From the Editors: Welcome to "PROMO's Greatest Hits!" While this site is a work-in-progress, even in its early version you will find art and background description on dozens of award-winning campaigns that have crossed our editors' desks. In the next few weeks and months, this collection will quickly become hundreds of campaigns, which will be searchable across tactics deployed, brand category, and lead agency. When you are looking for great ideas to help springboard your next project, please turn here.

Top Campaigns of 2005: PRO Award Winners and Finalists

Best Multidiscipline National Campaign

Cadillac Under 5
Client: General Motors' Cadillac
Agency: Arc Worldwide, Leo Burnett
Cadillac touted V-Series' five-second rule (0-60 in less time) with a contest for five-second films, hosted by Be Cool's Chili Palmer (John Travolta) online, in Super Bowl ads; film school trading cards, posters drew students. Be Cool cast and director F. Gary Gray picked winners. Grand prize: a 2005 Cadillac CTS-V and inclusion in a TV spot. Five category winners flew to Be Cool's London premiere; 35 finalists flew to an L.A. screening with Gray. Drew 2,648 entries; site traffic up 358% with 1 million new visitors; 43,000 incremental requests for dealer info.

What the judges said: “This was integrated on so many levels, and all the elements were relevant to the message.” “This sells the premise of the car; it's not borrowed interest.”

Unexpected Summer
Client: Coca-Cola Co.
Agency: Momentum Worldwide
Coke turned 45 pop cans into GPS-cell phones; winners called via the can, then search teams tracked them to deliver prizes. Radio tie-ins and P-O-P supported. ROI beat goal by 26%.

The Hallmark Channel Mystery Movie Sweepstakes
Client: Hallmark Channel
Agency: Concept One Communications
Clues seeded on-air, online, via phone and e-mail let viewers solve film crimes for $10,000 weekly prize. Ratings jumped 82% for the quarter.

Candidate Zero
Client: NetZero Internet
Agency: United Online ISP NetZero fielded Candidate Zero in election-year with TV ads, events and giveaways for gas, groceries. Top-of-mind awareness hit 6% (from 4%); total awareness was 89% (from 86%).

Best Multidiscipline Regional Campaign

Boru: Clarity from Ireland
Client: Castle Brands
Agency: Fathom Communications
Irish vodka Boru hosted “Nights of Clarity” for Boston and NYC premise accounts, with coasters, posters touting Boru-isms; sales kits to 900 accounts. Distribution rose 48%; case sales grew 82%; dollar sales up 206%.

What the judges said: “They've used the usual channels, but in a fairly fresh way.” “This is a sustainable concept in a crowded category.”

Xtreme Nutrition
Client: Kroger Stores
Agency: CoActive Marketing Group
Krogers’ chain Ralphs had kids track fruit/veg eaten to earn prizes. A special edition of SI for Kids from Fresh Express pushed its sales 59%; up 60% for Naked Juice, 100% for Marianni; Yoplait sold 1 million units in a month.

Hooray for Hoggywood
Client: American Diabetes Association
Agency: MARS Advertising
Fundraiser let top donor kiss a pig (first source of insulin); Hollywood theme covered off- and online invitations, signage, outdoor, print ads. Raised 25% more than in prior years.

Game Fuel @ E3
Client: Pepsi-Cola Co.
Agency: Mirrorball
As the Official Soft Drink of E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo), Dew awarded the first 10 Xbox 360 consoles (unveiled at E3). E-mail drew 35,000 “testers” for new “X” drink.

Best Use of Promotional Advertising

Pontiac Apprentice Early Order Program
Client: Pontiac
Agency: Digitas
An Apprentice cameo pre-sold Pontiac's roadster Solstice. The 1,000 special-edition cars sold in 41 minutes after show. Of 41,000 registrants, 16% visited dealers. Solstice sold out 2005 production in 10 days.

What the judges said: “Extraordinary results.” “There's certainly a call to action; it was immediate, and hit the right demographic.” “It's amazing how fast the cars went.” “Creating scarcity is always nice.”

All-Star Derby Design Contest
Client: Lowe's Home Improvement, Dremel
Agency: Summit Marketing
Retailer Lowe’s and toolmaker Dremel flagged Cub Scout Pinewood Derby Races. Posters in Scouting Magazine (read by 1.1 million parents); ads in Boys Life reached Scouts. In-store demos boosted traffic by 29,000.

Captain for President
Client: Captain Morgan
Agency: BFG Communications
Captain Morgan led “Americans for a Better Party” with politics-free happy hours. Garnered 13.7% volume growth and accounted for 30% of all rums’ dollar growth.

Suave’s Search for America’s Smartest Shopper
Client: Unilever
Agency: 141 Worldwide
Bargain-hunters vied for $20,000 and a spot on E! Style’s The Look for Less. Sweeps gave yard sale “treasures.” Suave.com traffic up 160%; 15,000 contest entries; 57,000 sweeps entries.

Best Use of Event Marketing (Five or Less Venues)

CNN Diner
Client: CNN
Agency: Civic Entertainment Group
CNN hosted politicians, newscasters and attendees of the Republican National Convention in NYC diner (also a set for shows). CNN closed two major ad sales over milkshakes.

What the judges said: “They were really on their toes with execution.” “They used the diner to reach not just celebs and politicians, but everyone else.” “This really let CNN step out from the broadcast networks.” “This is an icon that CNN can build equity around at future conventions.”

American Express presents U.S. Open Live at Rockefeller Center
Client: American Express
Agency: Momentum Worldwide
AmEx cardholders got priority seats, tickets, special menus in Rockefeller restaurants. Player appearances, celeb doubles entertained. Hosted 337,000 tennis fans; 82% will return in 2005.

Meow Mix Café
Client: Meow Mix Co.
Agency: Grand Central Marketing
Meow Mix launched wet cat food with a NYC storefront serving cats and humans. The 12-day stint sold $20,000 (donated to ASPCA); hosted 2,000 visitors a day; earned 140 million U.S. media impressions.

ConQwest 2004
Client: Qwest Communications
Agency: AMP Agency
Teens snapped photos of codes posted on taxi-toppers, bus stop signs, billboards with a Qwest Nokia camera phone to earn points for $5,000 cash and a concert for their school. Garnered 6.5 million media impressions.

Best Use of Event Marketing (More Than Five Venues)

You+HP Experience
Client: Hewlett-Packard
Agency: Infinity Marketing Team, Inc.
HP wooed families and empty-nesters with demos of 40+ products via 12 interactive concourses. Sweeps added 400,000 to HP's database; on-site and incremental sales topped $20 million.

What the judges said: “Gorgeous.” “Well-executed.” “This shows the difference a big budget can make.”

Pace Trailgating Tour
Client: Campbell Soup Co.
Agency: Pro Motion
Rodeos, fairs, NCAA and NFL games were spiced by Pace Picante Sauce tour. Hosted 1.1 million visitors; distributed 62,100 recipe booklets, 64,000 coupons.

VERB Anytour
Client: Centers for Disease Control
Agency: Arc Worldwide
CDC extended its VERB campaign with a 100-city tour pitching play. Engaged 840,000 kids; hit 73% national awareness (goal: 40%); gave away 850,014 premiums.

Quilted Northern Ultra/Komen Foundation Sponsorship
Client: Georgia-Pacific
Agency: DVC Worldwide
“Ultra Care Stations” at 100+ Komen Race for the Cure events pampered walkers. “Quilts of Inspiration” fundraiser drew 1,422 quilt squares. Volume sales up 26%; dollar sales up 31%.

Best Vehicle-Based Experiential Campaign

WaMoola for Schools
Client: Washington Mutual
Agency: Strottman International
Bus toured L.A. and Seattle to get parents behind WaMoola (school donations for each check-card transaction). Card use jumped 42%.

What the judges said: “They made good use of their vehicle.”

Raise the Roof Tour
Client: Eastern Mountain Sports
Agency: Fuse
EMS outfitted its tour truck with a 23-foot climbing wall, hosting 53,000 visitors. Gave away gear and 30,000 branded premiums, 28,000 coupons.

Mexico Beyond Your Expectations
Client: Mexican Board of Tourism
Agency: TV Promo International
Tour lured travelers to Mexico, putting a beach (with swim-suited models) inside a Plexiglas truck at chilly corners in New York, Chicago, Montreal, Toronto. Tallied 410,000 interactions

Windows on Wheels
Client: Microsoft Corp.
Agency: Buzztone
A 50-foot truck touted Windows gear (phones, music, cameras) in home and office sets. Hosted 13,000 demos; 67% of visitors were more inclined to buy.

Best Sponsorship or Tie-In Campaign

Toon Tour of Mysteries
Client: Kellogg Co.
Agency: Draft
Scooby Doo starred in five DVDs packed in 20 million cereal boxes (and on 75 million packages). Sales rose 38%; volume jumped 52%.

What the judges said: “Interactive and well-targeted.” “Strong merchandising.” “Good continuity elements.”

Burger King & The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
Client: Burger King
Agency: Equity Marketing, Inc.
Fans got 12 BK Kids Meal toys, five SpongeBob watches (SLO), inflatable SpongeBobs on QSR roofs (then stolen and posted on eBay). Sales grew 18%.

M&M;’s Ogre-sized Candies
Client: Masterfoods USA
Agency: Thomas J. Paul, Inc.
Shrek sequel inspired 50% bigger M&Ms; in “swampy” or “pretty” colors; M&M; Minis got collectible dispensers. Earned $21.3 million in incremental sales (goal: $20 million).

Shrek 2 Glow-In-The-Dark Halloween Wrappers
Client: Masterfoods USA
Agency: Draft
Glowing answers to Shrek questions on wrappers (a $6 million production investment) were tied to a storybook-style sales kit that wooed jaded buyers.

Best Use of Direct Marketing

Gatorade High School Athlete Award Program
Client: The Gatorade Co.
Agency: TPN
Coaches registered for kit to honor top high school athletes (all sports): pins, certificates, Gatorade gear, samples. Nearly 32% response rate; 56% of active coaches re-enrolled.

What the judges said: “Great creative.” “They made this turnkey for coaches.” “This goes beyond a single sport.” “Well-segmented, to target coaches by sport, by boys or girls, and by past participation.”

Camp SuperFly
Client: Baxter BioScience
Agency: Hamilton Communications Group
Baxter, maker of Rx drug Advate, helped hemophiliac summer campers via mailers on camp-themed activities. Advate sales quadrupled.

Customized MarketMail
Client: U.S. Postal Service
Agency: Draft
USPS proved it handles die-cut shapes by mailing a curvy “thought bubble” to ad agencies (46,000 pieces). Some 4% requested more info.

WaMoola for Schools
Client: Washington Mutual
Agency: Strottman International
Mailers to schools with “History of Money” posters and offers of $500 in books spurred check-card transactions that trigger school donations. Web traffic spiked 31% over six weeks.

Most Innovative Communication Strategy

The GM Hot Button
Client: General Motors
Agency: Momentum Worldwide
Shoppers sat in a GM car, pushed OnStar Button, talked to a live operator; 1,000 won the car. Some 2 million called in 56 days; GM sold 8,000 more cars than in the prior year.

What the judges said: “GM created their own medium.” “This was a fantastic way to drive people to the point of purchase.” “Did it inundate dealers with unqualified traffic?”

Boeing Dreamspace
Client: Boeing Commercial Airplanes
Agency: 141 Worldwide
Trade-show launch of 787 Dreamliner drew buyers, pilots, press; sold 126 planes at $15 billion-plus; airplane orders rose 14% over 2003.

Best Use of Interactive Media

VERBnow.com
Client:z Centers for Disease Control
Agency: Arc Worldwide
CDC extended its VERB campaign with a 100-city tour pitching play. Engaged 840,000 kids; hit 73% national awareness (goal: 40%); gave away 850,014 premiums. What the judges said: “The idea to get kids online to move them offline was brilliant.” “Great creative.”

Twix Tickets—Collect to Get
Client: Masterfoods USA
Agency: Draft
Ticketmaster gift cards under wrappers or via online codes added 33,000 registrants to CRM database.

2424Milk.com
Client: MilkPEP
Agency: Draft
Instant-win game tied to Dairy Council’s “24 oz. in 24 hours” gave 24 VW Beetle convertibles over 24 days. Web traffic doubled; 485,000 entries.

Most Effective Long-Term Campaign

The Truth
Client: American Legacy Foundation
Agency: Arnold Worldwide
Anti-tobacco tour recruits kids (ages 12-18) via music, videogames, DJ contests, branded gear. “Truth” directly responsible for 22% of 2000-02 decline in teen smoking.

What the judges said: “They use real content in a compelling way.” “A powerful idea; the content expresses itself in so many channels.” “Interruptive and daring creative work.”

Red Zone Player of the Year
Client: Procter & Gamble
Agency: AMP Agency
Football coaches laud top high school players. Web, in-school media, TV product placement, movie tie-ins, newsletters make Old Spice No. 1 deodorant brand with 20% market share.

Ultimate Air & Ground Game
Client: FedEx
Agency: Velocity Sports & Entertainment
NFL sponsorship reinforces FedEx’s air and ground capabilities. New in ‘04: umbrella theme over NFL, local, FedEx Orange Bowl sponsorships.

Scion tc Unleashed
Client: Toyota Motor Sales of America
Agency: AMCI
Targeted college towns in 2005, turning 30% of attendees into test drive leads; cost per interaction was $88 in 2005 from $186 in 2002.

Best Niche-Targeted Campaign New Category

Jeep 4×4 Cache-In Action
Client: DaimlerChysler
Agency: Rodale
Geocachers used Jeep GPS to track goodies stashed worldwide via online coordinates. A sweeps awarded three Jeeps. Nine million geocachers played; 1 million entered the sweeps. What the judges said: “Very cool. Great use of cutting-edge technology.” “Strong insight to realize there's a sub-niche for Jeep.” “Good way to give Jeep culture a more insider feel.”

The Great Greek Diner Takeover
Client: The History Channel
Agency: The GEM Group
Greek diners served P-O-P and free salads on premiere day of Alexander the Great. Screenings in Atlanta, Boston Greek Festivals and spot radio helped secure a 2.7 rating (tops for THC).

Put It In Play
Client: Toyota Motor Sales of America
Agency: AMCI
Engaged “rejuveniles” (aged 18-34) with a playground-cum-road-rally to win iPods, T-shirts, DVDs, backpacks. Of 10,078 players, 32% asked for dealer contact.

Best Campaign Generating Brand Awareness and Trial Recruitment

The Meow Mix Café
Client: Meow Mix
Agency: Grand Central Marketing
Meow Mix launched wet cat food with a NYC storefront serving cats and humans. The 12-day stint sold $20,000 (donated to ASPCA); hosted 2,000 visitors a day; earned 140 million U.S. media impressions. What the judges said: “Total buzz driver.” “It started a fire.” “A program that tipped everyone in their favor.”

Camp eBay
Client: eBay
Agency: Swirl
Camp eBay drew drivers eager to earn “camp badges” and win prizes via online and event activities. Over 300,000 registered; 80,000 purchased.

Best Campaign Generating Brand Volume

M&M;'s Brand Shrek 2 “Ogre-Size” Candies
Client: Masterfoods
Agency: Thomas J. Paul, Inc.
This sequel inspired 50% bigger M&Ms; in “swampy” or “pretty” colors; M&M; Minis got collectible dispensers. Earned $21.3 million in incremental sales (goal: $20 million). What the judges said: “They changed the product and packaging; that's no small feat. It takes such long-term planning to do that.” “A good, solid promotion that builds the brand and drives volume, including in-theater sales.”

Spider-Man 2
Client: Kellogg Co.
Agency: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Kellogg and Keebler splashed Spidey across 105 million cereal/snacks packages. Sales up as much as 42%, volume as much as 68% (Smacks cereal).

Garfield Rules
Client: Ashley Furniture Industries
Agency: Centra Marketing & Communications
Product placement in Garfield—The Movie prompted a sweeps (grand prize: trip to movie premiere), themed P-O-P. Recliner sales zoomed 90%, total sales 45%; retail display up 37%.

Best Campaign Generating Brand Loyalty

Captain for President
Client: Captain Morgan
Agency: BFG Communications
Captain Morgan led “Americans for a Better Party” with politics-free happy hours. Garnered 13.7% volume growth and accounted for 30% of all rums' dollar growth. What the judges said: “Very well executed and integrated. Localized execution puts it up a notch.” “It's a difficult category, but they've pulled people into it.”

Guinness Mentoring
Client: Guinness Brewing
Agency: Colangelo Synergy Marketing
“Guinness Believer” and “Guinness Legacy” sessions invite men 21-32 to taste, learn about Guinness.

Visa Preferred Royal Caribbean Cruise Sweepstakes
Client: Visa USA
Agency: Carlson Marketing Group
Online sweeps entries for travel agents for each cruise booked via Visa. Participating agencies sold 12% ($1.3 milllion) more than other agents.

Disney Vacation Club Member Homecoming
Client: Walt Disney World
Agency: Upshot
Time-share owners got exclusive access to parks, shows via direct mail; 2,100 came, with 96% pleased enough to refer friends to the club.

Best Dealer, Sales Force or Business-to-Business Campaign

The Smarter, Not Harder Awards
Client: DoubleClick
Agency: Renegade Marketing Group
Tongue-in-cheek mailings let staffers flatter the boss into nominating them for Smarter, Not Harder award (Cancun trip). Response rate: 12%. What the judges said: “This drove people to think about online advertising in a different way.” “Brilliant creative.”

Diageo Bartender Initiatives
Client: Diageo
Agency: U.S. Concepts
“Edutainment” programs courted 7,500 bartenders in 20 cities; brand recommendations went up 29%.

Get Caught with the Gold
Client: Lenox
Agency: Eric Mower & Associates
Reps gave samples to construction workers on-site, then returned later to reward workers still using its Gold blades. Sales lift: 231%.

Best Co-Marketing Campaign

Xtreme Nutrition
Client: Kroger Stores
Agency: CoActive Marketing Group
Kroger's chain Ralphs had kids track fruit/veg eaten to earn prizes. A special edition of SI for Kids from Fresh Express pushed its sales 59%; up 60% for Naked Juice, 100% for Marianni; Yoplait sold 1 million units in a month. What the judges said: “Well-designed to drive produce sales.” “Balanced two objectives: bring back old customers, and address childhood obesity.”

Spider-Man 2 and Wal-Mart
Client: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Agency: In-house
Heavy P-O-P, in-store radio/TV. Wal-Mart’s Spidey-licensed merchandise sales up over 40% to $400 million.

Sam Goody High School Football
Client: Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co, Musicland, Universal Music Group
Agency: iHigh Marketing
iHigh Marketing/Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co, Musicland, Universal Music Group Singer O-Ryan touted Wrigley’s Winterfresh, Universal artists, send fans to sponsor Sam Goody. Featured CD sales 465% above average.

Wal-Mart Pre-Prom Demo: Go Beyond the Dress
Client: Procter & Gamble
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi X
Demos in Wal-Marts courted prom-shoppers with sample bags, style guides. Execution: 96% of stores. Sales lift: 95% for sponsor brands.

Best Small-Budget Campaign

Tostitos Family Connection
Client: Frito-Lay
Agency: The Marketing Arm's Millsport
Reunited a military family during promo at Fiesta Bowl: dad's surprise appearance ran on live TV. A :40 spot (part of Tostito's Bowl sponsorship) grew to two-minutes of airtime worth $450,000. What the judges said: “I hate the tearjerker thing, but it did get you.” “They got national coverage by leveraging the local bowl event and a family event.” “This came on the back of a $10 million sponsorship of the Fiesta Bowl; they leveraged a tremendous spend with this.”

Guinness St. Pumpkin's Day II in 3-D
Client: Guinness Brewing
Agency: Colangelo Synergy Marketing
Halloween 3-D P-O-P spoofed classic horror flicks. Volume up 40% for bottled Guinness.

Macarena Across Manhattan
Client: VH1
Agency: Mr. Youth
Models dressed like 90s characters (Monica Lewinsky, et. al.) danced the Macarena, gave away stickers to drive tune-in for VH1’s I Love the 90s.

Save the Music
Client: VH1
Agency: Universal Consulting Group
“Rescue” events in NYC of musical instruments drove tune-in for VH1’s benefit concert for non-profit Save the Music Foundation.

Best Creative

Sundance Film Festival Sponsorship
Client: Volkswagen
Agency: Arnold Worldwide
“Support the Movies” tent let fans tout their fave films on T-shirts, e-postcards. Drew 15,000 to tent, 5,000 to lounge; vw.com/jetta traffic up 230% over 2004. What the judges said: “Subtle, beautiful, consistent with VW's look.” “So well-executed.” “They took over the town and did an awesome job.”

Chrismahanukwanzakah
Client: Virgin Mobile USA
Agency: Fallon New York
Downloadable theme-song ring tone, P-O-P that mixed holiday symbols touted $20 off Virgin phones. Total of 440,000 downloads helped hit February subscription goals.

Best Idea or Concept

Unexpected Summer-You Can Win, But You Can't Hide
Client: Coca-Cola
Agency: Momentum Worldwide
Coke turned 45 pop cans into GPS-cell phones; winners called via the can, then search teams tracked them to deliver prizes. Radio tie-ins and P-O-P supported. ROI beat goal by 26%. What the judges said: “Groundbreaking.” “Revolutionary.” “Here's a beverage company that's done more with technology than tech companies.” “It took a big company like Coke to do it, but they pulled it off.”

Oprah’s Wildest Dream Giveaway
Client: Pontiac
Agency: Digitas
Give-away of 276 Pontiac G6 sedans to studio audience, followed by sweeps on Pontiac.com pulled $100 million in p.r. airtime; 27,000 sweeps entries.

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