Table of Contents 6 2012 OVATION Awards Winning Entries

OVATION Awards Winning Entry
Communication Management
Media Relations with budget up to $50,000
AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
Entrant’s Name: Julie Rusciolelli, Natalia Smalyuk and Kirsten Walkom
Organization: MAVERICK Public Relations and People for Good
Division 1: Communications Management
Category 4A: Media Relations with budget up to $50K (pro bono)
Title of Entry: Promoting People for Good
Time Period: July 1 – November 30, 2011
Brief Description: MAVERICK designed and implemented this pro bono, strategically timed media
relations campaign to guide public discourse and facilitate positive public perception of People for Good
to encourage the generosity of spirit among Canadians.
Business Need/Opportunity
In Canada, 160000 non‐profit causes compete for donations. People for Good, a social movement
encouraging generosity of spirit among Canadians, also asks for donations – but of a different kind.
Formed by a team of marketing and advertising leaders, People for Good, a creative campaign
harnessing the power of the media to make a social difference, asks for a donation of goodness, one
good deed at a time. Despite its philanthropic intentions, from a media relations perspective, the
question is: how does one “pitch” what is, quite literally, an ad campaign?
Seeing the opportunity where others might have seen a challenge, MAVERICK felt it was a matter of
faith in the value and authenticity of the cause that might appear superficial or self‐interested to some.
The brainchild of Zak Mroueh, president & creative director at Zulu Alpha Kilo, and Mark Sherman,
chairman at Media Experts, People for Good was inspired by its founders’ intensely personal vision of
how the creative medium can become the message at the service of a good cause. Zak and Mark felt
that Canadians – especially in large urban centers – were increasingly inattentive and even rude to each
other. Believing the world can use more creativity, they were on a mission to spark a social movement
to get Canadians be nicer to each other. As simple as that.
Their solution? Touch every Canadian with a simple message – care about people around you, be nice to
each other, do good. Small good deeds – even as basic as genuinely saying „„thank you’’ to someone –
make a big difference in creating that social glue that holds us together as a community.
This passionate and perhaps idealistic “reading” of the state of the world – far from a rational,
sociologically solid claim based on hard evidence and facts – resulted in a bold and emotional coast‐tocoast
creative campaign. Executed across major Canadian cities, including Toronto, Vancouver,
Edmonton, Calgary, Montréal and Halifax, it ran between June 1 and November 30, 2011. Using a mix of
humorous and highly interactive multimedia messages, the campaign included outdoor advertising,
interactive, print, experiential and online advertising, as well as social media platforms where anyone
could share their own ideas for good. Multiple media partners donated their time and capabilities to
bring this campaign to life.
While People for Good had the potential for many interesting conversations, there was a risk that Zak
and Mark’s idealism would not resonate with Canadians. The public and the media could interpret the
campaign through a filter of cynicism and mistrust, despite the altruistic intentions of its creators.