2008 Buzz Awards Winners
December 01, 2008
What makes some campaigns fall flat and others catch fire? This year's BUZZ Award winners know the secrets. They've masterfully linked message to media to produce the best in the exploding field of branded entertainment-from brilliant product placements to ingenious integrations.
Millions Are Talking: Do you know who is creating the buzz?
December 01, 2008
Every day, consumers converse on discussion boards, blogs and social networks. They turn to the Internet to share opinions, advice and grievances. How does brand and media integration turn this buzz into dollars?
Grand Prize Winner: McDonald's Brave New World
December 01, 2008
In the spring of 2008, with the Summer Olympic Games in China rapidly approaching, McDonald's was putting the finishing touches on a multipronged marketing effort designed to support the international event while burnishing the fast-food restaurant's brand image around the globe.
Event Marketing: ABC Domestic TV, Dr. Scholl's for Her
December 01, 2008
When daytime-TV host Kelly Ripa told her Live with Regis and Kelly audience last June about a recent "High-Heel-A-Thon" race in Amsterdam and bragged that she could win one, the ABC show's producers got an idea they could run with.
Online: Proximity Canada, Alka-Seltzer
December 01, 2008
When people thought of Alka-Seltzer in the past they probably didn't think about two 20-something dudes traversing the country in search of a good time. But that was before the Alka-Seltzer Great American Road Trip.
Viral Marketing: Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, Adobe Creative Suite
December 01, 2008
It's not everyday you get to create a sport. But that's what Goodby, Silverstein & Partners did to generate some viral buzz around Adobe Creative Suite 3, or CS3, with an online sport called Layer Tennis.
Music: The Marketing Arm, AT&T
December 01, 2008
Most college pep rallies aim to whip crowds into a lather and cheer the team on to victory. But with "AT&T World's Loudest Pep Rally," the communications giant had a different goal in mind: to generate buzz about its wireless services among college students.
Outdoor/Out-of-Home: Butler Shine Stern & Partners, MINI Cooper
December 01, 2008
With a brand as unique and customizable as the MINI Cooper, an out-of-home marketing campaign must be equally creative. Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners pulled that off and more with its "Motorby" campaign for the automaker.
Print: Fallon Minneapolis, Sci Fi Channel
December 01, 2008
Everyone knows the story of The Wizard of Oz. But if you're developing an updated TV version-as the Sci Fi Channel was doing with its Tin Manminiseries back in 2007- that familiarity might not be helpful.
Radio: OMD, Visa
December 01, 2008
Video, as it turns out, did not kill the radio star. The venerable media category is alive and well, and it played an important role in a recent campaign by Visa. The credit card company, along with agency OMD, teamed with Clear Channel Radio to create an innovative program to drive short-term volume, or cash flow, through the Visa network.
Reality TV: Mediavest Worldwide, Herbal Essences
December 01, 2008
Most companies looking to be part of MTV's ultra-hip Video Music Awards program simply buy commercial time. Herbal Essences, along with MediaVest Worldwide, took that one step farther: They created a reality TV show around the event.
Scripted Television: R&R Partners, Valley Metro
December 01, 2008
Who knew carpooling could be so cool? The folks at R&R Partners, apparently. Valley Metro, an organization that provides public-transportation alternatives in the greater Phoenix area, wanted to get the word out that carpooling cuts pollution and can actually be-hang on to your hat here-fun. It turned to R&R, which promptly turned to ABC.
Social Media: OMD, McDonald's
December 01, 2008
How do you contemporize something as iconic as "two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun" and make it fresh for a new generation of Big Mac eaters? McDonald's and agency OMD decided the way to go was a campaign that stressed social media platforms such as YouTube.com, MySpace.com and MTV.
Sports: Mediavest, Sprite
December 01, 2008
The National Basketball Association's Sprite Slam Dunk competition is, almost by definition, one of the most exciting events in all of sport. So how do you make it even better? You leverage cutting-edge technology and put the voting in the hands of your TV audience. That's what MediaVest and Sprite did for this year's Slam Dunk competition, which was won by Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard.
Wireless: Moxie Interactive, FOX Studios/Jumper
December 01, 2008
The plot of the Fox Studios' film Jumpers revolves around a young man who, thanks to a genetic anomaly, can teleport himself anywhere. Prior to the film's February 2008 premiere, Moxie Interactive was tasked with teleporting as many people as possible into theaters to see the movie.
Integrated Campaign: Campfire, Verizon
December 01, 2008
In today's media world, it's all about the bundle. Companies such as Verizon allow customers to weave together fiber-optic HDTV and broadband, known as FiOS, to create a totally digital home.
Public Relations: Coburn Communications and AARP
December 01, 2008
As everyone knows, sex sells. It also can create a ton of buzz, as the editors of AARP The Magazine learned when they put a photo of a topless-appearing Jamie Lee Curtis on the cover of its May/June 2008 issue.
User-Generated: Catapult Marketing, Pedigree
December 01, 2008
To help Pedigree spread the word about its Pedigree Adoption Drive Foundation earlier this year, the company and agency Catapult Marketing had to make an assumption: The only thing that dog owners love more than photographing their pets is sharing those pictures with others.
Film/Movie: Davie Brown Entertainment, Mountain Dew
December 01, 2008
For fans of action/adventure films, July 4, 2007, was a date to circle on the calendar. That's when Paramount's summer blockbuster Transformers premiered. It was also the centerpiece of a 12-week promotion linked to the movie for Mountain Dew by agency Davie Brown Entertainment.
Buzz People's Choice Award
December 01, 2008
Sometimes, you let the people speak. And speak they did. While judges determined the 17 BUZZ Award winners, all contestants had the opportunity to share their campaigns with the public for a popular vote.