Private-Sector Project

Winner: Colehour + Cohen

TITLE: BECU UW Gold Debit MasterCard Integrated Campaign: Over the last few years BECU’s marketing efforts have focused on recruiting young people to become members. A team of three agencies created an integrated campaign appealing to local Husky pride and encouraging young people to become members and get a BECU UW Gold Debit MasterCard. The “BECU Presents Bow Down to Washington” video featuring famous UW alums singing the UW fight song was developed as the cornerstone of the campaign. It was intended to be fun and something people would share with their friends. The video was promoted through social media, PR, advertising, and online marketing. Results included the posting of the video on the Facebook and Twitter accounts of cast members, including Kenny G, Rick Steves, Nate Robinson and Detlef Schrempf. There was a huge social media response including trending on Twitter. “Bow Down” also captured significant media attention with an article in the New York Times and 18 local and regional stories. “Bow Down” earned more than 40,000 views on YouTube. Most importantly, 50,969 BECU Husky Gold Debit MasterCards have been issued since launch, exceeding the 2011 goal by over 2,000 (yes 2,000%) percent. Click here to view project.

CLIENT: BECU

CREDITS: Colehour + Cohen, DNA Seattle and Zaaz

Merit Award: Gogerty Marriott

TITLE: Amanda Knox Project: October 4, 2011 saw the culmination of an unprecedented four-year effort to free Amanda Knox, a UW exchange student, who had been wrongfully accused by Italian authorities of taking part in the murder of her British roommate, Meredith Kercher, in Perugia, Italy. The entrant worked tirelessly with the family, the national and international media and her attorneys to gain reversal of her conviction after four years of incarceration in an Italian prison. The effort to turn around highly negative and often inaccurate media coverage was capped by the entrant’s handling of the press conference before a packed media audience at Amanda’s dramatic arrival home at Sea-Tac Airport. The intensive media coverage of her homecoming was a continuation of the heavy media interest from the time she was first arrested, through her first trial and through her acquittal on the murder charge by an Italian appeals court. The entrant continues to deal with the media concerning myriad offers to tell her story in all available channels of communication. Click here to view project.

CLIENT: Amanda Knox family

CREDITS: David Marriott

Merit Mention: Curator

TITLE: The Consumer’s Conflict: A Whole Foods Market Speakers Series: To help Whole Foods Market’s leadership position within the food industry and expand its reputation within the target audience known as the Conscionable Consumer, the agency developed, planned and executed a series of Consumer’s Conflict speaker events. The goal of this series was to create compelling events that supported greater transparency around complex food issues. Panelists included nationally renowned authors, restaurateurs, farmers, food industry experts, media and representatives from Whole Foods. In 2011, the agency conducted three such events, one on meat, another on sustainable seafood and a third on fresh-picked produce. The agency also developed a website for the series at www.theconsumersconflict.com and promoted the event through media calendar listings and outreach to local food bloggers. It also invited people via Whole Foods Market’s social media channels and in-store customer communications. Attendance has grown for each event, as has media coverage and social media engagement.  KCPQ-TV, the Seattle Times, Seattle Weekly, Seattlest, Examiner.com and Yay-Today all reported on the most recent panel and Twitter users, with a base of 35,000 followers, continued the discussion online. Click here to view project.

CLIENT: Whole Foods Market

CREDITS: Senior Counsel: Scott Battishill
Strategy: Ann Marie Ricard
Public Relations: Annie Speight
Social Media: Lisa Kennelly
Public Relations: Matthew Robinson
Public Relations: Megan Andrus

Public-Sector Project

Winner: Rich Marketing

TITLE: Take Winter By Storm: This was a collaborative public-private campaign by Seattle Public Utilities, Seattle City Light, Puget Sound Energy, King County, and State Farm Insurance. The PSA campaign and educational outreach produced not only public interest and awareness about being prepared for winter-weather, but created measurable outcomes, motivating area residents and businesses to take concrete preparedness measures prior to a winter storm to ensure their safety. Seven radio PSAs, seven TV PSAs (including seven additional TV-chief-meteorology-talent-fronted PSAs produced by all four network affiliates) were produced to support the educational outreach.  Also, three weather-themed banner-ad sizes ran across the Seattle DMA. All PSAs were trafficked in relation to the forecasted weather to create relevancy of message and increase positive behavior change outcomes. The public was encouraged to go to www.takewinterbystorm.org to download preparedness checklists. The measurables included a 155% increase in campaign awareness, increases in 12 of 15 measurable preparedness behaviors, English material downloads totaling 37,000+ (plus 5K+ downloads of non-English language materials). The campaign generated 60M+ media impressions and was sanctioned by the National Weather Service as an example for educational outreach of weather preparedness information. Gov. Christine Gregoire issued a proclamation citing it as a campaign to watch for preparedness practices. Click here to view project.

CLIENT: Seattle Public Utilities, Seattle City Light, Puget Sound Energy, King County, State Farm

CREDITS:  Rich Marketing
Colehour+Cohen
Seattle Public Utilities
Seattle City Light
Puget Sound Energy
King County
State Farm

Merit Award: Colehour + Cohen

TITLE: RePower Bainbridge: Bainbridge Island has had an energy problem. Due to the age of the homes on the island, the average homeowner uses 60% more electricity than other Puget Sound Energy customers. The City of Bainbridge Island partnered with Conservation Services Group and the agency to create a communitywide energy-efficiency program, with the goal of completing energy checkups in 50% of island homes and installing upgrades in 25% of homes. A launch program was created to motivate residents to take the first step and sign up for home energy checkups. The launch used the power of fun to engage residents in the campaign. Kids were enlisted to paint storefront windows with symbols of energy efficiency, a CFL giveaway was held onboard Washington State Ferries and an Electric Avenue project was implemented where two neighborhoods monitored their daily energy use and recorded the results on a street mural. An ad campaign featuring Bainbridge Island energy champions encouraging their neighbors to get home energy checkups. The campaign garnered 1,200 signups for home energy checkups, surpassing the launch goal by 20% and achieving 33% of the three-year program goal of 4,000 checkups. Click here to view project.

CLIENT: City of Bainbridge Island

CREDITS: Conservation Services Group and Colehour  + Cohen

Merit Mention: Curator

TITLE: Introducing the FOOD & WINE Festival in Ixtapa-Zihuatinejo:  Cabo or Cancun—which has the cheaper air fare? That’s  the typical concern of tourists flying into Mexico. TIxtapa-Zihuatinejo’s  government-funded Convention & Visitors Bureau approached the agency and said it didn’t have the budget of a Cabo or Cancun but is just as beautiful and would love more exposure to the tourist market. The agency decided that if it tried to match those resorts with the same advertising and PR tactics, it would get drowned out. So it created something that gave people a reason to choose I-Z over ANY Mexican destination. Consumer research showed that travelers love coming to an unspoiled, authentic Mexican experience. In large part through incredible cuisine, I-Z has been emerging as a Mexican culinary hub. Based on that insight, the agency recommended hosting Latin America’s first Food & Wine Festival. It developed a partnership with FOOD & WINE MAGAZINE, celebrity chefs Rick Bayless, Marcus Samuelsson and Michael Symon and produced a travel experience that would cement a unique place for I-Z in travelers’ minds. All 18 events in 2011 were sold out, generated more than 400 million media impressions and provided myriad social media content. News stories are comparing Ixtapa-Zihuatinejo to New York City for a culinary experience. The agency said, Cancun can have its upside-down tequila shooters; we’ll take the affluent travelers. Click here to view project.

CLIENT: Ixtapa-Zihuatinejo Convention & Visitors Bureau

CREDITS: Strategy: Scott Battishill
Public Relations: Ann Marie Ricard
Advertising: Dan Miller
Social Media: Lisa Kennelly
Public Relations: Julia McGavran
Creative Director: Michael Nalley
Production: Derek Sparks

PSA Spot

Winner: Copacino + Fujikado

TITLE: Dr. Jensen Video: This video was created to help Seattle Children’s Hospital tell the emotional and inspiring story of Dr. Jensen’s pediatric cancer research. It’s used at fundraising events and in general awareness building at Dr. Jensen’s speaking engagements.

CLIENT: Seattle Children’s Hospital

CREDITS:  Creative Director and Copywriter: Jim Copacino
Art Director: Kurt Reifschneider
Broadcast Producer: Kris Dangla
Video Editor: Brian Alter

Merit Award: The Fearey Group

TITLE: da Vinci Robot Folds Paper Airplane: Swedish Health Services has the Northwest’s leading robotic-assisted surgery program and its doctors often are called upon to train others in the technology. To inform the public and media on the advances in minimally invasive surgical options, the agency worked with Swedish to produce a video of James Porter, M.D., medical director of robotic surgery, using a da Vinci robot to fold a paper airplane out of a square of paper approximately the size of a penny. The easily identifiable activity was a creative way to demonstrate the precision of the technology. And the choice of material—held up to a penny for comparison—served as a universal yardstick that everyone could easily understand without explanation. In just the first six days after it was initially posted, media coverage from the video reached approximately 26 million people in 50 countries. To date, almost a year later, the video has had nearly 600,000 views on YouTube and key national media placements in USA Today, Wired, Popular Science, and CBC and MSNBC. Dan Dixon, VP/external affairs for Swedish, said: “This is pretty amazing coverage for Swedish, Dr. Porter and the technology that makes healthcare delivery a remarkable thing…”

CLIENT: Swedish Health Services, Melissa Tizon, Ed Boyle, Dana Lewis, Dan Hallett

CREDITS: The Fearey Group, Aaron Blank, Drew Symonds

Merit Mention: Craters of the Moon

TITLE: WSCADV: “Respect”: WSCADV (Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence) is primarily a resource for programs that assist domestic violence victims and their families. In addition, it informs prevention and education organizations, government agencies, the media and other concerned with domestic violence. Last year, WSCADV teamed up with Mariners Care and the Seattle Mariners to create a domestic violence awareness and outreach program. Through the generosity of the Mariners and their players, specifically Cy Young Award recipient Felix Hernandez, Franklin Gutierrez, Jack Wilson and manager Eric Wedge, the agency created a campaign to have Mariners players promote respect for each other, self and especially women. The manager and players related the honor and respect for the game to everyday life and interaction with friends, loved ones and family members. The campaign involved print, radio, in-stadium materials and this public service video. The program is the only domestic violence program in the country that has used professional athletes to stand up against domestic violence. The campaign has been heralded by other domestic violence organizations around the nation. At the 12th annual Take Action Against Domestic Violence awards ceremony, the Mariners received the top award for their generous participation in the campaign. The campaign also was awarded a Commissioner’s 2011 Top Ten Award for Philanthropic Excellence from Major League Baseball.

CLIENT: Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence

CREDITS: Creative Director: Kevin Nolan/Vandy Kindred
Writer: Vandy Kindred
Art Director: Kevin Nolan
Photographer: Ben Vanhoven
Production Company: Craters of the Moon
Account Executive: Alyssa Taylor