Winner: Museum of Science and Industry: Effective PR on Exhibit
In 2004, attendance was down in eight of Chicago's 10 most popular cultural institutions, compared to 2003. The Museum of Science and Industry had one particular goal for 2005: increase its attendance in the ultra-competitive Windy City cultural marketplace.
The museum's planning staff took great care in creating a range of compelling and even controversial exhibits. These events included "Body Worlds," which used cadavers to teach museum attendees about anatomy; "Game On," a video game exhibit that could have been in danger of being derided as a mere arcade; and "U-505 Submarine," which showcased the only World War II German sub captured during the war.
The PR staff of three was then tasked with taking that message to the public. This team was integral in many of the planning stages of the events to maximize coverage. They convinced the staff to keep the museum open 24 hours a day for the last three days of the Body Worlds exhibit, a decision which piled more news on top of the already massive impressions count.
At the end of the exhibit, which began in February 2005, it received 533 hits and over 65 million media impressions, national coverage by USA Today and Time magazine, front-page stories in four local publications, and endorsements from the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Medical Society.
For the March Game On exhibition, which included such historic games as Pong, the PR team compiled an online media kit at msigameon.org, alerting 1,600 reporters to the particulars of the exhibition. It also reassured families that games would be appropriate for all audiences. The team's work earned the museum nearly 27 million impressions, via 238 hits. Among the out-of-town publications covering the event were US News and World Report and The Washington Post. In June, the U-505 Submarine exhibition attracted 42 million impressions and 397 news stories, including coverage by NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams and national stories in The Wall Street Journal, AP, and The Washington Post. The entire year netted incredible coverage both locally and nationally. During the course of the PR campaign, October 15, 2004 to October 15, 2005, the museum received 87 hits in the Chicago Sun-Times and 66 hits in the Chicago Tribune and hosted more than 25 in-market morning shows. The end result found the Museum of Science and Industry with a 52% attendance increase compared to 2004.
Honorable Mention: American Red Cross: American Red Cross 24/7
In a hurricane season that Americans won't soon forget, the American Red Cross helped raise $500 million for the victims of the Southeast Asian tsunami and $1.3 billion for the victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, among others. The Red Cross began planning early, creating PSAs, establishing partnerships with 300 celebrities, and deploying over 70 rapid-response team members who ended up participating in nearly 1,000 national media stories. The Red Cross also launched the Help America campaign, where research helped raise $32 million by going after specific demographics. In an incredibly busy year, the Red Cross PR team booked Marty Evans, CEO and president, for 300 media interviews, earning 155 million impressions and $6.8 million in media value with television appearances' alone.
Finalists:
American Red Cross
American Red Cross 24/7
Humane Society of the United States
Promoting the Protection of All Animals
Museum of Science and Industry
Effective PR on Exhibit
Rotary International
Rotary's Global Public Relations Team
Sponsor:
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