Winner
CKPR and AirTran Airways: AirTran Puts a New Spin on "EweTube"

In 1997, AirTran Airways launched X-Fares, a stand-by flight program for college students. Despite a re-launch in 2003, its recognition and popularity declined sharply.

Both the company and its PR firm, CKPR, cited an outdated title and branding - which was based on Gen-X, a moniker that no longer applies to current college kids.

To turn things around, CKPR, armed with research showing that people form their airline loyalties in their 20s, devised an overall campaign that included aspects which enabled students to interact with the brand on their own turf - the Internet.

What more relevant way to appeal to college kids than by creating a program in the form of a fake university? Hence, AirTran U was born. Of course, any self-respecting school needs a cool mascot. Enter Eunice, the AirTran Ewe. And, of course, with research showing that more than 90% of college students watched online videos on YouTube, making it the third most popular site in 2006 among that demographic, "EweTube" emerged as the perfect venue to reach AirTran's target audience and get those students to interact with the brand in a hip, fun way - an online video contest.

"Do a little (or big) dance, sing a fight song, chant, or whatever else comes to you," were the directions kids received for the videos they could post at youtube.com/airtranu, the virtual home of the contest. These directions were posted on the Eunice masks students could print from the site.

"This was really a nice approach to engage the jaded college audience in a brave, clever, and irreverent way," one judge commented.

And to attract even more visitors and boost word of mouth, fellow classmates and friends were allowed to vote for the best video. The prize: the contest winner got a free round-trip flight voucher for anywhere the airline flies, plus three flights for friends or family members.

To promote the contest, the agency dispatched street teams of cheerleaders and a life-size Eunice to college campuses all over the US. In addition, CKPR created profiles for Eunice on MySpace, Friendster, and Facebook, with the latter attracting more than 600 friends among the 18- to 22-year-old target audience.

Between February and April 2007, AirTran's number of stand-by flights rose 30% on average, compared to the same months the previous year. The EweTube contest attracted 24,000 unique visitors. Media impressions also abounded, none more memorable than Eunice's appearance on NBC's Today.

As one judge noted, "It was a fabulous combination of creativity, targeted use of new media, and stellar results."

Honorable Mention
Hellerman Baretz Communications and Ford and Harrison LLP: Must SUE TV: Using Humor and Pop Culture to Communicate and Connect: Blog 'That's What She Said' Puts Law Firm on the Map



Ford & Harrison (FH), a national labor and employment law firm, sought to go beyond the usual marketing avenues of client newsletters and networking events. As HBC president John Hellerman was watching The Office one night, it hit him: FH should have a blog to address workplace issues. The "That's What She Said" blog was born. Each Friday, FH associate Julie Elgar would post an analysis estimating how much the behavior of the show's main character would cost companies to defend in real-life lawsuits. This would showcase FH's legal expertise and its sense of humor. Numerous media outlets were intrigued. One impressed client's CEO even e-mailed the blog to all company managers, encouraging them to visit it every Friday. "This is pop culture meeting the conservative world of law in a way that set the blogosphere on fire," one judge noted.

Finalists 2008
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Burson-Marsteller and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing Wi-5: The $5 Bill Digital Unveiling
CKPR and AirTran Airways AirTran Airways Puts a New Spin on "EweTube"
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. Goodyear's 2006 Negotiations Web Site
Hellerman Baretz Communications and Ford and Harrison LLP Must SUE TV: Using Humor and Pop Culture to Communicate and Connect: Blog 'That's What She Said' Puts Law Firm on the Map