Challenge

In 2002, Gillette's female shaving franchise faced increasing competition in the women's hair removal category. In the absence of new product news, Gillette's Venus razor needed a breakthrough approach that would build upon its successful "Reveal the Goddess in You" advertising campaign, increase brand awareness and drive sales.

Data

Research revealed that progress had been made in shifting women's perceptions of shaving from "chore" to "beauty essential," but many women remained unconvinced. At the same time, experience confirmed the value of well-chosen celebrities as credible vehicles to shift consumer perceptions, particularly among young women.

Insight

Porter Novelli's insight was twofold. In order to encourage women to perceive Venus as a beauty essential, focus needed to be directed to less tangible benefits such as confidence, strong self-image and empowerment. The related insight was that these attributes could be most effectively communicated and personified by a female icon perceived by young women to be beautiful and strong.

Approach

To execute these insights, Porter Novelli created a holistic marketing effort: "Legs of a Goddess," a ten-city search for the woman with the best legs in America. The multifaceted program consisted of mobile marketing and local market events, online activities, radio promotions and strategic sponsorships that helped the brand dominate category media coverage, drive product sales and thwart aggressive competitive efforts. The concept was so successful it became a five-year marketing campaign.

In 2006, Porter Novelli built on the contest's success by crowning the first Celebrity Legs of a Goddess: Mariah Carey. With a reputation for confidence and strength in the face of adversity-and great legs-Carey was a natural choice for the title.

Stage one of the partnership kicked off with a photo opportunity announcement in New York's Radio City Music Hall featuring a larger-than-life replica of Carey's legs. Venus then sponsored "Legs of a Goddess" contests at Mariah's concert venues throughout the summer. In addition, a coordinated media relations effort directed toward beauty editors at leading magazines helped ensure Venus was positioned as a summer must-have item.

Success

The campaign generated unprecedented media coverage on some of the most high-profile television programs that influence our customers' purchases (Today, Regis & Kelly, MTV, BET, Extra and Access Hollywood) and a wide array of print, online and local broadcast media. The coverage contributed to excellent product sales throughout the summer shaving season and beyond, even in the face of aggressive competition.

For more information, contact Sheryl Kornfeld, 212-601-8022, skornfeld@porternovelli.com.

Challenge

In 2005, when Hurricane Katrina damaged Folgers' New Orleans coffee plant, it halted production, impacted supply and dispersed employees. Porter Novelli was challenged with generating awareness of the efforts undertaken by Folgers and Procter & Gamble to rebuild the New Orleans—based coffee business and to support employees impacted by the storm.

Data

Katrina had struck at the height of Folgers' sales season, and Porter Novelli knew it would be imperative to clearly communicate the cause of any shortages and reinforce loyalty among core consumers.

Insight

Assessing the cultural tone following the storm, Porter Novelli quickly developed and tested messages aimed at each stakeholder in the supply chain. Insights from our research provided the foundation for a multifaceted communications effort to reach consumers, retailers, employees and the local community featuring plant employees apologizing to consumers for temporary product outages, and asking people to join Folgers in supporting relief efforts.

Approach

The program was driven by public relations and included a limited-edition hurricane relief canister to raise money for Katrina victims in partnership with the American Red Cross, a toll-free number to locate and assist employees and an employee relief fund. The program was also supported with advertising, in-store and Web site communication.

Additionally, Porter Novelli coordinated a press conference to announce the plant's reopening with Governor Kathleen Blanco of Louisiana and a visit by President Bush to the plant as a sign of the region's recovery.

Success

Folgers' market share rebounded much more quickly than expected, which Procter & Gamble attributed to the effective communications effort. P&G consumer relations received a higher than normal volume of positive consumer feedback during the campaign, with an emphasis on the American Red Cross partnership, Katrina relief cans and employee relief fund. A P&G study revealed a significant increase in stakeholder awareness of Folgers messages during the public relations campaign. A qualitative analysis of the extensive media coverage-384 million impressions in less than three months—revealed that Folgers was positively positioned in all editorial coverage, with high penetration of all key messages.

For more information, contact Sheryl Kornfeld, 212-601-8022, skornfeld@porternovelli.com.

Challenge

In 2006, Hewlett-Packard responded to an opportunity in their product line-up with the Designjet Z Series of large-format photo printers and tasked Porter Novelli to develop a campaign to launch the series.

Data

Before September 2006, one of the most prominent areas in which Hewlett-Packard had limited market share was the professional printing segment. To address the growing professional photography market, HP created the Designjet Z Series. As HP entered this market, HP's Graphic Arts Organization looked to Porter Novelli to develop a comprehensive campaign that would capture creative professionals' attention and inform them of the new, superior technologies available from HP.

Insight

Porter Novelli understood that aggressively approaching this market would require not only highlighting the differentiating technology but also establishing branding that evoked a sense of creativity, reliability, commitment and partnership among key stakeholders in the creative community. To understand how to effectively reach this audience, PN assembled a Creative Advisory Council focus group. Participants indicated that HP did not have an emotional connection with this audience, nor was the brand considered when purchasing technology. In addition, the PR team discovered a widespread false perception that HP printers were not compatible with Macs, the creative community's primary platform.

Based on these research findings, Porter Novelli chose to focus on appealing to stakeholders' emotions while at the same time emphasizing and supporting the overall benefits and value proposition for HP's entire Graphic Arts Organization. PN established a relationship with CARE, the nonprofit humanitarian organization, and created a dramatic, socially relevant viral campaign to connect the brand with CARE's "I Am Powerful" initiative to help poor women around the world. At the same time, we spotlighted HP Designjet Z Series' technical capabilities via a robust reviews program to get the products into the hands of real users and market influencers.

Approach

First, HP created five photographic teams, each comprising one professional photographer and one student photographer, to locations where CARE had on-the-ground operations of its recently launched "I Am Powerful" campaign, including Angola, Cambodia, Egypt, India and Peru. The photographers then participated in a workshop to experience the Designjet Z Series and print images for an "I Am Powerful" photo exhibit that debuted at the PhotoPlus Expo (PPE) trade show in New York. The exhibit would also appear at events in Germany, the United Nations Gallery in New York and an online gallery at HP.com.

In stage two, Porter Novelli conducted an NDA Reviews Tour to build momentum prior to the launch and generate coverage as close to the launch as possible.

Finally, Porter Novelli expanded the HP/CARE "I Am Powerful" campaign across a wide variety of mediums, fully leveraging HP's Graphic Arts portfolio. Marketing activities included producing a series of HP/CARE Mother's Day cards on HP Indigo digital presses, which were free to download and send to a loved one in 2007, and producing CARE's first national billboard campaign with the HP Designjet and the HP Scitex wide-format printers. This campaign appeared in ten top markets in the U.S.

Success

With the HP/CARE "I Am Powerful" campaign and the unveiling of the photos at PPE, Porter Novelli was able to engage with journalists to discuss HP's serious entry into this space, an effort that resulted with approximately 30 articles in top business press and key photography books. PN booked 19 meetings with photo and graphic design trade press and analyst firms, including 15 journalists and 21 analysts. We seeded the HP Designjet Z Series for review with more than 15 top-tier publications, resulting in a remarkable 100% positive rating. Thanks in part to our efforts, the Designjet Z Series won numerous awards, including being named American Photo Magazine's Fine Art Printer of the Year and an Editor's Choice Award from Macworld, both in 2007.

For more information, contact Sheryl Kornfeld, 212-601-8022, skornfeld@porternovelli.com.

Challenge

Tele Atlas is a digital map provider. As an ingredient brand in a crowded GPS market, Tele Atlas vies for consumer attention against well-known device manufacturers and content providers. Traditionally, Tele Atlas PR efforts focused solely on communicating to current and potential business partners. Consequently, too few consumers were aware of the important role map content plays in driving personalized GPS applications.

Tele Atlas tasked Porter Novelli with making map content a greater influence on consumers' GPS device buying decisions, differentiating Tele Atlas's maps on quality of data and aligning the Tele Atlas brand with exciting new applications based on "dynamic" content. In demonstrating why not all map data is created equal, Tele Atlas hoped to drive sales of GPS devices that incorporated its data.

Data

Through research, Porter Novelli benchmarked current activities to determine how focused Tele Atlas's messages were on consumers. Clear goals were set for improvement. Consumer benefits needed to be captured in more than 50 percent of coverage, and joint partner news volume needed to increase substantially from the approximately eight releases in half of the previous year.

Insight

Porter Novelli developed a plan to shift the audience targeted by Tele Atlas PR program activities. The strategy moved Tele Atlas from business-to-business messaging to focus on consumer-relevant topics. In addition, Porter Novelli aimed to increase the volume of partner activities that aligned Tele Atlas with device manufacturers that successfully captured consumer interest. PN targeted both existing GPS users and those evaluating a purchase, as well as general consumers who were unaware of the technology and more tech-savvy individuals who frequently act as advocates for one brand over another.

Approach

Porter Novelli identified key partners to help Tele Atlas draw from its industry-leading brands and link its map data to tangible products and services. By contributing to such companies as TomTom's aggressive communication efforts, Tele Atlas's map content was included as a differentiation point in the battle among the "top three" GPS devices. Tele Atlas also worked closely with up-and-comers such as Mio. Porter Novelli created a Source Spotlight Series to focus on the unique, quirky or visually compelling tools among Tele Atlas's 50,000 data sources-specifically promoting the mobile mapping van, a vehicle with cameras mounted to its roof and equipped with proprietary technology that enables Tele Atlas to collect more accurate map data while driving the streets of the U.S.

Primary aspects of Tele Atlas data collection were communicated with a consumer-benefit focus and communicated in fun and distinctive ways. Tele Atlas formed the Ultimate Roadtrip Itinerary for travelers, and the team created proactive pitches that focused on commuter pain points such as traffic and parking applications for everyday commuters. Finally, Porter Novelli initiated a Broadcast Blast initiative, aggressively targeting radio, major television affiliates in local markets and national print publications.

Success

In the following 12-month period, Tele Atlas garnered 3,218 press mentions. An overwhelming majority, nearly 80 percent, of company coverage either connected Tele Atlas's brand to a partner or focused on a feature or element uniquely enabled by Tele Atlas's map data-exceeding the target by almost 30 percent.

A total of 58 press releases were issued in which Tele Atlas was aligned with a specific partner or consumer product. Sixty-six percent of the news was issued by the partner directly. Partner news volume more than tripled year over the year. Local and regional coverage was secured at each major stop along the mobile mapping van's route, and additional awareness was generated through coverage in high-profile outlets such as Financial Times, USA Today and Wired. As a result, Tele Atlas hit the milestone of more than 7.8 million maps shipped to its personal navigation device partners (up from 2.6 million two years prior, according to Tele Atlas data).

In the summer of 2007, TomTom announced its intent to acquire Tele Atlas. In the first week of the news, 377 mentions were picked up by top-tier business publications, broadcast news outlets and local and trade media. The vast majority cited the value Tele Atlas's map data brings to TomTom's offering.

For more information, contact Kerry Walker, 617-897-8257, kerry.walker@porternovelli.com.

Challenge

In 2007, Reebok needed a compelling, creative and fiscally responsible campaign to unveil its new SC87 signature collection of footwear, clothing and hockey equipment bearing the initials and jersey number of National Hockey League sensation Sidney Crosby. Reebok wanted a high-impact campaign that would generate media and consumer interest, reinforce its strategic partnership with retail chain Sport Chek and drive sales across Canada.

Data

Reebok had first partnered with Crosby early in his career with the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins, and the partnership has helped to drive the popularity of the Reebok/RBK hockey brand. But earlier efforts to launch the SC87 collection to Canadians with no PR or advertising support had not satisfied Reebok's expectations.

Insight

Through market research, Porter Novelli determined a compelling in-store event for the product would attract the media that could effectively reach the company's target audience. The impressions generated via media and consumer buzz would also impact Reebok's retail network to help drive sales. To accomplish this, the launch event needed to achieve three overarching objectives: reinforce the relationship and synergy between Reebok and Crosby while capitalizing on his star power and popularity; solidify the relationship between Reebok and Sport Chek, an extremely important retail chain in Canada; and ignite consumer sales and buzz in advance of the hockey and holiday shopping season.

Approach

On a tight budget and even tighter schedule, Porter Novelli orchestrated a launch event that proved to be an unprecedented success for Reebok. Key media were invited, and the quick timing was leveraged to drive excitement. More than 60 journalists flocked to Sport Chek's Ontario flagship store to attend a fashion show for the collection, hosted by Crosby and representatives of Reebok and Sport Chek.

Success

The media reach for the launch topped 30 million impressions in the first week, with cross-Canada coverage including CBC, CanWest, Sun Newspapers, City TV, Global, SportsNet, TSN, The Score, Canadian Living, Hockey News and key community and regional outlets, as well as Canadian Press wire service. The SC87 line reached new heights of popularity with both Canadian and U.S. consumers, prompting Reebok to launch its women's wear line early to capitalize on the awareness and dramatic sales momentum. Based on the success of the launch, Porter Novelli developed a Reebok Holiday Outreach PR Program, supporting the SC87 collection with seasonal messages that continued to generate interest and drive 2007 holiday sales.

For more information, contact Mark Nusca, 416-422-7179, mark.nusca@porternovelli.com.

Challenge

For the past five years, the Porter Novelli/Radio Outhouse team has partnered with the Clean Air Campaign to create a memorable and results-oriented advertising campaign that changed behaviors and advanced the mission of the organization. Through a strong social marketing approach and sound research, the advertising campaign has reached millions of Atlanta residents and has motivated them to take action to improve air quality and reduce traffic congestion.

Data

Metro Atlanta's growth and prosperity outshine nearly every region in the country; however, great growth and prosperity can also bring about great challenges. Metro Atlanta has climbed from being ranked 16th to 5th worst for traffic congestion in the United States. Research has shown that the average metro Atlantan spends 67 hours a year stuck in traffic and 22 percent of their income on gas and other car-related expenses. Businesses lose more than $1.7 billion a year due to congestion-related costs. In the past decade, the number of counties with poor air quality rose from 13 to 28 full or partial counties, signaling that Georgia's air quality is suffering as a result of the city's growth and prosperity.

Research in 2003 revealed that metro Atlantans were well aware of the traffic problem; but instead of simply being reminded of it, they wanted solutions.

Insight

As metro Atlanta has grown, commutes have gotten longer and traffic has gotten worse, people have become more dependent on cars to make the drive more tolerable. They've chosen to buy large, luxury (and gas-guzzling) sedans and SUVs. Cars represent status and freedom for metro Atlantans. As a result, the automobile industry-and consumer perception-competes against the Clean Air Campaign. In order to motivate metro Atlantans to take action and adopt clean commuting behaviors such as carpooling, riding transit and telecommuting, the PN team understood the need to convince metro Atlanta they could change their commuting routine without significantly altering their lifestyle. It is fine to have an SUV that gets 12 miles to the gallon-just fill every seat in the car by carpooling, take other cars off the road and combine trips whenever possible. And consider leaving it at the train station once a week or even telecommute when you can. Porter Novelli understood that asking consumers to get rid of their automobiles would not be nearly as effective as an approach that empowered them to make the most of their cars by making smart changes to their commuting behavior that eased traffic problems and air quality issues.

Based on the research that showed Atlantans wanted solutions, Porter Novelli and Radio Outhouse came up with an advertising campaign based on the theme "Free Yourself." Free yourself from crazy traffic with commuting alternatives. Free your employees from increased stress and decreased productivity. Free up your wallet with up to $180 from the CFC program. Free yourself from the hassle of finding a carpool partner. The "Free Yourself" campaign also included what has become known in the industry as an "earcon" (an icon for your ears)-the "free yourself" song and musical score is easily recognized and connected with the Clean Air Campaign.

Approach

The strategy for the advertising campaign was to reach the target audience using the most effective channels and encourage commuting behavior changes. This translated into reaching consumers where they live, work and drive via a ubiquitous radio campaign during peak drive times, with additional exposure to an employer-message radio campaign, outdoor board campaigns and innovative grassroots activities via promotions with area radio stations.

Although the campaign was successful, in 2005 it was time to conduct new research to see if the needle had moved in the minds of metro Atlantans and to identify opportunities to hone messages and improve results. This time, as gas prices were rising and the economy was slowing, money-whether saving it on gas or earning it through the CFC program-was top-of-mind among consumers. As a result, Porter Novelli refined the creative messages to focus on the tangible money benefits of commuting alternatives and to introduce normative messaging as an important component of our evolving message structure. This message was right on target when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005 and sent gas prices soaring-along with interest and participation in the CFC program. In fact, the number of applicants in September 2005 exceeded the entire year's goals for the program.

Research conducted in December 2006 supported previous findings that money, time and stress were still factors in commuters' decisions to change their behavior; however, since gas prices had fallen steadily throughout 2006, money was no longer a primary motivator. Instead, the focus groups revealed a sizeable skepticism that anything could be done to change metro Atlanta's traffic woes. In order to engage commuters, the campaign evolved to include messages that increase feelings of "ability" and "affirmation" in order to change attitudes about using commuting alternatives in metro Atlanta; the messages also had an increased focus on normative behavior. New research in summer 2008 identified how the changing culture-including the instability of gas prices, a downward spiraling economy and increased environmental awareness-was impacting consumers' desire and ability to embrace commuting alternatives.

Success

The radio campaigns have been incredibly successful. Tracking efforts at the Clean Air Campaign reveal a sizeable jump in calls and CFC applications when the radio spots are on the air-and a dramatic drop when they stop in mid-November, a testament to their power. For the past five years, at least one in three CFC applicants report that they heard about the program through the radio advertising. Each year, Porter Novelli has helped the Clean Air Campaign meet and exceed program goals.

To date, the work of Porter Novelli/Radio Outhouse has won 27 awards, ranging from Gold Mercury Awards and an Atlanta ADDY for the radio campaign to Platinum Hermes Awards and the Communicator Awards of Distinction for collateral.

For more information, contact Anna Okula, 404-995-4554, aokula@porternovelli.com.

Challenge

On June 7, 2008, record flooding from nearby Haw Creek filled Columbus Regional Hospital’s (CRH) basement and up to six inches on its first floor, forcing the hospital to evacuate 157 patients. The hospital’s laboratory, pharmacy, IT center, radiology equipment, medical records and food service facility were destroyed. CRH sustained more than $200 million in damages and was forced to close for five months.

CRH asked Porter Novelli to create a commemorative video to honor the hundreds of employees and volunteers who spent thousands of hours restoring the hospital and meeting the healthcare needs of the Columbus community during CRH’s recovery. CRH planned to broadcast the video at its reopening celebration and provide a copy of the video to each employee.

Data

As part of the research process, Porter Novelli considered CRH’s culture, its commitment to excellence and the values that helped it earn a spot on Indiana’s list of “Best Places to Work” for three consecutive years. The communications team surveyed the CRH executive committee to learn more about what employees were saying and how they were responding during the rebuilding process, and reviewed data culled from annual employee satisfaction surveys.

Insight

CRH employees are extremely proud of their hospital and the care they provide to patients. They were eager to celebrate the hospital’s reopening. Porter Novelli and CRH determined that a commemorative video would offer a chronicle of events following the flood and highlight and celebrate employees’ efforts to restore the hospital. It also could be broadcast at events subsequent to the reopening and would serve to motivate employees and remind them once again how far the hospital has come.

Approach

Porter Novelli scripted, produced and edited a 9-minute, 16-second “mini documentary” of the flood and recovery, complete with executive interviews, music, narration and never-before-seen images and footage. The video even included the first images of the hospital’s destroyed basement and ground floor.

Success

CRH shared the commemorative video with all employees at the hospital’s reopening October 27, 2008. Having never seen the images or heard the first-person accounts before, many were stunned into silence and were brought to tears by the end. It demonstrated how far the hospital had come and reminded employees of their bravery and fortitude in the face of crisis. CRH will use a shorter version for future fundraising and community programs.

For more information, contact Samantha Blau, 312-856-8814, samantha.blau@porternovelli.com.

Challenge

In the fall of 2007, Canadian startup company Therma Blade Inc. (TBI) approached Porter Novelli to launch a new invention-a heated skate blade called Thermablade-to the North American marketplace. TBI wanted Thermablade to be viewed by players as indispensable, but beyond several investors and the few amateur hockey players and NHL professionals who helped test the blades, Thermablades were unknown. After spending six years and $8 million on product development-and with hockey legend Wayne Gretzky serving as a key investor-TBI was ready to unveil a product that would advance the game of hockey with its performance benefits.

Data

TBI and Porter Novelli market research revealed wide interest among recreational, amateur and professional players for a reliable heated blade.

Insight

Porter Novelli understood that in order to capitalize on the inherent interest among enthusiasts, TBI's launch needed to create huge, consumer-propelled buzz in the market. Coordinated, targeted media coverage would serve to identify and leverage the product's unique new technology as the next step in the evolution of hockey-while simultaneously stoking consumer excitement by highlighting the extensive research and development process.

Approach

Porter Novelli devised an imaginative and powerful launch strategy to generate extensive coverage, build brand awareness and drive interest and demand across North America. Securing Toronto's renowned and revered Hockey Hall of Fame as the venue for the launch secured the Thermablade's association with hockey greatness, and a simulcast to a capacity crowd at the nearby Esso Theater allowed consumer participation in the media event. Inside the Hall of Fame, an intensive, multimedia launch presentation highlighted the Thermablade's design and development for more than 45 print, broadcast and online journalists. A demonstration of the Thermablade by Wayne Gretzky himself ramped up the media and consumer excitement, while dramatically staged displays on the chronological development of skates positioned the Thermablade as a continuation of tradition and an evolution of the sport's technology.

Success

The Thermablade launch generated exceptional coverage across Canada and the U.S., dominating sports news for the following 24-hour cycle. Coverage was carried on every major TV news and sports broadcast across Canada; print and online coverage was featured by key news and sports publications throughout North America, including Sports Illustrated, the New York Times Magazine, USA Today, the Associated Press, Popular Science, Reuters, Canadian Press, the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, National Post, Hockey News, CBC, NBC, CTV, TSN, ESPN and Sportsnet. Coverage of the launch generated more than 200 million media impressions.

In addition, launch coverage drove immense interest in the product among retailers and consumers. More than 40 retailers in Canada and the U.S. signed on to sell the product, which is in high demand in all marketing regions. About 50 NHL players are currently on a waiting list to obtain the blades, and 16 NHL teams have expressed interest in wearing Thermablades as well. Following the launch, the product secured endorsements from Hockey Canada, Hockey USA and the NHL.

For more information, contact Mark Nusca, 416-422-7179, mark.nusca@porternovelli.com.

Challenge

In 2005 Porter Novelli was charged with revitalizing the Dove Chocolate brand, which had not received marketing support in a decade.

Data

Consumer research revealed that the Dove consumer was looking for an everyday indulgence.

Insight

Porter Novelli recognized that in a crowded, highly competitive category, Dove could make strong inroads in the marketplace with strategic positioning that balanced its two greatest strengths-richness and affordability. By leveraging leading opinion makers, Dove could reach target consumers while distinguishing the brand from competitors.

Approach

Porter Novelli developed a PR program that would bring "Dove Moments" to life by establishing an emotional connection with consumers, conveying the brand's unique silky smooth qualities while introducing a new portfolio of chocolate, cookies, ice cream and sugar-free chocolates.

Porter Novelli created a beautiful, chocolate oasis open house tasting in a suite at New York City's Royalton Hotel for food editors, complete with all the latest Dove Chocolate offerings for media to sample.

Success

The "Dove Moments" PR campaign generated 32 million impressions, putting the brand back in the minds of consumers. Media highlights included an in-depth marketing story unveiling the new ad campaign in the New York Times, a giveaway on The View, extensive coverage in retail trade publications and local newspapers across the country and coverage in the highest-circulation magazines reaching our target: Family Circle, First for Women, Child, InStyle and Prevention.

For more information, contact Sheryl Kornfeld, 212-601-8022, skornfeld@porternovelli.com.

Challenge

In 2005, as longstanding advertisers and consumers were shifting focus from print to online searches, BellSouth Adverting & Publishing Corporation (BAPCO) charged Porter Novelli with increasing ad revenue for the traditional print version of their Yellow Pages directory.

Data

Through BAPCO's consumer data, Porter Novelli identified a key growth potential in rapidly expanding metropolitan Hispanic communities, most of whom regularly utilized the print edition of the Yellow Pages.

Insight

Porter Novelli recommended an awards program, BellSouth Salutes Hispanic Heritage Month, to demonstrate BellSouth's close connection to the Hispanic community. The awards were designed to honor a diverse selection of successful business owners in Atlanta and Orlando who exemplified excellence, commitment to others and philanthropic initiative. The program was timed to coincide with Hispanic Heritage Month in October 2005.

Approach

To initiate the program, Porter Novelli worked with a selection committee of BellSouth executives to identify four individuals per market who had demonstrated a lasting contribution to their communities. Porter Novelli negotiated partnerships on behalf of BellSouth with leading local Spanish-language media outlets including Atlanta Latino, El Nuevo Dia, Telemundo and Univision. Each week of Hispanic Heritage Month, Atlanta Latino profiled one honoree, leading up to the awards banquets at the end of the month. Working through the local Hispanic Chambers of Commerce in Atlanta and Orlando, Porter Novelli extended invitations to small business owners in both communities, resulting in capacity attendance at both events.

Success

In addition to the honoree profiles in Atlanta Latino, each of the remaining media sponsors ran coverage of the BellSouth Salutes Hispanic Heritage Month program. One non-sponsoring outlet, El Diario, also spotlighted the event. Overall, the BellSouth Salutes Hispanic Heritage Month program resulted in 1,519,950 impressions and served to increase the company's visibility with its target audience.

For more information, contact Brad MacAfee, 404-995-4542, brad.macafee@porternovelli.com.

Challenge

American Family Life Assurance Company (Aflac) charged Porter Novelli with the goal of establishing a stronger presence with national business publications and ensuring that the company's products were top-of-mind with small business reporters writing for national outlets.

Data

Aflac is the leading provider of insurance policies to help with expenses not covered by primary insurance coverage. Based in Columbus, Georgia, the company has more than $59 billion in assets and insures more than 40 million people worldwide.

Insight

Porter Novelli recognized the value of Aflac's history, as well as its chairman and CEO Dan Amos and his son, Paul Amos, the company's president and chief operating officer. Started in 1955 by three brothers, Dan, Paul and Bill, Aflac embodies the familial aspect of a small business while having the global reach of a major, international company. Porter Novelli chose to leverage this unique combination as a fresh story to share with media that would provide insight into the company beyond the company's already successful national ad campaign.

Approach

Porter Novelli coordinated a New York media tour to conduct desk-side briefings with relevant reporters at the top business publications. The challenge was to schedule briefings without any breaking news. Using the company's unique positioning, Porter Novelli was able to secure top-tier appointments and help Aflac executive officers establish solid relationships with key influencers.

Success

The Aflac New York media tour saw Dan and Paul Amos meet with five of the most valuable media outlets to help increase the company's visibility, elevate the profile of its executives and highlight the unique history and family ties. Dan and Paul conducted face-to-face meetings with Bloomberg TV, the Sunday New York Times, Fortune, the Wall Street Journal and the radio station 1010 WINS.

For more information, contact Brad MacAfee, 404-995-4542, brad.macafee@porternovelli.com.

Challenge

In Germany, LG tasked Porter Novelli to create an attention-grabbing product launch event for the new LG mobile phone called LG Secret, part of the company's Black Label Series. The goal was to heighten brand awareness in targeted lifestyle and technology media, strengthen emotional connection to the brand, increase awareness for LG's entire mobile product range and position LG as a lifestyle brand in the technology sector.

Data

The mobile market in Germany is characterized by strong competition between LG, Samsung, Nokia and SonyEricsson, with Apple's iPhone leading with its touch screen surface and multimedia features.

Insight

Being the third handset in LG's successful Black Label Series, the LG Secret needed a launch characterized by style, entertainment and information in order to continue the series' success.

Approach

Porter Novelli drew on the product's name, Secret, to define the concept of the launch event. To generate interest and suspense, the invitation was staggered in three steps-a save-the-date-mailing, followed by a postcard indicating only location, date and product name, and then a full invitation. Addressing specific target groups such as lifestyle press, consumer technology press and daily press was key to broadening media attention for LG. Launch events were held in stylish lounge-style locations in Munich and Hamburg where a special brand experience focusing on design and technology was created. In a captivating, crowd-pleasing show of illusion, internationally renowned magician Florian Zimmer revealed the LG Secret to a crowd of pleasantly surprised journalists. Afterwards, the journalists were provided with a hands-on introduction to the LG Secret, as well as the current mobile product range, offering a comprehensive experience of the entire LG Mobile portfolio.

Success

Attendance and feedback for the launch events was extremely positive. In Munich, 40 journalists attended; 31 journalists attended in Hamburg. In light of the strong response, the launch was then extended to consumer lifestyle media. Within three months of the launch events, all attending media had provided coverage of the LG Secret.

For more information, contact Nina Schroeer.

Challenge

Logitech is a market leader in the design, manufacture and sale of computer control devices, including mice, trackballs and touchpads. For many years, the company's press activities focused on consumer technology media and were characterized by a traditional tech company approach. Logitech asked F&H Porter Novelli to develop a communication strategy that inspired emotional connection and positioned Logitech not only as a technology brand but as a lifestyle brand as well.

Data

Prior to 2005, Logitech's communication predominately addressed technology publications. Logitech was strongly and positively perceived as a technology brand with a strong focus on technical developments and quality features. However, Logitech did not inspire the emotional connections that would elevate it to become a must-have brand.

Insight

F&H Porter Novelli devised an elaborate, multi-layer PR strategy to position Logitech as a lifestyle brand by promoting Logitech as a leading manufacturer on the German entertainment electronics market. PN also determined the profile of the product portfolio should be raised and the presence in the lifestyle media increased.

Approach

The PR strategy, entitled "From Trust Brand to Love Brand," aimed at positioning Logitech as a lifestyle brand with strong emotional connections. New brand values were determined and PN developed new branding and design that highlighted innovative technology, consumer lifestyle and cutting-edge R&D. To reinforce the branding, the strategy encompassed participation in various lifestyle events and intensive expansion of Logitech's presence in awards and reviews programs.

Success

Logitech has experienced a significant increase in lifestyle coverage and reviews since 2006. The media presence in consumer technology media, consumer lifestyle publications and broadcast media has been considerably raised as well.

For more information, contact Nina Schroeer.

Challenge

Analog Devices is a world-leading manufacturer of integrated circuits for applications in the industrial production, automotive, telecommunications and consumer goods industries. Analog Devices serves over 60,000 customers, representing virtually all types of electronics equipment. Porter Novelli was challenged to make Analog Devices stand out in a crowded and highly competitive field. Of particular importance was the company's presence in Germany, the largest and most important market in Europe, and ADI specifically tasked Porter Novelli with raising the media profile of the German management team.

Data

Porter Novelli undertook comprehensive research of the types of communication picked up by the German media in order to help ADI reach its country-specific goals while preserving the overall integrity of its global messaging.

Insight

Porter Novelli understood that it was of crucial importance to adapt the global PR strategy of Analog Devices to the country-specific needs of the German media landscape. This meant a country-specific implementation of the company's global PR strategy in Germany.

Approach

Porter Novelli launched a country-specific PR strategy that preserved the "one voice" principle of key U.S. messaging while subtly adapting materials to meet the needs of the German media. This involved close integration of local management, as well as coordinated support of Analog Devices' European and American marketing communications.

Success

With a focused and coordinated approach, Porter Novelli was able to ensure a continuously high media presence with trade articles and interviews. ADI now enjoys excellent, consistent exposure in the press. This is particularly true for ADI in Germany, which achieved the best results worldwide. In 2008, Germany accounted for nearly 60 percent of ADI's exposure in Europe. Germany also featured the highest number of company-authored by-lined articles, which helped to consolidate ADI's strong lead.

For more information, contact Nina Schroeer.

Challenge

In the highly competitive PC world, HP has re-invented itself as a consumer brand focused on design and features that empower a digital lifestyle. With its "The Computer is Personal Again" campaign, HP has put women and youth at the forefront of its marketing efforts. HP and Porter Novelli determined it was critical to develop marketing activities targeted at women to support its consumer brand reinvention. Since HP did not have products designed specifically for women, a news hook was needed to grab lifestyle media attention.

Data

Research led by a well-known neuroscientist and commissioned by HP examined the effects of taking a 'digital time-out' on women's well being across different European nationalities. The results highlighted that a short, personal Internet escape-such as swapping photos with friends and family, surfing favorite Web sites or any other similar online diversion-reduces stress, lowers heart rates and allows the brain to work with less effort and greater efficiency.

Insight

More than ever, the stressful balance of career and family leaves women with little time for themselves. Porter Novelli and HP PSG EMEA capitalized on this need for "me time" and created a targeted event to engage with women's lifestyle press to discuss how technology can provide women time and space to relax and decompress-a "digital oasis."

Approach

At the Quality Me Time event, held at a ski resort in the French Alps from February 6 to 8, 2008, HP examined social interaction and demonstrated how IT can provide a digital diversion and escape from daily life. It featured prominent female speakers from the world of sports and IT, including EMEA VP Luciana Broggi and Olympic gold medalist Carole Montillet. The event was the first ever HP PSG EMEA event created specifically for women's press-an audience that HP could not successfully address with traditional tech-oriented events. It required a whole new voice for pitching, presenting and speaking to attendees for HP. Three aspects of the "Quality Me Time" story were identified: the business story, which highlighted HP's new marketing focus targeting women; the sociological story, stressing research indicating that technology provides women with a digital escape; and the product story, a showcase for the star PC products that enable women to create the digital escape. HP established a partnership with Rossignol, a brand that has also shifted its marketing focus to women, and together the companies created a unique event for women journalists in the lifestyle, fashion and female-focused press to demonstrate how important women are to HP.

Success

The "Quality Me Time" story garnered coverage in 11 countries and introduced HP to a new segment of media as a credible company interested in how technology can positively affect women's lives. Over fifty articles appeared in lifestyle publications including Elle, Femme Actuelle, Gioia, in addition to a lengthy broadcast piece on BBC Click. The impact of the event continued throughout 2008, as PSG sustained the dialogue with lifestyle press through more traditional press activities. Notably, the lifestyle publication attendance ratio at PSG events later in 2008 more than doubled as a result of the lifestyle press engagement at the Quality Me Time event. The initial relationship building blocks with these key influencers was then further cemented with outreach focused on products developed for women, such a Special Edition Notebook designed by Vivienne Tam. HP is now frequently seen as the leading technology influencer for women and later in 2008, PSG EMEA set a record within HP, shipping over a million consumer notebooks in EMEA in October.

For more information, contact Lee Lenhard, lee.lenhard@porternovelli.fr.

Challenge

To capitalize on the growth of green tourism, the four-star hotel chain Les Castels challenged Porter Novelli to modernize its branding and consumer-facing communications in order to create loyalty, reinforce positioning and maintain leadership in the open-air hotel category.

Data

For more than 50 years, the hotel chain Les Castels has been the innovator of the original concept of "camping at the castle." Each Les Castles campsite is seated on an ancestral domain and features a castle still owned by its original family.

Insight

In order to meet the challenge, Porter Novelli understood the need to highlight the real differences in the open-air hotel industry and in a sector where campsite chains are more and more standardized. The goal was to showcase Les Castles' distinctiveness and raise awareness that it is the only four-star hotel chain to offer the unique personalization particular to each site.

Approach

Working from the positioning concept, "Four Stars and a Soul," Porter Novelli established a communications platform that defined the vision, the ambitions, the missions and the values of the hotel chain. Efforts highlighted the Les Castels experience, as well as its promotion of traditions and the French way of life. Porter Novelli also created a more upscale and dynamic platform offering internal communications tools for members and external communications tools for European clients. This included brochures, road maps, fidelity cards, a Web site, advertisements and press outreach.

Success

Following the modernization of the brand and its identity, six new campsites requested to join the chain within one year, and four were selected<./p>

Challenge

The BMW Group is one of the world's leading premium automotive manufacturers. Its new BMW 5 Saloon played a major role in the short film "Who Killed the Idea?" by Hermann Vaske. Porter Novelli's challenge was to launch the new BMW 5 series to European lifestyle media, present the film as a unique communication platform for the vehicle and promote the image of the BMW Group through an innovative marketing campaign.

Data

Porter Novelli drew from market research and competitor analysis, as well as key target group data.

Insight

A targeted multi-channel strategy provided various thematic anchors and included the presentation of the short film with the BMW 5 Saloon. Key international media were actively engaged in the filmmaking process. The film starred well-known actress and high-fashion model Nadja Auermann, which would attract international press to BMW and the 5 series.

Approach

Porter Novelli coordinated a press trip to Los Angeles for key international media to visit the film set, take part in the shoot and conduct interviews with the stars, producers and director of the film. The agency arranged an exclusive screening for international press at Cannes during the International Film Festival. With the support of Porter Novelli offices in the U.K., Benelux, France, Sweden and Italy, F&H Porter Novelli Munich successfully positioned the campaign throughout Europe.

Success

The campaign generated extensive publicity for the new vehicle in the European core lifestyle media. BMW's image was successfully promoted as a creative automotive manufacturer with innovative marketing ideas.

For more information, contact Bianca Veth, b.veth@f-und-h.de.

Challenge

In 2007, Procter & Gamble's first brief to Shunya International, Porter Novelli's partner agency in China, was to devise and implement an integrated campaign to build "sleep" into Pampers' brand equity, and to boost sales and market share by educating expectant and new mothers about the benefits of longer uninterrupted sleep to their babies' cognitive development.

Data

Pampers had commissioned independent U.S. and Chinese expert clinical research which showed Pampers' competitive superiority in ensuring longer uninterrupted sleep for babies, called 'golden sleep' in China; these new results were available for use in the campaign. Initial research conducted by the agency into young mothers' online habits showed that the majority of Pampers' target market were regular Web users for information, and liked sharing baby hints and tips with their friends.

Insight

The agency's insights process identified that in the often-bewildering life of new mothers, the most profound moment to think about the development of their child is when they are looking at their sleeping baby. This insight led to the development of the core creative platform-to encourage new mothers to photograph their sleeping babies, and upload the pictures to Pampers' Chinese website.

Approach

The campaign's hook was that the sleeping baby photos would be made into a giant photomontage, and the final compelling attraction was a campaign to break the Guinness World Record for the largest photomontage in the world.

The campaign was planned as a combination of three key elements:

• Offline media and experiential activities including mass carnivals and in-store campaigns in China's Tier 1 cities
• Online recruitment and viral programs including the launch of a Sleep Tracker, allowing parents to monitor their babies' sleeping patterns.
• A professional clinical and medical education and endorsement campaign, including an educational documentary shot and made by the agency in the U.S. and China.

Additional viral activities were added halfway through the program when the World Record target was broken by a German company, leaving the Pampers campaign with a new target-to upload more than 80,000 photos!

Success

200,000 baby photos were collected, smashing the Guinness World Record, with 109,000 being used to create a photomontage covering 660 square meters, unveiled in one of Pampers' key retail partners' stores in Shanghai. As a result of the campaign, Pampers' sales volumes grew by 54 percent compared to the previous year, and the brand's market share returned to growth. The campaign attracted more than 100,000 new members to Pampers' Mums Club, increasing the Club's penetration of China's online mothers from 26 percent to 43 percent. P&G has recognized the campaign as setting new global standards for effective integrated communications, and Porter Novelli's agency partner was recognized as 'most creative interactive agency' in the 2008 Market Forum awards organized by China's Marketing and Sales magazine.

For more information, contact John Orme, john.orme@porternovelli.com.

Challenge

Since its inception sixteen years ago, the South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) conference has lived in the shadow of the more established SXSW Music and Film festivals, but SXSWi and Porter Novelli were determined to make 2009 its break-through year, giving the conference its much deserved global spotlight. With 2009 marking the fifth year of working with SXSWi, Porter Novelli was tasked with increasing visibility among influential local, national and international media audiences and ensuring a positive experience for exhibitors, Web Awards and Accelerator finalists and participants.

Data

Following the conference’s most successful year in 2008, press attendance had grown from 75 to more than 200 and Porter Novelli had laid the groundwork for an even more triumphant 2009.

Insight

To capitalize on the momentum of the previous year, and differentiate the 2009 conference, Porter Novelli understood press attendance and coverage would be best driven by leveraging industry trends to highlight the week’s speakers, activities and events. As in years past, providing media influentials with the white glove treatment remained a top priority. With the festival’s continued growth, Porter Novelli recognized the approach had become even more important and was now integral to ensuring the best experience for all media at SXSWi. Porter Novelli also saw a new opportunity to extend the approach from media to exhibitors as well as Web Awards and Accelerator finalists and participants.

Approach

To drive these insights, Porter Novelli created an extensive press kit for all media attending, including an at-a-glance schedule of hot picks for panel and evening activities, exhibitor/sponsor/finalists contact information for better accessibility, overviews of each SXSWi official activity, an FAQ and additional event information tailored for specific industries and areas of focus. In addition to top-notch press materials, Porter Novelli team members were on hand at the SXSWi press booth to answer any questions or requests from press. And, new for 2009, Porter Novelli hosted a lounge area within the conference to provide an even higher level of service and interaction.

Porter Novelli also developed a comprehensive toolkit for each key audience—including press release templates, wire distribution options, and general press and PR tips and tricks for the conference—which proved to be an extremely valuable PR resource for attending companies. Leading up to and during the show, more than 230 of the hottest up-and-coming technology companies sought information and guidance from Porter Novelli as the official PR source for the festival.

Success

As a result of the targeted and tailored press outreach, Porter Novelli secured more than 300 interactive press attendees, many at the festival for the first time, and the majority from top tier press such as the Austin American-Statesman, CNET, Mashable, the New York Times, TechCrunch and the Wall Street Journal, among others.

In addition, Porter Novelli also created and coordinated one of the festival’s top sessions, Social Media for Social Good. More than 900 people piled into a venue that held a capacity of 150 to hear Porter Novelli’s insights into the power of social media to drive positive change. To demonstrate, Porter Novelli launched the innovative and inspiring Tweet to ReMIND campaign at the session. According to a Cision article, Porter Novelli was one of the top 10 tweeted company names throughout the festival.

As a result of the increased coverage and awareness of the SXSWi conference, registered attendance surpassed attendance for the Film conference, at 10,741 registered attendees, for the first time in SXSW history. Interactive attendance fell only slightly below that of the Music festival at 11,687. Porter Novelli’s efforts resulted in media stories on themes and values that raised awareness and successfully supported SXSWi as a brand and also focused on the community it serves. Messaging highlighted the importance of content in 2009, as opposed to social activity stressed in previous years, and highlighted Austin as not only the host of SXSWi but also a global hub of interactive technology.

For more information, including detailed highlights and press coverage, contact Jason Spark, 619-849-6005, jspark@pnlifesciences.com.