup. A national P-O-P initiative in pharmacies supported.

The result: The tour hit 71 markets for stays of two days to two weeks from Jan. 1 to March 15. Tamiflu outsold its early-bird competitor by a three-to-one margin, gaining a 58-percent share of market.

Judges’ comments: Fun, refreshing, and breakthrough in its approach.

Runners Up Campaign: Camel Art Collection Agency: Meyer Action Marketing Client: Camel Country: Argentina Meyer helped Camel create a new look in Argentina by repackaging cigarettes in unique boxes and tins and creating giant paintings near pubs and sculptures near gas stations. Innovative P-O-P marterials included urns into which consumers placed coupon forms to enrich Camel’s database. The program stole smokers away from the brand’s competitors, bumping market share by one percent and increasing recall 79 percent over the year-ago period.

Campaign: Coca-Cola’s Sensory Cans Agency: Promarket Client: Coca-Cola Israel Country: Israel Needing to turn Coke’s new advertising message into something tangible, Promarket devised a multi-sensory experience that placed teens and young adults into four-meter high “cans” submerged in faux ice cubes. Inside, they donned internal-projection helmets to watch a promotional film. More than 100,000 people were exposed to the display, and approximately 18,000 enjoyed the ride during the month-long program.

BEST USE OF NEW MEDIA SPONSOR: Aspen Interactive First Place: Win with the Web Agency: Karamba Client: Alcatel Bell Country: Belgium High-tech solutions provider Alcatel Bell was struck with an image problem last year when it discovered its brand was being perceived as bureaucratic and “not dynamic.” The company hooked up with marketing shop Karamba to devise a way to re-endear itself to telecom and IT decision-makers, improve its image as an Internet-savvy company, and show Belgium’s business-to-business community that it was nothing if not dynamic.

Karamba developed an event-based program tied heavily to the World Wide Web. The initiative followed “a famous Belgian presenter” as he traveled around the globe and discovered the technological reach of Alcatel at each stop. Cybersurfers were encouraged to log on and play a game to discover the next destination on the tour. TV, radio, and print advertising supported.

Belgium’s tech professionals responded. Potential customers followed the trip online and engaged the brand by playing the game and guessing which port of call would be visited next. Alcatel Bell’s Web site broke records for site visits in Belgium with 1.1 million page views. The program served measurable increases in perceived brand image.

Judges’ comments: An original and compelling use of the medium.

Runners Up Campaign: Online Racing Auction Agency: In-house Client: Valvoline Co. Country: United States Old met new in a program designed to increase traffic to Valvoline’s Web site by leveraging the company’s 30-year sponsorship of NASCAR motorsports. Valvoline received donations of more than 750 motorsports items for an online auction, which raised money for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. The auctions were held at eBay but featured on valvoline.com. The effort raised $150,000 and increased traffic to Valvoline’s site by 85 percent.

Campaign: Re-Discover Coca-Cola Sensations Agency: Promocionar Momentu Client: Coca-Cola Argentina Country: Argentina To let consumers “rediscover Coca-Cola,” Promarket designed a mobile 3-D sensory experience that made contact with more than 600,000 people in 80 cities in Argentina and Uruguay. Visitors were invited into buses that transformed into mobile cinemas for video watching. The video included images of a hot city accompanied by a blast of warm air and a woman jumping into a pool followed by a refreshing spritz of water. Samples were distributed to every viewer after the show.

MOST EFFECTIVE LONG-TERM PROMOTION First Place: Great Reservations Agency: M Marketing Services Client: Visa Canada Country: Canada Visa Canada executes an annual campaign to increase usage of Gold and Platinum cards in fine dining establishments across Canada and get restaurants to position the brand as “preferred.” Efforts began in 1995 and have been enhanced each year since.

M Marketing Services’ promotion for `99 sent more than one million consumers promotional inserts with their Visa bills. The inserts boasted an offer for a free dinner (including appetizer, entree, and dessert) for users who charged one dinner on their Visa card. The offer was executed regionally to highlight local restaurants and, for the first time, included photos of the establishments and profiles written by well-known food and wine writers.

Forty-five of Canada’s top restaurants participated. The establishments received merchandise materials such as check presenters embossed with the Visa logo. (Visa also sent the restaurants framed copies of their write-ups as thank-you tokens.)

The result: Eighty-eight percent of participating restaurants said the program bumped Visa usage in their outlets, 74 percent said the effort added value to their business, and 95 percent said the initiative was perceived as valuable to customers. Best of all, 67 percent of the restaurants re-positioned Visa as their preferred charge card.

Runners Up Campaign: Respect Agency: Brewer Brackler Client: Dept. of Health Anti-Smoking Country: United Kingdom Brewer Brackler’s campaign reduced smoking among children ages 11 to 15 by up to nine percent over a two-year period. Anti-smoking materials were distributed to teens encouraging them to “Respect” themselves, heed health warnings, and spend their money in more productive ways. The Respect Pack included coupons from such teen-favorite brands as Sega, Puma, UCI Cinemas, and Salon Selectives. Posters and heavy broadcast, print, and Web advertising helped support the program.

Campaign: Celebrate the Century Express Agency: In-house Client: U.S. Postal Service Country: United States The U.S. Postal Service gave its marketing schedule wheels by turning a four-car Amtrak train into an ever-moving community education program. Launched in March 1999, the 18-month 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 ACTIVITY GENERATING BRAND VOLUME First Place: 50th Anniversary Forever Yum Agency: Flair Communications Client: Dunkin’ Donuts Country: United States To celebrate its 50th birthday, Dunkin’ Donuts wanted a long-term campaign that would float all boats – sales volume, store traffic, p.r. visibility, and employee excitement. Flair was able to supply just that with a February-through-April effort that asked consumers to pick their favorite donut for a chance to win cash or free product ($50,000 and donuts for life was top prize).

Flair set the stage with news releases to TV, radio, and print media. Promotional packets containing employee attire, signage, and a host of P-O-P including six-foot-high voting booths and ballot boxes were sent to 5,000 stores. Local radio broadcasts from stores, tags on national TV and radio spots (part of the chain’s most powerful media plan ever), a 35-million-piece FSI, and a special Web site supported. Beginning in early March, employees hit the streets in 10 cities for off-site events.

Sales rose 28 percent, store traffic jumped 51 percent, more than 816,000 votes were cast, and more than 121 million media impressions were recorded.

Judge’s comments: Demonstrated a very experiential and involving twist to a traditional solution.

Runners Up Campaign: Gatorade Connection Agency: Bullet In-Store Marketing Client: Quaker Oats Country: Brazil The isotonic drink maker targeted young people with this on-pack game from Bullet. Players called a toll-free number on product labels and punched in codes to learn if they had won such prizes as watches and backpacks. They also entered into a drawing for a seven-day adventure trip on a chartered plane. More than three million consumers participated.

Campaign: Antonio Cavalieri Agency: Premium Marketing Client: Tnuva Country: Israel To increase sales while strengthening ties with a major retailer, Israel’s largest dairy producer offered shoppers three glass containers packaged by upscale designer Antonio Cavalieri for every 10 Tnuva milk products purchased (plus $2.50). The promotion was offered in Blue Square, Israel’s largest food-store chain. More than 150,000 of the gifts were sold and milk sales rose 12 percent.

BEST ACTIVITY GENERATING BRAND LOYALTY SPONSOR: EPOS First Place: Free Books for Schools Agency: The Marketing Store Worldwide Client: Walkers Snacks Country: United Kingdom In an effort to increase Walkers sales throughout the U.K. in the highly competitive snack category, The Marketing Store London developed a four-month campaign that leveraged the government’s National Year of Reading initiative to create a halo for the brand.

In a Free Books for Schools effort, parents, children, and teachers from participating grade schools purchased Walkers products to collect tokens that could be exchanged for more than 160 different print and audio titles. A partnership with publisher News International offered a second avenue for collection and provided daily coverage in four national newspapers from January through February. Two months worth of TV and radio ads and 16-weeks of exposure on product packages supported.

More than 98 percent of eligible schools registered for the program and 85 percent participated. Walkers’ market share rose six percent in the promotional period, and sales increased more than three percent over goal. Meanwhile, the campaign aided the literacy effort by giving away more than 2.3 million books. Over 24,000 schools have already signed up to participate in a repeat performance this fall.

Judges’ comments: A relevant, brand-building, and consumer-involving campaign with broad reach.

Runners Up Campaign: Camp Jeep Agency: FCB Worldwide/1-2-1 Marketing Client: DaimlerChrysler Country: United States FCB Worldwide and 1-2-1 Marketing fine-tuned DaimlerChrysler’s annual Jeep-owner getaway by significantly reducing overall mailings and still easily hitting the target of 2,500 attendees while also cutting back on cancellations. Early teaser postcards were key, with 1,000 owners signing up online before they even received invitations. More owners of the Cherokee and Grand Cherokee models attended this year, which was a priority for the client.

Campaign: Gatorade Connection Agency: Bullet In-Store Marketing Client: Quaker Oats Country: Brazil The isotonic drink maker targeted young people with this on-pack game from Bullet. Players called a toll-free number on product labels and punched in code numbers to learn if they had won such prizes as watches and backpacks. They also were entered into a drawing for a seven-day adventure trip on a chartered plane. More than three million consumers participated.

BEST BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS CAMPAIGN First Place: Recruitsoft.com Agency: Continuum Relationship Marketing Client: Recruitsoft.com Country: Canada Web-based start-up Recruitsoft.com, a provider of online recruiting tools, launched in the summer of 1999 and immediately headed to the marketers at Continuum Relationship to create a lead-generation program that would introduce the dot-com to human resources executives in the U.S. and Canada.

Continuum whittled down a prospect list of 6,000 names to 2,000 fully profiled targets, and set a goal of meeting with 300. A teaser e-mail was sent to prospects 48 hours before a direct-mail piece arrived. The e-mail gave information about the company and a link to Recruitsoft.com’s Web site, and told recipients to “watch out” for the mailing. A few days later, a package arrived with more information and a pewter wine funnel encased in a branded satin pouch – but no special offer. Sales reps followed up a few days later with calls to schedule face-to-face meetings.

The e-mails and direct-mail responses were tracked, fueling Recruitsoft.com’s database. Meetings were set up with 555 prospects, nearly double the initial goal, and a number of sales were closed. The effort generated a 315 percent return on investment.

Judges’ comments: Strong fit and relevancy, combined with powerful results.

Runners Up Campaign: Sex, Drugs and Power Agency: Swordfish Client: Channel 4 Country: United Kingdom Swordfish developed a direct-mail program for Channel 4, which was looking to woo U.K. media buyers. Some 1,200 boxes were sent to buyers containing items tied to the themes of sex (cologne or perfume), drugs (a syringe-shaped pen), and power (a sweeps proffering a trip to Washington, DC). A sweepstakes hotline received 170 calls, and inquiries to Channel 4’s sales team rose 20 percent the week after the mailers shipped.

Campaign: One In/One Out Agency: Stopromotion Client: Correo Argentino Country: Argentina Looking to develop one-to-one marketing capabilities that would be affordable to packaged goods manufacturers, Stopromotion aligned with mail company Correo last spring to launch One In/One Out, a database service that collects prospects through on-pack promotions, sampling programs, and sweepstakes initiatives. Within one month of the program’s launch, two contracts valued at $800,000 were signed.

BEST RETAIL ACCOUNT-SPECIFIC PROMOTION First Place: Circuito Keep Walking Agency: Bullet In-Store Marketing Client: UDV Johnnie Walker Country: Brazil Brazil’s best-known and best-selling whiskey brand keeps coming up with some of the most unique programs in South America. In the Circuito on-premise campaign, Bullet staffers hit bars and clubs with samples and a creative form of P-O-P: plastic tubes attached to alphanumeric pagers for each table. Every 30 minutes, a message was sent via the pagers, giving some Johnnie Walker drinkers prizes and others incentives (“Wait for the next message for another chance to win”) to keep spirits flowing – both literally and figuratively. Staffers delivered prizes to the winning tables.

Interactive elements kept consumers connected with the four-month promotion. E-mails helped spread the word about which bars or clubs would be running the program. A special Web site served downloadable screensavers, virtual postcards, pictures from bar events, and a kooky blind-date service in which cybersurfers put in profiles and were electronically matched up.

Three cheers for Johnnie: The campaign generated 7,000 e-mail addresses the brand can now use to keep in touch with the faithful. And consumption levels of the whiskey peaked by as much as 120 percent during the program.

Judges’ comments: Brilliant, engaging, and relevant.

Runners Up Campaign: Our Millennium Wallchart Collector Agency: Dynamo Promotional Marketing Client: Tesco Country: United Kingdom British retail giant Tesco and Dynamo drove traffic and repeat business with a seven-week premium campaign. A wallchart and sticker collection depicting 1,000 years of British history were given to shoppers who spent œ25. The wallchart was distributed the initial week, with different sticker sets handed out in subsequent weeks. TV ads and P-O-P displays supported. Sixty-five percent of promotion stock was given away.

Campaign: Intergalactic Encounter Agency: Saban Entertainment/In-house Client: Saban Entertainment Country: United States Saban outdid a successful 1998 campaign 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 Bandai’s sales increased by more than 400 percent at each stop.

BEST DEALER OR SALES FORCE ACTIVITY First Place: World Flavors Agency: WatersMolitor Client: Spice Islands Country: United States Tone Brothers needed a major push to launch its first new product line in four years, but didn’t have a lot of time in which to do it. The company hired WatersMolitor last December, and charged the agency with breaking a campaign for the World Flavors line of ethnic spices by March 1.

The agency’s trade campaign centered on Old World imagery playing off the origins of the nine spices in the line, and featured confident messaging themed “Takin’ Back the Business” for Tone’s sales force – which was undergoing a massive turnover just as the effort broke.

Retailers received free samples in treasure chests that proved to be a real hit. The locked chests could only be opened by keys delivered within the sales brochure. Public events and in-store displays including shippers, racks, and shelf strips brought the message to consumers. A unique five-panel label spiced up packaging with a variety of recipes.

In the end, all of the targeted accounts accepted the full line of World Flavors SKUs, and overall Spice Islands sales rose 20 percent compared with the previous year.

Judge’s Comments: We loved the non-traditional approach to the program.

Runners Up Campaign: Build Agency: CP Communicacion Client: Cepsa Fuel Heating Country: Spain Oil company Cepsa incentivized sales with a game from CP Communicacion that gave reps pieces of a miniature house they could build if they reached sales goals. The “building” concept was carried through all promotional materials. The two-year program built business as well as houses in its first go-round: 96 percent of sales reps participated, and 76 percent surpassed their objectives.

Campaign: Portugal – Your Trip of 2000 Agency: Incentive House Client: Finasa Seguros Country: Brazil Looking to motivate insurance brokers around Brazil into boosting business with Finasa Seguros, Incentive House launched a points-based award program. Brokers were asked to suggest travel destinations for the prize pool, then were awarded points for business they brought in. Brokers with the most points won trips. Ten special events were held around the nation to kick off the promotion. Newsletters and premium offers supported. The campaign met its objectives, and 24 top salespeople were treated to a vacation in Portugal.

BEST IDEA OR CONCEPT SPONSOR: Boblbee First Place: Radio BU99 FM Agency: Partners Communications Client: Orange BU Country: Israel Looking to position itself as hip, young, and cool to Israeli teens, Orange teamed with radio station BU99 FM on an effort that truly opened a direct communications line to the target audience.

Partners Communications developed an interactive radio service teens use through their mobile phones to send and receive text messages. The shop then established several programs for utilizing the free service, including one that gave teens advance notice when their favorite song was about to air. (Users sent a text message to the station with a code that registered them for messages tied to a specific artist or group.) Another service let users register in a sweeps by sending a text message to the station. Winners were notified by their phones and invited to the station to pick out the next day’s tunes. Other text-message programs let teens find out where parties were being held, chat with DJs, sign up for music news, and play trivia games.

Quite simply, the program rocked. Some 20,000 consumers subscribed to the free service, boosting Orange’s presence and the station’s reach.

Judges’ comments: A trend-setting and exciting program that was right on the mark for the target audience.

Runners Up Campaign: Windows 2000 Agency: Motivare Client: Microsoft Corp. Country: Brazil Microsoft asked Motivare to develop a campaign about Windows 2000 technology that didn’t mention technology. The agency created a launch event for high-level executives, and humanized the invitations with a “Windows World” of transparent crystal held by hand-painted dolls purchased from a charity organization. Nearly all (98 percent) of recipients attended the event, which was replayed the next day due to the attention that had been generated.

Campaign: Beer Link Beer Mat Agency: IMP London Client: Bells Country: United Kingdom IMP’s effort for Bells scored points both for results and simplicity. The agency sought to bring whiskey drinking – normally a night-time activity – to the shank of the evening by giving free drinks to evening beer buyers and free beer to night-time whiskey buyers. Custom beer mats supported in 500 participating outlets. Consumption of the brand tripled in the early part of the evening and doubled in the wee hours.

BEST USE OF ART DIRECTION SPONSOR: Fine Arts Exchange First Place: The Zen of Minimalist Agency: 141 Singapore Client: Nokia Country: Singapore Looking to make some noise amidst the everyday hustle and bustle of life, wireless phone manufacturer Nokia took its marketing in a new direction with ads across Asia that were very different from the tech-heavy focus normally found in the category.

Nokia wanted to portray its new 8850 phone in a different light as part of an ongoing drive to position its products as fashionable accessories as well as communications gadgets. Marketing shop 141 Singapore created ads featuring vivid imagery that delighted the eyes and even touched a few hearts. The ads were designed to connect some of the characteristics of the phone with those of its users, portraying the product as strong and stylish, yet understated. Photos were shot with different moods in mind, and depicted people who find life’s pleasures in even the smallest details.

The product’s launch was a great success, helping to push the Nokia brand to the No. 1 slot in Asia and boosting global market share from 23 percent to 28 percent.

Judges’ comments: An impressive blending of all the visuals to communicate the minimalist attributes of the product.

Runners Up Campaign: Quality Agency: Triangle Communications Client: Guinness Draught Country: United Kingdom A light-hearted campaign from Triangle continued the beer giant’s efforts to get consumers to drink – and bartenders to pour – the “perfect pint.” A total of 1.5 million kits containing free-pint coupons and premium offers were dropped on the doorsteps of males 25 to 40 living near participating pubs. The promotion scored a three-percent response rate. Twenty-five percent of pub patrons questioned said they had visited because of the mailing.

Campaign: Elite Style of Insurance Policies Agency: Promarket Client: Elite Insurance Country: Israel Taking a cue from retail merchandisers worldwide, Elite and Promarket designed a new line of insurance and financial products to look just like a traditional store display. The Simply Insurance line of products and services was color-coded, displayed on racks, and advertised with catchy copy and user-friendly icons and collateral. The program generated record interest for Elite among Israeli consumers and is rolling out into hundreds of outlets.

BEST USE OF PHOTOGRAPHY First Place: The Couture of Cool Hunters Agency: 141 Singapore Client: Nokia Country: Singapore Telecommunications companies continue to change the way they market their products and services. Wireless phone maker Nokia and marketing shop 141 Singapore are leading where others follow, successfully using marketing to blur the lines between fashion and function.

Nokia launched its 8210 mobile phone with a striking ad campaign that combined the concepts of style, the arts, design, and sex appeal. The company was looking to distinguish itself from competitors and transform perception of its mobile phones from simple equipment to desirable fashion accessories. The phones are known for their light weight, sleek shapes, and many functions, but Nokia wanted to go a step further with the latest model.

141 Singapore rolled out sexy ads featuring lush settings, stylish people, and trendy clothes in an effort to attract the attention of “Cool Hunters,” a slang term for hip trend-setters, and make the phones a hot accessory among the young and stylish.

The launch was a great success, helping to push the Nokia brand to the No. 1 slot in Asia and boost global market share from 23 percent to 28 percent.

Judges’ comments: Super photography; excellent stuff.

Runner Up Campaign: Babble Babble Agency: Clarke Hooper Momentum Client: BT Cellnet Country: United Kingdom Simple and eye-catching creative from Clarke Hooper Momentum helped BT Cellnet increase overall recognition of its cellular service while retaining and recruiting customers. The program offered 120 free minutes in the first three months of service for any new customer. P-O-P materials using visuals of twins supported. Shortly after the campaign’s launch, BT Cellnet overtook rival Vodafone as the No. 1 network for post-pay calling plans.

BEST USE OF ILLUSTRATION First Place: You Growing With OMO Agency: Bullet In-Store Marketing Client: Gessy Lever Country: Brazil OMO powdered soup is a category leader in Brazil, having amassed a 50-percent market share. But in order to remain ahead of such rivals as Ariel, Ace, and Bold, the company knew it needed savvy marketing to keep its brand closer to Brazilian shoppers.

That need translated into a simple yet effective initiative, a mobile effort developed to engage local media and dazzle the population of two large cities. Bullet In-Store Marketing orchestrated the tour, which featured a customized truck outfitted with bright colors and simple drawings of kids. The vehicle hit a list of high-traffic areas and events in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, set up fenced-in areas for activities, and entertained kids and parents with clowns, drawing and painting sessions, kite-flying workshops, puppet shows, and other events. A press kick-off was held to launch the tour. Custom press kits bound with colored pencils instead of conventional spirals were distributed.

More than 20,000 people took part in activities during the tour’s four days. The campaign also received a number of media hits and had high-recall among journalists.

Judges’ comments: A pleasing and charming campaign that was appropriate and nicely understated.

Runner-Up Campaign: In-Can Promotion Agency: Premium Marketing Client: Procter & Gamble Country: Israel To boost sales and visibility for P&G’s Pringles potato chip, Premium Marketing helped devise a Europe-wide premium program. Four design teams from the agency developed 100 unique giveaways and partially transparent packaging that lets consumers view the prizes inside. The first execution of the program, which will be used for several years, was recently conducted by Procter & Gamble Greece.

PROMOTION MARKETING PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR Agnes Schafer, Vice President of Communications and Public Relations, Dairy Farmers of America United States Schafer was recognized for her work with the world-famous “Cows on Parade” program, which was so successful in the city of Chicago in 1999 that it led to similar programs in New York City and Stamford, CT, this year, as well as many spin-offs including “Moose on Parade” in Toronto and the “Peanuts Characters” campaign in St. Paul, MN.

Headquartered in Kansas City, MO, DFA is a national dairy cooperative that markets more than 40 billion pounds of milk annually for its 25,000 dairy producer members.

In her duties at DFA, Schafer oversees the strategic development and implementation of all communications programs that govern corporate relations and p.r., member communications, media relations, publications, Internet content, and corporate identity programs.

Schafer has been involved in public relations for agribusiness for more than 16 years. Prior to DFA’s formation in 1998, Schafer served as corporate relations manager for Milk Marketing, Inc., one of DFA’s founding cooperatives. In that capacity, she chaired the team of professional communicators commissioned by their farmer boards to create integrated information educating members and employees about the consolidation.

Throughout her career, she has worked in a variety of capacities from newspaper editor of an agricultural news publication in Ohio to her present capacity at DFA. Schafer, who holds a journalism and English degree from Indiana University in Bloomington, IN, grew up on a northern Indiana dairy farm. She resides in Kansas City, where the DFA cooperative is celebrating its second full year of operation.

A brief description of DFA’s Uncle Sam Operation Cows on Parade, which was handled by Flair Communications Agency of Chicago, follows.

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 of the association’s direct-mail, premium, display, Internet, and other initiatives.

The program surpassed goals, brought a 20-to-one return on investment, and raised $3.4 million for the DFA Dairy Relief charity. Uncle Sam has since traveled to numerous locations (including two visits to Capitol Hill in Washington, DC), has been involved in several media events (including a visit with Oprah), and has gained quasi-celebrity status: An accidental stopover in Buffalo, NY (the statue was supposed to be air-freighted to Chicago) resulted in an impromptu publicity event that was covered by Newsweek.