Promo's PRO Award Finalists 2008

#8. Best Sponsorship or Tie-In Campaign

McDonald’s Shrek
Agency: Arc Worldwide
Client: McDonald’s

The “McDonald’s Shrek” campaign was multifaceted, driven by animated commercials featuring the friendly green ogre and a move to healthier menu items to go with its “Go For Green” messaging. Signage in McDonald’s stores promoted “ogre creations,” such as a Minty Mudbath Shake. A first-ever roster of Shrek Happy Meals toys was customized to speak one of seven languages, including Chinese. More than 197 million straws were colored ogre green. Shrek chararacters were integrated into Apple Dippers, milk, water and carrot packaging in different parts of the world to encourage healthier food options. POP signage and packaging pushed customers to a McDonald’s Shrek microsite. Once there, kids were transport to Far, Far Away where they could follow Shrek down paths to rescue his friends by using cues and video game techniques. Kids could create custom avatars and play educational word games, and there were secret ciphers and cinematic 3D play. Sales of Apple Dippers jumped 37%, milk sales rose 21%, Happy Meals sales increased by 16%, and overall store sales grew by 8.7%. More than 1.2 million visitors hit the Web site from 106 countries, with an average session length of 19 minutes, and 81% of kids worldwide agreed that the McDonald’s Shrek site was fun.

7-Eleven/Simpsons Movie Kwik-E-Mart Experience
Agency: Freshworks
Client: 7-Eleven, Inc.
See Category #3

Night Tennis
Agency: Iris New York
Client: Sony Ericsson

The objective was to leverage Sony Ericsson’s sponsorship of pro Tennis and the Women’s Tennis Association by increasing the appeal of tennis among twentysomethings. The concept was to create a combination of tennis, music and fashion—in the dark. A UV-lit court with 16 players (playing by new rules) turned into a club with top international DJs, including Paul Oakenfold, and UV fashion shows with collections from emerging designers. One event was staged during the 2007 Sony Ericsson Open in Miami. In all, four events staged in Madrid, Zurich, Melbourne and Miami were sold out, drawing 12,500 people. More than 180 million media impressions were made for an estimated value of  $15 million, including the front page of USA Today. It was linked to Sony Ericsson WTA sponsorship handset sales of 280,000 units, and it captured data from 100,000 qualified customers.

Grammy Concert in the Sky Sweepstakes
Agency: The Recording Academy
Client: In-House

Persistent negative press speculation about a cancellation of the 50th Grammy Awards show during last year’s TV writers strike, particularly in the wake of the Golden Globes’ forced cancellation, was dampening potential viewer excitement about the major music awards show. In an effort to boost viewership, CBS and Delta devised a campaign to have a Grammy-branded airline passenger jet function as a concert venue at 35,000 feet, with 20 sweepstakes winners being serenaded by multi-Grammy winner John Legend on the way to the Grammys. The program was intended to help network affiliates find local Grammy sponsors. In a short time, CBS affiliates used the sweepstake to secure partnerships with Chevrolet, Comcast, Dish Network, SunTrust Bank and Time Warner. With sponsor support, CBS affiliates heavily promoted the “Grammy Concert in the Sky Sweepstakes” around the country. Media coverage enabled 31.4 million impressions with a value of $1.7 million.