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 MERIT
Entrant’s Name: Ashley Audrain, Edelman Canada, Project Lead
Organization Name: Edelman Canada
Title: Keith’s Green Initiative ‘Show Your Plaid’
Division and Category: Division 1: Communication Management
Category 4a: Media Relations with budget up to $50,000
Client Name: Alexander Keith’s – Labatt Breweries of Canada
Timeframe: April 2011
Brief Description: In April 2011, Alexander Keith’s launched a program to help consumers give back to their
community during Earth Month and go green by giving them the chance to win up to $1,000 to donate to one of
four deserving eco‐charities. To cut through the clutter of Earth Month and generate media coverage, Edelman
developed the ‘Show Your Plaid’ program by issuing a challenge to media across the country to wear the Keith’s
kilt on‐air – a symbol of the brand and its Scottish heritage.
Business Need/Opportunity
Labatt Breweries of Canada’s Better World program strikes a balance between generating great business
results and managing environmental and social responsibilities that contribute to public good and
quality of life. The aim of Better World is to add value to the people, communities, and places where
Labatt does business, and positively impact the world around them.
As part of Better World, Labatt works with its brands to identify opportunities to tie in Better World
initiatives to brand programming. The Keith's Green Initiative was the outcome of consumer research
from the Cambridge Group that found Keith’s drinkers cared more about the environment than other
beer consumers. With this in mind, the brand launched the Keith’s Green Initiative, a promotion to help
consumers give back to their community during Earth Month by giving them the chance to win up to
$1,000 to donate to one of four deserving eco‐charities of their choice including Waterkeepers Canada,
Nature Canada, the NSLC Adopt‐A‐Stream or Trees Ontario (and its national partners across the
country). Consumers were able to participate by entering PIN numbers found on specially‐marked packs
onto Facebook or by becoming a Keith’s Facebook fan and sharing the Keith’s Green Initiative with
friends on Facebook.
Edelman was the sole discipline engaged to develop a media relations program that piqued media
interest and directly involved media in the program in a fun and compelling way. It was critical that the
program broke through the clutter during Earth Month – a time when several brands are competing to
communicate green messaging. Additionally, the highly promotional nature of the program required a
news hook that would stand out.
Intended Audience
Edelman focused on reaching out to news, lifestyle and sports media as a way to communicate the
‘Show Your Plaid’ challenge to the target audience. Alexander Keith’s consumer profile is referred to as
‘Matt,’ a young male, in his mid to late 20’s who is very social, prioritizes his friends and prefers to drink
Canadian beer. Knowing that ‘Matt’ cares more for the environment than other drinkers – and cares