PPB February 2021

Silver Winner Distributor: Social Good Promotions, Inc. Type Of Client: Nonprofit sports and education, and professional sports Target Audience : 250 student athletes, athletic directors, officials, school districts and school-aged athletes, plus NFL teamstaff/ supporters and global sponsors Primary Objective: The goal for Special Olympics Ohio was to engage Northeast Ohio schools in the Inclusion Revolution initiative, and increase participation in Unified sports programs. The football team aims to be an all-encompassing community partner. Together, the organizations partnered to create the first flag football league and partnership of its kind and encourage youth sports in Northeast Ohio. Total Cost: $15,000 Strategy And Execution: The strategy was to design the best possible apparel, signage and gear to support the mission and showcase each brand successfully, and to create a memorable experience for the athletes, partners, volunteers and football organization while bringing attention to the overall theme of inclusion. All items were finalized, produced and delivered starting in early August, with the six-week-turn items arriving early September. All pieces were received by the distributor, inspected and repacked for distribution to each school. The distributor partnered with Special Olympics to hand-deliver and fit all uniforms for athletes at the high schools one week prior to the Reveal event, providing athletes and coaches with detailed documentation on dress code and transportation. All signage was inspected and delivered directly to the event site the night before the event. Hats and bracelets were handed out onsite by football team members as commemorative gifts and incentives for signing the Inclusion pledge wall. Results: There was a major increase in the number of high school partners signing up for Unified programs and twice the number of teams participating in the 2020 flag football league in Northeast Ohio. The football team gained increased positive perception based on its partnership with Special Olympics Ohio and earned 100 percent participation from the ownership through the organization in the #Give10 initiative in 2019. There was also an increased demand by staff for more youth sports programming and volunteer oportunities. Trade Show/Exhibit Traffic Programs Gold Winner Distributor: Honeycomb Agency Type Of Client: Finance Target Audience : 900 finance professionals who were delegates, fellow exhibitors and sponsors across five state- based events Primary Objective: The business objective was to generate at least 355 leads for the client’s business development managers. The focus was on attracting traffic to the stand throughout each event, extending the average engagement time and incentivizing a return to the stand to build on connections made. Total Cost: $5,000 per location for a total of $25,000 Strategy And Execution: On review of retail trends, we learned that 70 percent of consumers will pay more for a personalized product and that people will wait longer for it. It follows suit that delegates at an event will be willing to wait longer and provide more data in a lead capture form if there is the promise of a personalized gift. In selecting the products to be gifted, the audience (finance/brokers) was considered and luggage tags were selected with the client’s brand on the back, along with refillable journals. Not only more environmentally-friendly, but they offered increased branding longevity, as the owner will replace the inner pages and retain the cover (along with a message of quality and lasting support). Results: The 355 lead target was based on 2019 results from five events. In 2020, 552 leads were generated in just four events (one event was cancelled due to COVID-19) so conservative, projected leads would have meant a more than 240-percent increase on the target. It is too soon to know commercial return on the client’s spend but delegates were impressed with the quality and perceived value of the personalized items. FEATURE | Pyramid Awards: Client Programs 30 | FEBRUARY 2021 |