Winner
Edelman and Church & Dwight: Trojan Evolve Campaign

With the US having more resources than most other Western countries, the folks at Trojan didn't think there was any reason for the country to have such a high rate of sexually transmitted infection, unintended pregnancy, and abortion.

In an effort to reverse that trend, the company launched the Evolve campaign designed to start a shift in the way people and influencers think about condoms and their role in American society.

Along with Edelman, Trojan took advantage of the momentum it built up two years earlier with the launch of its annual College Journalist Roundtables and Sexual Health Report Card.

The goal was to generate media attention and coverage for Trojan's new marketing campaign in national broadcast, print, and online outlets, and establish conversations that would position Trojan as a thought leader in sexual health. The company also wanted to activate a network of third-party sexual-health experts to augment Evolve campaign messages.

Edelman jumped on the fact that a number of major broadcast networks declined to play the Trojan condom TV spots and generated a lot of media coverage as a result. It allowed the firm to garner coverage in media channels where paid condom advertising typically doesn't run. Subsequently, a consumer dialogue about Trojan's mission was prompted.

Edelman announced the launch of the campaign in The New York Times, resulting in a number of supporting stories in mainstream and online media outlets. Electronic press kits featuring the Evolve master narrative, banned ads, and US sexual health statistics were sent to trade and consumer outlets covering marketing/media, lifestyle, and health and wellness. The agency also got Trojan supporters like the Kaiser Family Foundation, Planned Parenthood, and Trojan Sexual Health Advisory Council to tout Evolve messages through independent endorsement and activity.

Edelman's efforts managed to generate more than 200 million media impressions in less than four months, with 95 million impressions secured in the first two weeks. The campaign was covered by a range of media including The New York Times, Newsweek, The O'Reilly Factor, The Colbert Report, VH1's The Best Week Ever, along with blogs on The Huffington Post, Time.com, and Ms. Magazine.

"There were many risks to this campaign," one judge noted, "which made the great results all that more impressive." Another judge added that the "controversy gave [Edelman] a lot to work with and they truly made the most of it."

Honorable Mention
Ketchum and Kimberly-Clark: SCOTT Flushability

Kimberly-Clark enlisted the help of Ketchum to make the issue of toilet paper dissolvability a newsworthy issue while elevating it as an important purchase consideration. So Ketchum leveraged the infamous urban legend regarding the effects of America's simultaneous potty break during halftime of the Super Bowl and created the Super Bowl Halftime Flush program. Ketchum used a variety of tactics including a mock PSA campaign featuring former player and coach Mike Ditka, an essay contest called "Share Your Cloggiest Moment" where the winner got $25,000 to "Flush Your Worries Away," an online blog, and viral video sites. National media outreach was also conducted from New York and South Florida, the site of the 2007 Super Bowl. The efforts generated 263 million impressions, while 98% of media placements communicated that Scott Bath Tissue dissolves four times faster than the leading brand. One of the judges believed that Ketchum came up with a "nice creative angle" to run a "strong campaign drawing awareness around a subject not often talked about."

Finalists 2008
Edelman and Church & Dwight Trojan Evolve Campaign
GolinHarris and Nintendo of America Gray Gamers Go Wild for Wii
Ketchum and Kimberly-Clark SCOTT Flushability
Manning Selvage & Lee and Procter & Gamble Charmin Restrooms
Weber Shandwick and KFC KFC Face from Space

Sponsor: Carmichael Lynch Spong is one of the nation's most admired PR firms. Known for its award-winning strategy and creative heat, Carmichael Lynch Spong represents a very select and envied portfolio of world-class clients. Ranked among the top 20 largest PR firms in the US, Carmichael Lynch Spong has offices in Minneapolis; New York; Boston; Denver; San Francisco; and Jackson Hole, WY.