Weet-Bix And Rugby Campaign Wins Top Award

PUBLIC RELATIONS INSTIUTE OF NEW ZEALAND
ANNUAL AWARDS
Media Release
23 May 2008

Weet-Bix And Rugby Campaign Wins Top Public Relations Award

A campaign for two high-profile New Zealand brands – Weet-Bix and the All Blacks – won the top award at this year’s Public Relations industry awards.

The Weet-Bix Face2Face Challenge, put together by Ogilvy Public Relations, engaged Kiwis in a web-based search for an All Black look-alike squad.

The concept was so successful that it has been sold to Australia for use by Australian Cricket.

Public Relations Institute (PRINZ) Chief Judge Gordon Chesterman said that the campaign was an impressive mix of original ideas and traditional products.

Weet-Bix sought to give their All Blacks sponsorship a makeover and create a special bond between All Black fans and their sporting heroes in the lead-up to the Rugby World Cup.

Mr Chesterman said that the results were astounding, with Weet-Bix sales reaching record highs in two consecutive months.

“Public relations is about delivering results and Ogilvy certainly achieved that.”

The PRINZ Awards, which attracted a record 56 entries in eight categories, were presented in Auckland on Friday 23 May.

Other award-winning projects included two very different approaches to health promotion.

The “Movember” campaign, developed for the Movember Foundation, encouraged men to grow – then publicly remove - a moustache, in a drive to increase awareness and raise funds for prostate cancer. This campaign won the Not for Profit Award for PR consultancy Spark Activate.

The campaign raised $2.1 million for the Prostate Cancer Foundation, enticed over 26,000 Kiwis to sign up and a further 61, 000 individuals to donate in support.

In contrast to this light-hearted approach, the Government PR Award went to a campaign to encourage more Maori and Pacific women to take regular cervical smear tests.

The campaign, developed by Graham Bethune of the Ministry of Health, achieved outstanding results, with increased discussion, awareness and understanding of the benefits of regular smear tests, and increased enrolments in the programme.

The last two major awards went to the same company, the Auckland office of Professional Public Relations (PPR). Leah Evans and Kate Campbell worked with Bacardi to develop a lively campaign promoting a major music gig. The campaign targeted younger consumers through new media and social networking sites.

As well as increasing event attendance, the project reinforced Bacardi’s relationship with the best in international musical talent.

PPR – this time with staffers Helena Carroll and Angela Spain – also won the Corporate PR Award. Their carefully thought out project helped courier company DHL raise market awareness by expanding an existing public survey programme into a credible source of statistical data.

Mr Chesterman said that PPR developed a campaign using market research to better position the client as an industry leader.

The Highly Commended award entries were also interesting and varied, ranging from the PR/Communications work associated with the Antarctic 50th Anniversary to the launch of a new car, to campaigns to enrol new blood donors.

See below for the full award list.

Contacts

Chief Judge
Gordon Chesterman
021 922 927
Gordon@chesterman.co.nz

PRINZ
Executive Director
Paul Dryden
021 439 924
Paul_dryden@prinz.org.nz

Supreme Award
Suzanne Stephenson
General Manager
Ogilvie Public Relations
021 805 115
suzanne.stephenson@ogilvy.co.nz

PRINZ AWARDS 2008

Supreme Award Winner

Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide
Weet-Bix Face2Face Challenge

Awards

Corporate Public Relations

Winner
Helena Carroll, Angela Spain - Professional Public Relations
DHL Express NZ Survey Series 2007

Highly Commended
Alice Moros, Steve Kane, Jessica McColl - Mango Communications
Mercedes-Benz 'Love the Road' C-Class Launch

Government/Quasi-government Public Relations

Winner
Graham Bethune - Ministry of Health
Let’s Talk About Smear Tests

Highly Commended
Kylie Smith, Monique Orme - North Shore City Council
Sharon Hunter, Jo Martin – ARTA
Miriam McNicol, Rachel Blundell, Leone Hansen, Lucie Mairs - Core Communications
Northern Busway

Highly Commended
Philip Burton - Hamilton City Council
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Internal Communications

Highly Commended
Kate Campbell, Aleisha Coote, Sally Haysom - Professional Public Relations
Bunnings STAR Community Programme

Marketing Public Relations

Winner
Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide
Weet-Bix Face2Face Challenge

Not for Profit / Limited Budget Public Relations

Winner
Fleur Postill - Spark Activate
The Movember Campaign 2007

Highly Commended
Gerry Morris - Morris Communications Limited
We Will Remember Them - the Passchendaele Poppy Pack

Highly Commended
Katherine Litten, Jane Dodd, Nicki Henshaw, Simon Clark - Network PR
NZ Blood Service - World Blood Donor Day 2007

Highly Commended
Sa’id Milton - Network PR
ChildFund Media Relations Programme

Pro Bono (work done free of charge)

Highly Commended
Grace Honney, Hannah Searle - AUT University
Jane Dodd - Network PR
Start a Fan Club

Special Event / Project

Winner
Leah Evans, Kate Campbell - Professional Public Relations
Bacardi B-LIVE Event

Highly Commended
Warren Head - Head Consultants Ltd
Antarctic Anniversary

Sally Logan-Milne Young Practitioner of the Year Award

Ziena Jalil - New Zealand Trade and Enterprise North Asia

Ends

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