Winner
GolinHarris and Nintendo of America: Wii Fit Gets America Moving

Nintendo faced a major challenge in building buzz for a video game that looked like a bathroom scale. But when the Wii Fit debuted at E3 in 2007 to a lukewarm response, the challenge became even greater. Working with GolinHarris, Nintendo used PR as a major part of a pre-launch campaign, educating consumers and media, while pushing the game as a second act to Wii.
 
The launch campaign focused on reaching parents over the age of 35, health-conscious consumers, and both casual and core gamers. Nintendo hoped to secure hits in outlets like The New York Times, USA Today, and on the big three network morning shows.
 
The strategy for the campaign included stressing the fun and fitness that Wii Fit can provide. It hoped to establish credibility by partnering with a health organization to offer consumers free tryouts, which research showed would boost sales.
 
Leading up to the game's release, Wii Fit creator Shigeru Miyamoto was made available for media interviews. The company also released a special series of interviews with Nintendo president Satoru Iwata online. Personal trainers delivered the Wii Fit to several key media outlets, which resulted in coverage in publications including People and Vanity Fair. The big three morning shows – Today, Good Morning America, and The Early Show – and The Ellen DeGeneres Show had on-air demos of the game, while Saturday Night Live parodied Wii Fit, which helped it enter into the pop culture dialogue.
 
Overall, nearly 2,000 publications featured the Wii Fit, with impressions reaching more than 2 billion. The media results that came from the PR explained how to use the product, showed people having fun, and turned the Wii Fit into a must-have game.
 
GolinHarris and Nintendo had a “superb media program that secured coverage in a number of non-tech media outlets, showing that the campaign proactively sought coverage in almost every lifestyle periodical,” noted one judge.
 
A well-received launch event took place in New York's Central Park, where $5 was donated to the American Heart Association for every person who “got on board.” More than 290 million impressions resulted from the event, including the AP, CNBC, and Fitness.
 
Consumers formed lines to buy the Wii Fit and the product sold out at the Nintendo World store on launch day. Nintendo reported that the introduction of Wii Fit was among the most successful launches in company history.
 
“[The campaign] turned the product into a phenomenon, a sensation, and it achieved broad ubiquity,” said one judge.

Honorable Mention
Ruder Finn and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater – Celebrating the Spirit



The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater marked its 50th anniversary in 2008 and hired Ruder Finn to help it bring dance to the people, celebrate modern dance, and honor its African-American roots. For greater visibility, it placed dancers on Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance. Ruder Finn pitched media with story ideas from race to style, and helped the company on a campaign that, as one judge stated, “successfully rode a milestone to achieve its objectives.” The anniversary was covered in The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and Essence. The New York Times also featured artistic director Judith Jamison, who retired during the celebration. Regular season sales were up 50% during the first week of sales in September, and crowds lined up at 5am for one-day discounted tickets.

Finalists

• Coyne Public Relations and Harlem Globetrotters: Harlem Globetrotters: “Magic as Ever” 2007-2008 Tour
• GolinHarris and Nintendo of America: Wii Fit Gets America Moving
• Ketchum and Nokia Nokia Productions: Engaging Consumers to Create the First Socially Collaborative Film
• Ruder Finn and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Celebrating the Spirit
• Weber Shandwick and MilkPEP: Taking the Milk Mustache Digital to Break Through With Teens