Winner
Hill & Knowlton and World Sport Chicago: AIBA World Boxing Championships Chicago 2007
Chicago is aiming to become the host of the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, so when it was awarded the honor of hosting the AIBA World Boxing Championships (AWBC) – with only 145 days to prepare for the event, instead of the traditional two years – it sought to prove that it would be a capable and ready host for the Games. World Sport Chicago (WSC) turned to Hill & Knowlton to develop and execute a campaign with the focus on the ethnic neighborhoods surrounding Chicago and the local consulates for countries represented in the Championships.
H&K's main goal was to garner attention for and fill the seats at the event, but Chicago isn't known for having a large amateur boxing fan base. The team focused on getting the city's many communities to come support the boxers of their native countries, such as Mexico, Greece, Poland, and Italy. It wanted to reach the 30 ethnic communities that encompass Chicago and ensure maximum attention for the 11-day competition.
In addition to media outreach, the team planned various events around Chicago, including an opening ceremony that began with a procession of athletes walking down a main street in Chicago and ending with a guest appearance by Muhammad Ali. H&K also garnered attention by staging a press conference to unveil the new logo with the mayor and kids from the Chicago Park District's boxing program. Additionally, the team obtained coverage by putting two US boxers, Christopher Downs and Rau'Shee Warren, in a ring aboard a barge floating down the Chicago River and contacted media the day of that event. It also planned low-profile events in the ethnic communities to generate excitement.
H&K's work paid off by making the event the largest in AWBC's history. Throughout the 11 days of the competition, enthusiastic crowds impressed athletes, media, and, most importantly, members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which selects the host cities for the Olympics. Additionally, fans from numerous countries, including Mongolia, Poland, and Hungary, attended the event and waved their flags proudly. A number of distinguished guests attended the event, such as boxer Evander Holyfield and IOC president Jacques Rogge. Ching-Kuo Wu, an IOC member from Taiwan and president of the International Boxing Association called the event “the best ever.” The event garnered more than 800 international articles during a three-month period, and Chicago remains on the IOC's shortlist of cities to host the 2016 Games.
One judge commented that the campaign was “very creative, highly global, and had excellent community engagement,” while another said that it “succeeded on every level and set the bar for the competition.”
Honorable Mention
MS&L and Procter & Gamble's TAG brand: TAG Experiences the ‘Clean Smell' of Success with the Launch of TAG Records
Consumers still use hip-hop for self-expression, but TAG noticed a falloff for the musical genre as an advocate of positive social change. To tout this idea, and to differentiate itself, the firm sought to identify with the urban community and put the brand at the center of the music. TAG hired MS&L and formed a joint venture with P&G, Island Def Jam, and hip-hop mogul Jermaine Dupri to reach this market and create TAG Records. The team secured partnerships, broke the label's first artist on BET, enlisted influencers to spread TAG messaging, and hosted aspiring MCs in a battle for a demo deal with Dupri during an 11-market tour. MS&L teamed with Russell Simmons' Hip-Hop Summit Action Network to award grants to students for their community efforts. Sales grew more than 50% across three key retailers. It also sparked more than 200 blog posts about the TAG Records launch and received more than 88% positive coverage. One judge said the effort had “excellent creativity to engage a youth market.”
Finalists
• Cone and The American Heart Association for Cone: The American Heart Association's Power To End Stroke Movement
• Edelman and Microsoft Zune: Zune Wisin y Yandel
• Hill & Knowlton and World Sport Chicago: AIBA World Boxing Championships Chicago 2007
• MS&L and Procter & Gamble's TAG brand: TAG Experiences the ‘Clean Smell' of Success with the Launch of TAG Records
• VPE Public Relations and McDonald's: McDonald's Education Campaign to Support RMHC/HACER Empowers Hispanic Communities
Sponsor: For more than 50 years, GolinHarris has provided unequalled expertise and resources to every client, creating programs to increase awareness of their missions, appreciation for their brands, enthusiasm for their products, and trust in their reputations. We are proud of the commitment and passion our people have to deliver results.
