Details of all the 2017 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 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with Hager Sharp for its HPV Vaccine is Cancer Prevention: Increasing Clinicians’ HPV Vaccination Recommendation Quality to Prevent Cancer campaign. Led by CDC and Hager Sharp, HPV Vaccine Is Cancer Prevention increased the quality of clinicians’ HPV vaccination recommendation for children 11–12 to ultimately increase vaccine uptake. The campaign utilized research, message and materials development, partnerships, paid media, and evaluation to generate exposure across targeted channels and increase recommendation quality.
CDC with Hager Sharp’s campaign was also the recipient of Thoth’s award for the Outstanding Use of Research, Measurement and Evaluation, a category presented in partnership with the Institute for Public Relations.
2017 Thoth Winning Entries
Program Winners
Community Relations
Award of Excellence
LINK Strategic Partners
DC Chancellor Rollout
After Chancellor Antwan Wilson’s appointment as DC’s newest Chancellor of Education, LINK Strategic Partners (LINK) was hired to design community engagement sessions across all eight wards of DC, both introducing the new Chancellor and hearing from the community, “What do you want from DCPS and your new Chancellor of Education?”
Community Relations
Thoth Award
The Virginia Lottery and Padilla
Honoring Virginia’s Teachers, One Thank-You Note at a Time
Every penny of Virginia Lottery profits benefit public education. Yet, 40% of Virginians are unaware. To narrow that gap – a goal for agency leaders – the Lottery and Padilla launched “Thank a Teacher,” a community relations campaign generating the highest awareness level for the Lottery’s education mission in history.
Crisis Communications
Thoth Award
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Hager Sharp
Together Against Zika: A Public Health Crisis
It became clear to U.S. public health officials in late 2016 that Zika caused birth defects. To get ahead of the first case of local transmission, CDC with Hager Sharp (subcontractor to Abt Associates) launched a public health initiative educating key audiences about how to protect themselves from Zika.
Events & Observances (fewer than seven days)
Award of Excellence
Coster Communications, Ltd. and Howard Country Office on Aging & Independence
18th Annual 50+ EXPO by the Howard County Office on Aging & Independence
Howard County’s Office on Aging and Independence hosted its 18th 50+ EXPO in October 2016, which educated, entertained and informed 3,500 attendees. As one of Howard County’s (MD) premier events, the EXPO brought together community resources that influence the lives of older adults and those with disabilities, and their families/caregivers.
Events & Observances (fewer than seven days)
Award of Excellence
LINK Strategic Partners
EdFEST, DC’s only citywide public school fair, was the first part of LINK Strategic Partners’ My School DC contract. My School DC wanted a partner to plan community engagement, coordinate communications, and organize and manage subcontractors. LINK was responsible for designing and writing all collateral, performing outreach, and much more!
Events & Observances (fewer than seven days)
Thoth Award
International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis with Weber Shandwick
World Thrombosis Day
One in four people worldwide die of causes related to thrombosis (blood clots), yet awareness is low. To address this, the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) launched the World Thrombosis Day campaign to educate consumers and health professionals. The 2016 campaign theme was Know Thrombosis.
Global Communications
Award of Excellence
MasterCard Foundation with Environics Communications
MasterCard Foundation Elevates the Voices of Africa’s Next Generation
With 600 million people under the age of 25, Africa has the largest youth population in its history, 77% of whom are underemployed. The Mastercard Foundation has contributed 1.9 billion dollars in efforts to alleviate poverty in Africa. The Foundation engaged Environics to further their message and garner international recognition.
Global Communications
Thoth Award
International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis with Weber Shandwick
World Thrombosis Day
One in four people worldwide die of causes related to thrombosis (blood clots), yet awareness is low. To address this, the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) launched the World Thrombosis Day campaign to educate consumers and health professionals. The 2016 campaign theme was Know Thrombosis.
Integrated Communications: Government
Award of Excellence
Ogilvy Washington
What is Brain Health?
With the HHS Administration for Community Living, Ogilvy launched the What is Brain Health? campaign in September 2015, providing information about what seniors can do to reduce risks to their brains. The campaign quickly secured 18.5M earned media impressions, drove 70,000 visitors to BrainHealth.Gov, and drew 32,000 fans on Facebook.
Integrated Communications: Government
Thoth Award
Ogilvy Washington and The Peace Corps
Do the Unexpected: The Peace Corps
The fear of missing out was keeping multicultural Millennial males from applying for the Peace Corps’ 2-year commitment. To convert these fears into opportunities, we launched the “Do the Unexpected” campaign, encouraging them to challenge the norm and do something greater, with the Peace Corps as their partner.
Integrated Communications: Associations/Nonprofit Organizations
Thoth Award
“Truth Initiative” with Ketchum, 72 and Sunny, and Assembly Media
#CATmageddon
truth’s #CATmageddon campaign showed teens that smoking is a problem impacting not only their own health, but the health of their beloved pets. Pets whose owners smoke are twice as likely to get cancer. So smoking = no cats. No cats = no cat videos. Welcome to #CATmageddon.
Integrated Communications: For Organizations with fewer than 10,000 Employees or Members
Thoth Award
Trillium for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Compass: Rallying Internal Audiences Around a New Brand for Patient Support
Trillium rebranded and relaunched the CF Foundation’s services to help with insurance, financial, legal, and other concerns as one comprehensive offering: CF Foundation Compass. Key to success was engaging the Foundation’s many special publics throughout the process. Within the first year, assistance cases handled by the Foundation increased by 258%.
Integrated Communications: For Organizations with 10,000 or more Employees or Members
Thoth Award
Hilton
Go Hilton: Giving Team Members the World
Hilton launched an enhanced Team Member travel program, Go Hilton, to offer unique perks to Hilton’s 325,000+ Team Members and their family and friends. Go Hilton ultimately delivered over USD $120M in room revenue and contributed to Hilton being recognized as a Great Place to Work in 14 countries.
Issues Management
Thoth Award
National Aquarium and Golin
National Aquarium’s Dolphin Sanctuary Announcement – From a Moment to a Movement
The National Aquarium made a groundbreaking decision to create a cetacean sanctuary—the first in North America—for its dolphins. The Golin team had less than eight weeks to create a campaign that would garner community advocates, position the Aquarium as a pioneer in animal welfare, and ignite a movement.
Marketing Consumer Products and Services
Award of Excellence
Padilla for the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council
Goodness Frozen: Warming Consumer Appetites to Frozen Blueberries
Moms increasingly perceive frozen fruits as less healthy than fresh ones – extending a false veil of inferiority to frozen blueberries. To put those misconceptions on ice, we made frozen blueberries the the focus of an integrated campaign, Goodness Frozen. It exceed objectives driving a 7.3% increase in volume sales.
Marketing Consumer Products and Services
Thoth Award
Trillium for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Compass: The New Face of Support Services
Trillium rebranded and relaunched the CF Foundation’s services to help with insurance, financial, legal, and other concerns as one comprehensive offering: CF Foundation Compass. Key to success was engaging stakeholders throughout the process. Compass launched in February 2016. By December, assistance cases handled by the Foundation had increased by 258%.
Multicultural Public Relations
Award of Excellence
ICF
The NHLBI American Heart Month Multicultural Outreach Initiative
ICF supported the NHLBI elevate the national conversation about cardiovascular disease and heart disease by developing and executing an integrated outreach plan to encourage African Americans and Hispanics to implement small changes to reduce their risk factors and improve heart health.
Multicultural Public Relations
Thoth Award
Ogilvy Washington and The Peace Corps
Do the Unexpected: The Peace Corps
The fear of missing out was keeping multicultural Millennial males from applying for the Peace Corps’ 2-year commitment. To convert these fears into opportunities, we launched the “Do the Unexpected” campaign, encouraging them to challenge the norm and do something greater, with the Peace Corps as their partner.
Pro Bono Public Relations
Award of Excellence
Inner City-Inner Child with Environics Communications
Inner City-Inner Child Fills the Shelf
Literacy paves the way to success, but not every child gets the same opportunity to succeed. Inner City-Inner Child (ICIC) is a nonprofit providing low-income children with early learning/arts-integrated experiences. In anticipation of Giving Tuesday, Environics developed and executed the “Fill the Shelf” campaign to help the organization raise $5000.
Pro Bono Public Relations
Award of Excellence
The Herald Group
The Ellie Challenge Earned Media Campaign
Through a creative social media challenge, which catapulted a global media campaign and received engagement from Capitol Hill, notable TV personalities, and a national non-profit organization, The Herald Group raised awareness and helped fundraising efforts for A Cure for Ellie Foundation, which donates money towards finding a cure for LBSL.
Pro Bono Public Relations
Thoth Award
McCabe Message Partners
Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center Protect Yourself Rules
The Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center Foundation created the Protect Yourself Rules video series to teach K-6 children how to identify abuse and ask a trusted adult for help. It’s the first-of-its-kind in the child advocacy space.
Public Service
Award of Excellence
Virginia529 College Savings Plan and Padilla
ABLEnow Launches with National Recognition
In 2016, Virginia529 – the nation’s largest college savings plan – launched Virginia’s tax-advantaged savings program. ABLEnow gives people with disabilities the opportunity to save money to pay for qualified expenses without jeopardizing their benefits. Padilla provided national support, encouraging people in the disability community to open accounts.
Public Service
Thoth Award
CDC with Hager Sharp for HPV Vaccine is Cancer Prevention
HPV Vaccine is Cancer Prevention: Increasing Clinicians’ HPV Vaccination Recommendation Quality to Prevent Cancer
Led by CDC and Hager Sharp, HPV Vaccine Is Cancer Prevention increased the quality of clinicians’ HPV vaccination recommendation for children 11–12 to ultimately increase vaccine uptake. The campaign utilized research, message and materials development, partnerships, paid media, and evaluation to generate exposure across targeted channels and increase recommendation quality.
Reputation/Brand Management: Business
Award of Excellence
DreamBox Learning & RH Strategic
DreamBox Learning & RH Strategic Redefine Learning for the Digital Age
RH Strategic partnered with DreamBox Learning to build the company’s brand in the education technology market. The team devised a strategy to amplify the results of an unprecedented efficacy study conducted by Harvard and elevate DreamBox’s CEO as a thought leader at the helm of an influential technology company.
Reputation/Brand Management: Associations/Nonprofit Organizations
Thoth Award
National Aquarium and Golin
National Aquarium’s Dolphin Sanctuary – From a Moment for a Movement
The National Aquarium made a groundbreaking decision to create a cetacean sanctuary—the first in North America—for its dolphins. The Golin team had less than eight weeks to create a campaign that would garner community advocates, position the Aquarium as a pioneer in animal welfare, and ignite a movement.
Component Winners
Blog
Award of Excellence
UL and Allison+Partners
Taking You “Inside UL”
The “Inside UL” blog plays an essential role in communicating UL’s point of view and unique perspective through stories of perennial interest. It tells the safety narrative that UL is trying to tell, related to nearly every aspect of technological advancement.
Blog
Thoth Award
Long and Foster Marketing Department
Long and Foster Company Blog
Homebuyers and sellers in the Mid-Atlantic want trustworthy information on how to make the best real estate decisions possible. Using blogging, The Long & Foster Companies can more frequently share the information they want on social media, without spending anything more than what is in our existing retainers and budget.
Brochures
Thoth Award
Life with Cancer and BRG Communications
Give for a Better Life with Cancer Brochure
Life with Cancer (LWC) is the educational and emotional support program of the Inova Schar Cancer Institute. With a desire to increase donations, LWC called on BRG to create an educational brochure to showcase the full extent of services and illustrate the need for community support.
Brochures
Thoth Award
LINK Strategic Partners
My School DC Brochure
Put simply, our goal was to de-mystify the public and charter school application process in the District of Columbia. We wanted to walk families through the application and selection processes, by combining what was once six different one-pagers into a booklet that also serves as a workbook.
Direct Mail/Direct Response
Thoth Award
The Virginia Lottery and Padilla
Honoring Virginia’s Teachers, One Thank-You Note at a Time
Every penny of Virginia Lottery profits benefit public education. Yet, 40% of Virginians are unaware. To narrow that gap – a goal for agency leaders – the Lottery and Padilla launched “Thank a Teacher,” a community relations campaign generating the highest awareness level for the Lottery’s education mission in history.
Feature Stories, Editorials, Op-Ed Columns
Award of Excellence
Banner Alzheimer’s Institute and The Reis Group
Can Alzheimer’s Be Prevented?
Banner Alzheimer’s Institute, a little-known research powerhouse, hired The Reis Group to promote its groundbreaking work. Result: a gripping two-part feature on CBS’s 60 Minutes highlighting the organization’s unique effort in a Colombian village, where people are destined to contract Alzheimer’s by age 45. The story reached 17.3 million viewers.
Feature Stories, Editorials, Op-Ed Columns
Thoth Award
The Aetna Foundation and BRG Communications
911 for Racial Violence: How to Look at Violence as a Public Health Issue – National Op-Ed
During the summer of 2016, multiple incidences of violence captured media attention nationally. Given this news, BRG saw an opportunity to leverage Aetna Foundation president, Dr. Garth Graham’s expertise to look more closely at violence as a public health issue and reach a national consumer audience with positive messaging.
Integrated Media Relations – Budget of $25,000 or More
Thoth Award
The Virginia Lottery and Padilla
Honoring Virginia’s Teachers, One Thank-You Note at a Time
Every penny of Virginia Lottery profits benefit public education. Yet, 40% of Virginians are unaware. To narrow that gap – a goal for agency leaders – the Lottery and Padilla launched “Thank a Teacher,” a community relations campaign generating the highest awareness level for the Lottery’s education mission in history.
Integrated Media Relations – Budget of Less Than $25,000
Award of Excellence
BSA | The Software Alliance and Allison+Partners
Gaining Visibility for the Significant Impact of Software on the US Economy
Allison+Partners and BSA | The Software Alliance implemented a strategic integrated media relations campaign leveraging first-of-its-kind data to gain visibility for the significant impact of software on the US economy. This campaign was critical for gaining support for government policies that encourage growth of the digital economy and jobs nationwide.
Media Relations: Print Campaign
Award of Excellence
National Aquarium and Golin
National Aquarium’s Dolphin Sanctuary Announcement – From a Moment to a Movement
The National Aquarium made a groundbreaking decision to create a cetacean sanctuary—the first in North America—for its dolphins. The Golin team had less than eight weeks to create a campaign that would garner community advocates, position the Aquarium as a pioneer in animal welfare, and ignite a movement.
Media Relations: Print Campaign
Thoth Award
Virginia529 College Savings Plans and Padilla
ABLEnow Launches with National Recognition
In 2016, Virginia529 – the nation’s largest college savings plan – launched Virginia’s tax-advantaged savings program. ABLEnow gives people with disabilities the opportunity to save money to pay for qualified expenses without jeopardizing their benefits. Padilla provided national media relations support, encourage people in the disability community to open accounts.
Media Relations: Radio Campaign
Thoth Award
American Psychological Association and News Generation
Stress Americans Experienced Around the 2016 Presidential Election
American Psychological Association and News Generation partnered on four radio media tours surrounding reports on stress levels around the 2016 election. Sixty-two radio interviews were completed, including NBC, CBS, ABC, and Fox, twelve state networks, and top news stations in fourteen major markets, pulling in more than fifty-five million listeners.
Media Relations: Television Campaign
Award of Excellence
Lyons PR and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Day 2016 – Benefit for our Nation’s Veterans
On Veterans Day 2016, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, working with Lyons PR, produced a satellite media tour in order to reach veterans and their families nationwide to share information about improvements to the agency and its ongoing commitment to veterans and their families.
Media Relations: Television Campaign
Thoth Award
Strauss Media Strategies, Inc.
2016 Democratic National Convention SMT
On behalf of the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC), Strauss Media Strategies, Inc. developed a comprehensive television outreach effort in the form of a multi-video path Satellite Media Tour to raise awareness and increase coverage of surrogates attending and participating in the 2016 Democratic National Convention.
Newsletters and Magazines
Award of Excellence
Consumer Technology Association
It is Innovation (i3)
As the Consumer Technology Association’s flagship publication, It is Innovation (i3) highlights the changing technology, policy and business in the consumer technology industry. Through articles, interviews and editorials, it celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit in inventions and start-ups, as well as the ideas and leadership skills that exemplify the industry.
Public Service Announcements
Thoth Award
Crosby Marketing Communications
Victories for Veterans
In 2016, Crosby worked with DAV (Disabled American Veterans) to create “Victories for Veterans,” PSAs that show how DAV has helped real veterans overcome a variety of challenges and achieve personal victories, great and small. The TV, radio, print and out-of-home PSAs appeared in media across the country.
Public Service Announcements
Award of Excellence
Ogilvy Washington
Mind Your Risks
The Mind Your Risks® public service announcements serve as initial touch points to demand audience attention for the campaign. Ogilvy created the PSAs in collaboration with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, to educate people about the connection between blood pressure, stroke, and dementia.
Public Service Announcements
Thoth Award
Ogilvy Washington
What is Brain Health?
With the HHS Administration for Community Living, Ogilvy launched the What is Brain Health? campaign in September 2015, providing information about what seniors can do to reduce risks to their brains. The campaign quickly secured 18.5M earned media impressions, drove 70,000 visitors to BrainHealth.Gov, and drew 32,000 fans on Facebook.
Social Media: Advocacy
Award of Excellence
AICPA’s Feed the Pig Campaign
Feed the Pig – Snapchat Campaign
While one in three millennials rank saving as their number one goal, a majority of millennials say impulse buying and not establishing a personal budget get in the way of saving more. To combat this issue and reach its millennial-targeted audience, Feed the Pig created a Snapchat campaign in 2016.
Social Media: Advocacy
Thoth Award
Ogilvy Washington
What is Brain Health?
With the HHS Administration for Community Living, Ogilvy launched the What is Brain Health? campaign in September 2015, providing information about what seniors can do to reduce risks to their brains. The campaign quickly secured 18.5M earned media impressions, drove 70,000 visitors to BrainHealth.Gov, and drew 32,000 fans on Facebook.
Social Media: Events
Thoth Award
Gossip Genie Marketing Team, Consisting of Anthony Less, Vice President of Social Media, Taryn Rosenberg, Director of Social Media, and Shannon Cannon, Social Media Manager
Drive National Buzz and Awareness for the ProStart Program and the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation
Increase the digital presence for the 16th Annual National ProStart Invitational (NPSI 2017), the country’s premier competition for high school students studying culinary arts and restaurant management and drive national buzz and awareness for the ProStart program and the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation.
Social Media: News Release Announcement
Award of Excellence
National Association of Realtors
National Association of Realtors and Pets
With pet ownership rising in America, the National Association of Realtors® identified an opportunity to highlight Realtors®’ insights into shopping for a home with pets in mind. To do this, NAR leveraged the popularity of the Westminster Dog Show to encourage social media engagement with the hashtags #bestinshowings and #Realtordogs.
Social Media: News Release Announcement
Thoth Award
National Park Service
National Park Service “Virtual Park Circuit”
As part of its centennial celebration, the National Park Service hosted a “Virtual Park Circuit” — a Facebook Live series of ranger chats at parks across the country highlighting the concept of innovation in its many forms, each park tagging the next one to complete the “circuit” in one afternoon.
Social Media: Video
Thoth Award
National Park Service
National Park Service – “100”
To celebrate its 100th birthday, the National Park Service created a video which transitions from an old national parks travelogue to inspiring high-definition images of park landscapes, waters, and star-filled skies that surge and spin and boom to a musical score that carries the viewer along like a narrator.
Websites
Award of Excellence
The National Eye Institute with Hager Sharp for the NEI for Kids Website
NEI for Kids
As part of its education program for children, the NIH’s National Eye Institute developed an engaging and educational website for children, NEI for Kids. It makes learning about vision and eye health and safety fun and interesting, and it aims to get children excited about vision as a science.
Websites
Thoth Award
Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma with Padilla
From Obsolete to Cutting Edge: Reinvigorating Prosciutto di Parma’s Web Presence
As its U.S. website declined, the Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma turned to Padilla to set the site on a successful course. The changes, including design and SEO overhauls and mouth-watering food photography, helped ParmaCrown.com soar to the top of Google rankings and gained 300 percent in visitor traffic year-over-year.