From fruit mascots to sonic skateramps: A look at last year’s PR Daily Award winners

Great campaigns can take many forms. Whether audio, visual, written or a combination of more than one type of media, the main measure of PR’s success always ties back to how the work resonates with its intended audience.

We’ve highlighted some of the winners of last year’s PR Daily Awards to gain a better perspective on their strategies and tactics for doing just that. Don’t forget to apply to this year’s awards before the June 21 deadline.

Healthcare Campaign of the Year: Jackson Spalding – How One Georgia Peach is Helping 2.7 Million Medicaid Members Stay Informed About Their Health Care Coverage

The background: Georgia is nicknamed the “Peach State” because of the fruits of the same name associated with the state, but what if the Georgia peach wasn’t just a tasty treat, but a relatable character that helped marginalized communities stay on top of their health care options.

That’s what Jackson Spalding did for the Georgia Department of Human Services’ “Stay Informed, Stay Covered” program with its title character, George A. Peach. When a federal mandate required Georgia to verify its citizens’ eligibility for Medicaid programs and 2.7 million people as a target audience as members of the programs, Jackson Spalding sought to increase access to updated information for Medicaid members and boost both email as a contact method and awareness of the Medicaid redetermination process.

To earn audience attention, Jackson Spalding used its mascot George A. Peach to add a sense of humor and fun for people, particularly those with children. The campaign used social posts, TV and radio ads, and static billboards to promote the program across the state. It earned 87 million impressions in a 10-week run and saw 33% of people use email as a contact method for Medicaid, as opposed to just 14% before the campaign.

The takeaway: Creative and odd takes on iconic figures (or fruit) can add character with mass appeal to an already great campaign.

Community Event: Converse Soundskates

The background: Shoes are a great way to express yourself. So is participating in a sport. With this in mind, Converse wanted to increase its presence in Toronto’s skateboarding community, which led it to create unique experiences for the city’s skaters.

The result of the marriage of skating and style was Soundskates: A Sonic Skate Jam. The event used sound-activated skate ramps for skaters to explore with their movements. Additionally, skater and DJ Louke Man curated the sound environment and a track that complemented the movements of skaters on the ramps.

In addition to the event, Converse created a mural touting the project. It also worked with skate shop BTL and local skate insiders Kadence World to host a skate contest with a cash prize and Converse shoes up for grabs.

This unique combination of sport and art was a major hit. Over the three days of the event, over 500 skaters participated, and the event’s ad campaigns earned over 15 million impressions.

The takeaway: Immersive experiences can create a literal and digital footprint of your products in action that helps redefine and expand your brand reach.

Podcast: T-Mobile – Mobile Diaries Podcast

The background: Did you pick up any new podcasts during the pandemic? If you did, you’re not alone. Keying on that theme, T-Mobile created the Mobile Diaries podcast, exploring the mobile personas and archetypes that emerged during our months of lockdown. Leveraging T-Mobile’s previous brand journalism work, the series explored topics that the audience found informative for audiences within the new podcast.

The podcast’s efforts began with a dedicated landing page, promotional efforts via social media, and targeted messaging within advertising materials to garner more listeners. The podcast launched with a “Mobile Mindfulness” episode, promoted via T-Mobile social channels and available on all major podcast platforms. The final episode of the series featured T-Mobile CMO Mike Katz talking about the future of 5G, demonstrating leadership buy-in and contributing to the podcast’s goals.

The podcast was a success, earning listeners from organizations including IBM, Cisco and more, indicating successful entry into the market. With both internal and external amplification of the podcast, T-Mobile’s show reached both stakeholders within the company and in the world beyond.

The takeaway: Leadership involvement can help your brand newsroom’s work manifest in multiple ways— while urging them to get creative with how they speak about the wider industry can serve as a strong mixternal play.

To apply to this year’s PR Daily Awards by the June 21 deadline, click here.

Sean Devlin is an editor at Ragan Communications. In his spare time he enjoys Philly sports and hosting trivia.