Winner
Cohn & Wolfe Healthcare and Aventis Pharmaceuticals and National Federation of the Blind (NFB): NFB-Allegra 2001 Everest Expedition

Cohn & Wolfe and Aventis picked an unusual spokesman for allergy drug Allegra. They chose Erik Weihenmayer, who was on a quest to become the first blind man to climb the world's highest mountain. Here was a perfect example of someone overcoming difficulties – his blindness and his seasonal allergies – to accomplish his dream of climbing Mount Everest. While the NFB funded the climb, Allegra sponsored a documentary on the adventure, and spearheaded all publicity.

C&W worked with the NFB to craft messages for Weihenmayer during his three-month mission, which ended in June 2001. Both parties hoped to harness the power of this inspirational story.

Weihenmayer made the front page of Time and gave an interview at the summit to CNN (mentioning Allegra) and how he followed fellow climbers who described the rock face and rang a bell so he knew where they were.

But before Weihenmayer completed his climb, the PR team had some challenges of their own to overcome. What if Weihenmayer was injured along the way? How would they execute a media tour with the climber in the Himalayas?

Working with other companies – KEF Media, Newport Productions/Aperture Films – C&W determined that an SMT from Mount Everest's base would be possible. The team had to arrange transport for hundreds of pounds of equipment to a place that was too high for helicopters to reach. The team carried the equipment to base camp with the aide of local sherpas and yaks, while a photographer was also secured to climb with the expedition.

While reporters would no doubt focus on his blindness, Allegra had to rely on Weihenmayer to deliver their messages. To keep the brand name front of mind, the team designed a joint NFB-Allegra logo that was made into patches and shirts that were to be worn at all times.

To keep the momentum going, the media relations team organized three SMTs; one from base camp, one pre-summit and one post summit.

Allegra sales rose greatly, and traffic to its website increased by over 650%. Meanwhile Weihenmayer became a star, appearing on AP Radio and The Charlie Rose Show. CNN even managed a phone interview with him on reaching the summit. For the PR teams, it was a mountainous campaign with a happy ending for all.

Honorable Mention
Ruder Finn and Novartis Oncology: US FDA Approval of Gleevec: Managing the Media Onslaught

Novartis hired Ruder Finn to help launch a new cancer treatment called Gleevec, gain worldwide awareness for its approval of by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as well as to manage expectations. Wide media coverage could lead people to conclude that Novartis had developed a cure for leukemia instead of a helpful treatment. The agency succeeded in its mission, as the majority of articles noted that Gleevec was a major advancement, but not a cure. The FDA approval of Gleevec, which came on May 10, was covered by the likes of The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, as well as all three network morning shows. According to Ruder Finn, media impressions totaled 300 million.

Finalists 2001
BBK Healthcare and Tanox: Peanut Allergy Study

Brodeur Worldwide and ABIOMED: The Patient comes first: Managing the Media during a Historic Clinical Trial
 
Cohn & Wolfe Healthcare and Aventis Pharmaceuticals and National Federation of the Blind (NFB): NFB-Allegra 2001 Everest Expedition

GCI Group and ImClone Systems Incorporated: ImClone: Supporting a Medical Breakthrough

Ruder Finn and Novartis Oncology: US FDA Approval of Gleevec: Managing the Media Onslaught

Sponsored by PIMS
Delivering a complete range of services to the communications professional, PIMS is designed to achieve maximum effectiveness by coordinating and assembling press kits, releases, and presentation materials, and delivering them to the most accurate media list exclusively designed from over 250,000 contacts.