2016 Thoth Winning Entries

48th Annual Thoth Awards Gala

Details of all the 2016 Thoth winning programs are listed below. To find the winners in a particular category, just click on the category in the table below.

The “Best of Show” award went to the National Education Association for its Ending No Child Left Behind So That Every Student Succeeds campaign. With limited budget and staff, the NEA created an unprecedented, comprehensive communications campaign that was instrumental to last year’s passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act.

NEA’s campaign was also the recipient of Thoth’s inaugural award for the Outstanding Use of Research, Measurement and Evaluation, a new category presented in partnership with the Institute for Public Relations. That award was also given to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases with Hager Sharp for the Diabetes HealthSense campaign.

2016 Thoth Winning Entries

Program Winners

– Community Relations
– Community Relations
– Reputation/Brand Management: Business
– Repuatation/Brand Management: Business
– Reputation/Brand Management: Associations/Nonprofit Organizations
– Events and Observances (Seven or Fewer Days)
– Events and Observances (Seven or Fewer Days)
– Events and Observances (Seven or Fewer Days)
– Events and Observances (More than Seven Days)
– Public Service
– Public Service
– Public Service
– Public Affairs: Associations/Nonprofit Organizations
– Public Affairs: Associations/Nonprofit Organizations
– Public Affairs: Associations/Nonprofit Organizations
– Marketing Consumer Products and Services
– Marketing Consumer Products and Services
– Multicultural Public Relations
– Integrated Communications: Consumer Products or Services
– Integrated Communications: Consumer Products and Services
– Integrated Communications: Government
– Integrated Communications: Government
– Pro Bono Public Relations
– Independent Public Relations Practitioners & Small Independent Firms’ Media Relations Programs and/or Campaign

Component Winners

– Integrated Media Relations: Campaigns with a Budget less than $25,000
– Integrated Media Relations: Campaigns with a Budget more than $25,000
– Media Relations: Radio Campaign
– Media Relations: Print Campaign
– Social Media: Video
– Social Media: Advocacy
– Social Media: Events
– Blog
– Brochures: Print
– Publications: Print
– Public Service Announcements
– Speeches
– Feature Stories, Editorials, Op-ed Columns
– Feature Stories, Editorials, Op-ed Columns
– Research, Measurement & Evaluation
– Research, Measurement & Evaluation
– Websites
– Internal Video
– External Video
– External Video

Program Winners

Community Relations
Certificate of Excellence
MyFreeTaxes, National Disability Institute, United Way, Goodwill
MyFreeTaxes – A collaboration of national nonprofits
Millions of households have claimed more than $10 billion in tax credits and refunds thanks to a national partnership that provides free tax preparation and filing assistance. MyFreeTaxes is the only free online platform used to file both federal and state taxes in all 50 states and Washington, DC, for households earning $60,000 or less per year. The partnership works with filers in-person and online to maximize their refunds and help eligible families claim valuable tax credits. MyFreeTaxes is a partnership between Goodwill Industries International, National Disability Institute and United Way, and funded by a grant from the Walmart Foundation.

Community Relations
Thoth Award
National Education Association
Ending No Child Left Behind So That Every Student Succeeds
In 2002, President George W. Bush signed into law the highly controversial No Child Left Behind Act. Under the disguise of accountability, this federal education law ushered in an era of education requiring rote memorization at the expense of analytical and critical thinking that hurt students. After three failed attempts at fixing the law, a deeply polarized Congress agreed to put aside partisan differences to do what’s right for kids. With limited budget and staff, the National Education Association created an unprecedented comprehensive communications campaign that put an end to test-and-punish with the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act.

Reputation/Brand Management: Business
Certificate of Excellence
Walmart and BRG Communications
Walmart and BRG Communications: Walmart’s “Holiday Sing to Salute Military Families” Campaign
For most Americans, the holidays are a time to celebrate and gather with loved ones, but for our nation’s service members, military families and veterans, the holidays can be a difficult time. During the holiday season, Walmart set out to showcase its military support with up to a $1.5 million donation to a well-respected military nonprofit organization, the Fisher House Foundation. To effectively accomplish this, Walmart and public relations agency BRG Communications (BRG) created a campaign that would rise above other holiday announcements, and encourage more Americans to support military and veteran families in their communities over the holiday season.

Reputation/Brand Management: Business
Thoth Award
Randstad Technologies, Raffetto Herman Strategic Communications
Randstad Technologies and Raffetto Herman Strategic Communications: Preparing for the EMV Migration
Randstad Technologies, the IT talent and solutions/services division of Randstad USA, sought to differentiate its solutions/services brand from its parent-brand reputation as a staffing firm. RH Strategic identified an opportunity to meet this objective with the changeover to EMV technology wherever credit cards are accepted, which faced a deadline of October 1, 2015. RH Strategic used this opportunity to connect Randstad Technologies subject matter experts with the media, positioning the company as a resource on how to prepare. RH Strategic also conceived of and implemented a Randstad Technologies-sponsored industry survey revealing the top challenges faced by retailers making the transition.

Reputation/Brand Management: Associations/Nonprofit Organizations
Thoth Award
The National Honor Societies, BRG Communications, mdg
“Honor Your Future Now” Campaign
The National Honor Societies (NHS) have been recognizing, inspiring and empowering students to excel for nearly 100 years. In 2015, NHS announced a rollout of new national platforms aimed at repositioning their brand as a leading resource for college-bound students, parents and school administrators. To accomplish this, NHS tagged BRG Communications and mdg to create a fully integrated media campaign that leveraged media, social media and paid communications tactics to surround sound coverage and position NHS as more than an honor roll but as national organizations helping all students prepare for college, career and a lifetime of success.

Events and Observances (Seven or Fewer Days)
Certificate of Excellence
International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis, The Yu Crew LLC
World Thrombosis Day 2015: Accelerating a Global Awareness Movement
World Thrombosis Day (WTD), recognized on 13 October, focuses attention on the often overlooked and misunderstood condition of thrombosis. Since its inception just two years ago, WTD has accelerated its impact with support from 320 partners, mobilizing health societies, patient advocacy groups, government programs, medical/scientific organizations, academic institutions and corporations in 70 countries worldwide. This global collaboration catalyzed by the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis provides individuals, healthcare professionals and systems with access to thrombosis-related resources, turnkey materials and a revamped website to raise urgent awareness through community events, public/professional educational activities, social media engagement and media relations.

Events and Observances (Seven or Fewer Days)
Certificate of Excellence
Hilton Worldwide, Ketchum
DoubleTree by Hilton Takes Chocolate Chip Cookie Day Global
In 2015, DoubleTree by Hilton baked new life into the tastiest annual holiday: Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. As part of the brand’s Cookie Care campaign, we staged a globally integrated event to drive brand awareness, marked by hotel giveaways, transportation industry partnerships and national media conversation.

In just one day, the brand generated 485 media placements –including three national broadcast segments with TODAY and ABC News, resulting in 582 million media impressions. The excitement from the activation proved that DoubleTreehas baked the cookie into an iconic touch-point, both powerful and delicious, that keeps guests coming back for more

Events and Observances (Seven or Fewer Days)
Thoth Award
Hager Sharp, HHS Office on Women’s Health
National Women’s Health Week 2015
National Women’s Health Week (NWHW), held May 10–16, 2015, is an annual observance coordinated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health (OWH). The goals are to empower women to prioritize their health and take steps to improve it. OWH worked with its contractors, Hager Sharp and Palladian Partners, to implement a strategy that segmented the audience by decade and disseminated tailored, age-specific, interactive content. Using a range of integrated tactics, from social media to partnership development to traditional media, NWHW 2015 was the most successful to date.

Events and Observances (More than Seven Days)
Certificate of Excellence
U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council with PadillaCRT
Happy B-Day Blueberries: Driving Purchasees with History and Origin
With the 100th anniversary of the blueberry’s cultivation looming, the USHBC used the milestone to appeal to its target consumer of women aged 25-44 and drive positive exposure for blueberries during a critical buying season.

Our Centennial-themed storylines spotlighted the history and lifestyle benefits of blueberries resulting in remarkable social media interactions, impressive national media, an 8.6% increase in fresh blueberry sales and a 4.3% increase in frozen blueberry sales over 2014*.

Public Service
Certificate of Excellence
MSL Group, National Safety Council, University of Iowa
MyCarDoesWhat
With the explosion of new auto safety features being introduced in vehicles that can actually prevent crashes, our roadways can be safer than ever. MyCarDoesWhat raises driver awareness of vehicle safety features and how to use them properly. The research-driven, integrated campaign has achieved 5.3 billion impressions to date and increased visits to the website 414 percent in just nine months. It’s also won critical support from government regulators, industry groups and safety advocates.

Public Service
Certificate of Excellence
Ogilvy Washington
Bring Your Brave Campaign
Ogilvy worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide breast cancer information to women ages 18-44. Bring Your Brave tells the stories of women affected by breast cancer at a young age to inspire others to learn their risk, talk with their healthcare providers about their risk, and live a breast healthy lifestyle. The campaign is grounded in extensive formative research that informs a comprehensive digital and social media education campaign. Campaign activities include earned media; video production; paid advertising; creative asset development; website development; social/digital media content creation; digital influencer outreach; and partnership strategy and outreach.

Public Service
Thoth Award
Widmeyer Communications, A Finn Partners Company
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Urges Parents to Anchor Hidden Dangers in Their Home
Although a child goes to the emergency room every 24 minutes because of injuries sustained from tipped furniture or a falling TV, American families were not aware of this hidden home danger. CPSC enlisted the help of Widmeyer Communications to develop a comprehensive, integrated public education campaign to reach consumers with these safety messages. Since the campaign’s launch in June 2015, Widmeyer has recruited the support of home and garden celebrities, retailers, and families who’ve lost a child in a tip-over incident to spread the message, reaching more than 75,000 families and placing more than 500 media stories nationwide.

Public Affairs: Associations/Nonprofit Organizations
Certificate of Excellence
The Alliance to Fight the 40
The Alliance to Fight the 40: Stop the 40% Tax on Health Plans
The Alliance to Fight the 40 is a diverse coalition of businesses, patient advocates, public- and private-sector employer organizations, consumer groups, unions, and other stakeholders seeking to repeal the “Cadillac Tax,” a 40% tax on employee health benefits.

Despite a modest operating budget, the Alliance launched in July 2015 to significant media attention, catapulting the issue to the forefront of Capitol Hill earning the support of over 390 Congressional members. In five short months, the issue went from an obscure regulatory matter to inclusion in must-pass legislation at year’s end, resulting in a critical two-year delay of the tax.

Public Affairs: Associations/Nonprofit Organizations
Certificate of Excellence
Powell Tate
Halting
We developed an integrated public affairs campaign involving grassroots and grasstops advocacy, media relations, social media and employee engagement. As part of this campaign, we used paid media to recruit tens of thousands of supporters from key states. Those new supporters joined with our existing grassroots community to send more than 50,000 emails to members of Congress in support of our efforts. Using advanced targeting tools, we identified key Senators’ constituents on Twitter and activated them to tweet directly at their Senators. This sustained drumbeat of constituent voices from different channels helped win the legislative fight and earn a major victory for the client.

Public Affairs: Associations/Nonprofit Organizations
Thoth Award
National Education Association
Ending No Child Left Behind So That Every Student Succeeds
In 2002, President George W. Bush signed into law the highly controversial No Child Left Behind Act. Under the disguise of accountability, this federal education law ushered in an era of education requiring rote memorization at the expense of analytical and critical thinking that hurt students. After three failed attempts at fixing the law, a deeply polarized Congress agreed to put aside partisan differences to do what’s right for kids. With limited budget and staff, the National Education Association created an unprecedented comprehensive communications campaign that put an end to test-and-punish with the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act.

Marketing Consumer Products and Services
Certificate of Excellence
Golin
McDonald’s OLD BAY Filet-O-Fish Launch: Bringing out the local flavor in a global brand
With more than 36,000 McDonald’s restaurants across the globe, it’s difficult for consumers to see the burger giant as local company. Therefore, when local McDonald’s Owner/Operator Mark Furr suggested incorporating Mid-Atlantic seasoning favorite OLD BAY in to McDonald’s products, McDonald’s and McCormick worked quickly to bring some local flavor to the McDonald’s menu. From this idea, McDonald’s OLD BAY Filet-O-Fish was created in late 2014, and the Golin D.C. team had just six weeks to create and execute an effective public relations plan to launch the first local, original McDonald’s product in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore in time for Lent.

Marketing Consumer Products and Services
Thoth Award
Hilton Worldwide, Ketchum
Look, Mom… It’s #PrettyGreat Travel Hacks
No hotel chain is more family friendly than Embassy Suites by Hilton. Its three-pillar brand promise is perfect for families –two-room suites, free made-to-order breakfast, and evening reception. Awareness of these “extras” remained low, and the brand had a challenge convincing families a stay was worth the higher price. We launched the Embassy Suites by Hilton #PrettyGreatTravel Hacks campaign, celebrating moms and their travel secrets. Through multiple tactics, we established Embassy Suites as the travel brand that speaks mom’s language and shares her values. In a year, Embassy Suites by Hilton saw a 26% jump in leisure travel consideration.

Multicultural Public Relations
Thoth Award
Maryland Health Benefit Exchange, The Hannon Group, GMMB
Promoting Health Insurance Enrollment to African American Communities in Maryland
To engage the hard-to-reach uninsured, the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange utilized new stakeholders, enrollment assistance Navigators and others to develop and implement culturally appropriate and sustainable partnerships and outreach strategies to reach and enroll African American residents while maintaining sensitivity to unique barriers faced by some communities. At campaign’s end, Maryland achieved one of the fastest growth rates in the country. Enrollments in private health plans totaled 162,652 from Nov. 1, 2015 to Feb. 5, 2016, representing a 33% increase from the previous year. African-American enrollment went up 37% to more than 31,036, compared to 22,632 from the previous year.

Integrated Communications: Consumer Products or Services
Certificate of Excellence
Hilton Worldwide, Ketchum
Look, Mom… It’s #PrettyGreat Travel Hacks
No hotel chain is more family friendly than Embassy Suites by Hilton. Its three-pillar brand promise is perfect for families –two-room suites, free made-to-order breakfast, and evening reception. Awareness of these “extras” remained low, and the brand had a challenge convincing families a stay was worth the higher price. We launched the Embassy Suites by Hilton #PrettyGreatTravel Hacks campaign, celebrating moms and their travel secrets. Through multiple tactics, we established Embassy Suites as the travel brand that speaks mom’s language and shares her values. In a year, Embassy Suites by Hilton saw a 26% jump in leisure travel consideration.

Integrated Communications: Consumer Products and Services
Thoth Award
U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council, PadillaCRT
Little Changes for a Healthy New Year
Knowing that millions of women in our target audience would be tempted to set unsustainable healthy New Year’s Resolutions, PadillaCRT and the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council set out to shift the New Year’s mindset and grow blueberry consumption by reminding consumers that little changes set the stage for big health rewards.

The campaign led to remarkable numbers of social media engagements with a 1.3 % rise in share of social voice compared to competitors, 15,000 Blueberry Council e-newsletter opt-ins, a 237% increase in web traffic and media placements from outlets like People.com, Health.com, USA Today, resulting in nearly 90 million media impressions.

Integrated Communications: Government
Certificate of Excellence
LINK Strategic Partners
DC Families for DC Kids Foster Home Recruitment Campaign
LINK Strategic Partners (LINK) helps the DC Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA) ensure that District of Columbia children who have suffered abuse or neglect and need a safe place to live can find that place in our city — their city. Our team developed and is currently deploying the agency’s foster parent recruitment plan — working to raise awareness of the city’s foster care needs and empower prospective resource parents to step up for their communities, their city, and our children. The campaign encompasses branding, information sharing, public relations, digital and traditional advertising, social media, partnership development, and collateral development services.

Integrated Communications: Government
Thoth Award
A. Bright Idea, LLC
Army National Guard – High School Recruitment Sports
A. Bright Idea supported the Army National Guard (ARNG) in executing its High School Entry Program in Maryland and nationally through public affairs, media relations, media planning and creative development, onsite events/activation and promotional items for sports sponsorships across online and offline vehicles. The program put ARNG recruiters in front of high school athletes to share recruitment key messaging and encourage enlistment. Throughout the campaign, goals were exceeded in both online and offline engagements, connecting thousands of recruiters with high school students and new potential Guardsman across the country.

Pro Bono Public Relations
Certificate of Excellence
LEVICK
Supporting a Family in Need: Trying to Bring Warren Home and Telling Warren’s Story after the U.S. Counterterrorism Strike
Warren Weinstein was a U.S. international aid specialist who had been kidnapped in Pakistan in 2011. Starting just prior to his third anniversary in captivity, and for the better part of the subsequent two years, LEVICK worked on a variety of projects and initiatives on behalf of Warren and his family. LEVICK’s first role was to help the family to secure his release. Then, after the White House announced that he had been killed in a U.S. counterterrorism strike, LEVICK provided the family with a wide range of media and logistical support services.

Independent Public Relations Practitioners & Small Independent Firms’ Media Relations Programs and/or Campaign
Thoth Award
International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis, The Yu Crew, LLC
World Thrombosis Day 2015: Accelerating a Global Awareness Movement
World Thrombosis Day (WTD), recognized on 13 October, focuses attention on the often overlooked and misunderstood condition of thrombosis. Since its inception just two years ago, WTD has accelerated its impact with support from 320 partners, mobilizing health societies, patient advocacy groups, government programs, medical/scientific organizations, academic institutions and corporations in 70 countries worldwide. This global collaboration catalyzed by the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis provides individuals, healthcare professionals and systems with access to thrombosis-related resources, turnkey materials and a revamped website to raise urgent awareness through community events, public/professional educational activities, social media engagement and media relations.

Component Winners
Integrated Media Relations: Campaigns with a Budget less than $25,000
Certificate of Excellence
Nemours Children’s Health System, Wolfson Children’s Hospital, The Reis Group
Conjoined Twins Get the Chance of a Lifetime
When a surgical team from Nemours Children’s Health System and Wolfson Children’s Hospital began planning for separation of conjoined twins, the communications team crafted a campaign to publicize the case, while highlighting collaborative care by partnering medical organizations. The result: an explosion of national news stories covering the surgery and family, including stories from People, ABC News, AP, and USA Today. Messages were echoed in 73% of coverage and the spokesperson was featured in 77% of stories. Social and digital media were used to extend the reach of messages and materials. The coverage generated heightened awareness of specialty expertise.

Integrated Media Relations: Campaigns with a Budget more than $25,000
Certificate of Excellence
The National Honor Societies, BRG Communications and mdg
“Honor Your Future Now” Campaign
The National Honor Societies (NHS) have been recognizing, inspiring and empowering students to excel for nearly 100 years. In 2015, NHS announced a rollout of new national platforms aimed at repositioning their brand as a leading resource for college-bound students, parents and school administrators. To accomplish this, NHS tapped BRG Communications and mdg to create a fully integrated media campaign that leveraged media, social media and paid communications tactics to generate surround sound coverage and position NHS as more than an honor roll but as national organizations helping all students prepare for college, career and a lifetime of success.

Media Relations: Radio Campaign
Certificate of Excellence
American Bankers Association, News Generation
Educating and Empowering Americans with Financial Literacy
American Bankers Association engaged News Generation to institute a campaign to reach consumers with messages of financial responsibility and preparedness, and the important role hometown banks play in that. Six radio media tours were executed to most effectively reach targeted audiences. Sixty radio interviews, including with national networks, were completed. Highlights include Bloomberg Network and 24/7 News Source. The campaign dramatically over-delivered the target reach of sixty million people by 25 percent, pulling in more than seventy-four million listeners and efficiently utilized a $28,000 budget, investing less than four one-hundredths of one penny per earned listener.

Media Relations: Print Campaign
Thoth Award
Porter Novelli
Aging in America: The Changing Face of Retirement
Retirement in America is changing. What was once all but guaranteed by pensions and retirement plans, a comfortable and secure retirement is now increasingly the responsibility of the individual.

Porter Novelli, on behalf of The Indexed Annuity Leadership Council (IALC), unveiled an initiative that examines the varying retirement experience across America. The project weaves together proprietary survey data, personal experiences and expertly-comprised photos to paint a realistic view of modern-day retirement. One common denominator we found: regardless of where you live and who you are, your golden years will depend on your willingness to take financial planning into your own hands.

Social Media: Video
Thoth Award
Guard Your Health, Booz Allen Hamilton
#WarriorReady Workout Videos
The Guard Your Health (GYH) campaign aims to educate, inspire, and activate Army National Guard Soldiers to adopt healthy behaviors to stay fit and ready. From initial, formative research, GYH found that videos featuring peers were effective in motivating Soldiers to stay fit and ready. The #WarriorReady Workout video series, http://www.guardyourhealth.com/warrior-workouts, was designed to empower Soldiers to improve their physical fitness. The 20-second instructional videos show workouts that can be done anytime, anywhere. The videos were uploaded to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and a custom-designed webpage on the GYH website, making it easy to watch on the go.

Social Media: Advocacy
Thoth Award
National Education Association
Tweet Your Rep and Tell Congress to Get ESEA Right!
Students and educators lived the test-and-punish regime of No Child Left Behind for 13 years, and they were fed up. The law didn’t address disparities in public schools. In fact, it punished the schools that needed help. With an opportunity to rewrite and reauthorize this sweeping federal education law, the National Education Association needed to channel our energy. We gave our members a way to speak directly to lawmakers using social media by creating the “Tweet Your Rep” tool. More than 36,000 tweets later—and with a new much-improved bill signed into law—we know that our members’ tweets made a difference.

Social Media: Events
Thoth Award
Hilton Worldwide, Ketchum
Look, Mom… It’s #PrettyGreat Travel Hacks
No hotel chain is more family friendly than Embassy Suites by Hilton. Its three-pillar brand promise is perfect for families –two-room suites, free made-to-order breakfast, and evening reception. Awareness of these “extras” remained low, and the brand had a challenge convincing families a stay was worth the higher price. We launched the Embassy Suites by Hilton #PrettyGreatTravel Hacks campaign, celebrating moms and their travel secrets. Through multiple tactics, we established Embassy Suites as the travel brand that speaks mom’s language and shares her values. In a year, Embassy Suites by Hilton saw a 26% jump in leisure travel consideration.

Blog
Thoth Award
Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Information & Technology (IO&T), Product Development (PD) Team
PD Plugged: Creative Government Communications Guided by Employee Vision
The Product Development (PD) Communications team, part of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Information and Technology (OI&T), designed, launched, and managed PD Plugged (PDP), a WordPress-based blog housed on the VA intranet to deliver department news, accomplishments, and leadership announcements to PD employees. PDP was designed with readers’ preferences in mind, and it quickly evolved into a popular one-stop hub for the latest news and organization announcements, as well as a platform for engaging, visually appealing, employee-centric content.

Brochures: Print
Thoth Award
AMGA
Circulation Nation: Your Roadmap to Managing High Blood Pressure
Hypertension, also called high blood pressure, is among the most prevalent, dangerous, and costly health conditions facing Americans. Yet, hypertension is largely manageable. High blood pressure doesn’t have to slow you down on the highway of life. That’s why AMGA and its national Measure Up/Pressure Down® campaign developed a free patient education brochure – Circulation Nation: Your Roadmap to Managing High Blood Pressure. The brochure significantly exceeded its objectives by educating over 85,000 Americans diagnosed with or at risk of high blood pressure about management of the condition through the Circulation Nation brochure.

Publications: Print
Certificate of Excellence
National Association of Manufacturers
NAM 2015 Annual Report
The National Association of Manufacturers 2015 Annual Report demonstrates—in words, in graphics, in pictures and in style—that the NAM is on the leading edge, delivering value for our members in new and exciting ways. Whether in the courts, with the administration, in Congress or around the world, the N.A.M. is producing victories for manufacturers. Once again, the N.A.M. has exceed its own standard for annual reports, relying on our award-winning team of in-house talent to produce content that is compelling, visuals that are informative and an aesthetic that is as innovative as the industry it represents.

Public Service Announcements
Certificate of Excellence
Crosby Marketing Communications
“Keep the Promise” Campaign
DAV is one of America’s leading Veteran Service Organizations (VSO). Every year it helps more than one million veterans and their families get the benefits and support they earned through their service. The organization selected Crosby to raise its awareness and differentiate it in the VSO space. Our integrated PSA campaign for DAV generated more than $21 million in donated media, with nearly 130,000 TV/radio airings, 82 print placements and more than 2,200 free billboards and transit signs.

Speeches
Certificate of Excellence
Susan Davis International
Congratulating Cadets
Senator Elizabeth Dole was invited to address Norwich University’s graduation ceremony for the Class of 2015. The official goal of her remarks was to inspire graduates and alumni to take part in Norwich University’s “Year of Service.” However, her unofficial goal was to not be boring. Senator Dole wanted a speech that was engaging, heartfelt and entertaining. Judging by the audience’s response, both goals were achieved and her message was heard.

Feature Stories, Editorials, Op-ed Columns
Certificate of Excellence
Widmeyer Communications, A Finn Partners Company
Don’t Let it Happen to You: Anchor It! Campaign Partner Op-eds/LTEs Educate Parents on Avoiding TV and Furntiure Tip-Overs
Although a child goes to the ER every 24 minutes due to injuries sustained from tipped furniture or a falling TV, CPSC research found American families weren’t aware of this hidden danger. To help elevate visibility in the media for tip-overs and prevention solutions, Widmeyer collaborated with parents who had lost their children to tip-overs and successfully utilized their stories – along with Anchor It! campaign messaging – to place five op-eds and four letters-to-the-editor in key regional newspapers nationwide. These placements helped generate larger media buzz for the campaign, leading to more than 500 stories placed and 795 million media impressions.

Feature Stories, Editorials, Op-ed Columns
Thoth Award
National Education Association
“No Child Left Behind” Has Failed
The National Education Association wanted to challenge the way Capitol Hill lawmakers understood the concept of “accountability” in education while rewriting and reauthorizing No Child Left Behind. We used an op-ed in the Washington Post to give opinion-makers a new educator-led solution to consider: the adoption of an “Opportunity Dashboard” to broaden the way we measured accountability in schools. We wanted to increase attention on resource allocation and decrease the emphasis on high-stakes testing. We amplified our voices through the media, and Congress listened. As a result, the new law—the Every Student Succeeds Act—is a potential game changer for kids.

Research, Measurement & Evaluation
Certificate of Excellence
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), Hager Sharp
Evaluation of the Diabetes HealthSense
The National Diabetes Education Program created Diabetes HealthSense to provide the community with a searchable, web-based compendium of resources that support healthy behaviors and coping skills among people with diabetes, people at risk for diabetes, and those who care for them. A two-group pretest-posttest design at 15 study sites (n=311) across the U.S. found significant increases in intervention participant knowledge, self-efficacy (confidence), emotional health, and behaviors that support diabetes prevention and management. Study results demonstrate that with guided exploration, Diabetes HealthSense is a valuable tool for health professionals to extend the reach of diabetes education and support.

Research, Measurement & Evaluation
Thoth Award
Ogilvy Washington
What is Brain Health?
With the HHS Administration for Community Living, Ogilvy developed and launched the What is Brain Health? campaign in September 2015 to provide credible information about what seniors can do to reduce risks to their brains. Campaign activities were organized around three pillars: starting a national dialogue on brain health, using a positive approach; engaging at the grassroots level; and providing educational resources. In just four months, the campaign secured 18.5M earned media impressions, drove 70,000 visitors to BrainHealth.Gov, and created a strong presence on Facebook, with 32,000 fans and engagement of 7%.

Websites
Thoth Award
The Herald Group, National Federaion of Independent Businesses
NoNewEnergyTaxes.org
As part of a larger campaign to push back against the implementation of a costly energy tax framed as a low carbon fuel standard in Washington, The Herald Group worked with NFIB to develop an advocacy website- NoNewEnergyTaxes.org. The website effectively communicated the impact this fuel standard would have on small businesses in the state and provided resources for constituents to make their voices heard. As a result of the campaign, awareness and opposition of the issue increased significantly and legislators in Washington blocked the implementation of the standard.

URL: www.NoNewEnergyTaxes.org

Internal Video
Thoth Award
Hilton Worldwide
Hilton Team Members Shine with Heart of Hilton Campaign
Hilton recognizes that its Team Members have been at the heart of its success for almost a century. So to celebrate its 96th birthday and the launch of their annual Team Member Appreciation Week, Hilton created a campaign that put Team Members at the center of it all. The company deployed a film crew and captured first-hand the stories and passion of Team Members across the globe, which culminated in 20 unique videos shared internally and externally on the Heart of Hilton website. The results? A resounding increase in Team Member pride and engagement at all levels of the company

External Video
Certificate of Excellence
Crosby Marketing Communications
Invasive Species “Hungry Pests” Video
The USDA wanted to raise awareness of the issue of invasive pests and educate the public about their role in preventing their spread. We introduced a compelling new character, Vin Vasive, who shows us how pests can hitchhike on the things people move and pack. The video series generated more than 51 million media impressions and more than 245,000 views in just 12 targeted states, educating key target audiences about their role in preventing the spread of invasive pests.

External Video
Thoth Award
AMGA, Lot 7 Media
“It Takes a Team” Hypertension Video
Hypertension, also called high blood pressure, is among the most prevalent, dangerous, and costly health conditions facing Americans. Despite research that shows hypertension is most effectively treated when the patient is a part of a larger care team, interviews with health care team members uncovered many were unaware of the important role they play in hypertension awareness, detection, and control. That’s why AMGA and its national Measure Up/Pressure Down® campaign developed the “It Takes a Team” hypertension video that uses educational and empowerment messages tested by the target audience. The video exceeded its objectives by reaching over 2,600 care team members.

2016 Thoth Winning Entries

Program Winners

Component Winners

Program Winners

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