FINALISTS

Best Multidiscipline Campaign 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.” Working with Chicago-based agency Entertainment Marketing, Inc., 141 developed a Dare to Stay Pure campaign featuring 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.

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.

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-to-one return on investment, and even raised $3.4 million for the DFA Dairy Relief charity.

Best Use of New Media Campaign: Smell-O-Vision Agency/Client: In-house/Nickelodeon Nickelodeon once again showed why packaged goods partners like Northfield, IL-based Kraft Foods 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: 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, 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.

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: 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. Marketing Werks’ tour nearly tripled Hershey Foods investment in media value alone. Add in the goodwill generated by a cause overlay, 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.

Best Activity Generating Brand Loyalty 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: 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.

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 funding increased by 30 percent during the three-month period. More than 1,000 first-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. yAn “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.