Social Responsibility Programs Gold Winner Promotional Partners “The Human Behind The Shield” is an award-winning promotion developed by Promotional Partners for the Apex, North Carolina, and Shaker Heights, Ohio, police departments to foster community engagement. The objective was to help break down barriers between law enforcement officers and the communities they serve by reaching out to youth and humanizing officers in the eyes of the youngest residents. To carry this important message, an illustrated children’s book titled Who’s Behind The Badge? was developed, and its availability was first promoted at a Juneteenth event in Apex and a book signing at the public library in Shaker Heights, each drawing thousands of participants. The books revealed personal information about the officers, such as their hobbies, feelings, families, pets, goals and why they chose to serve. Officers in both towns were encouraged to participate – the Apex book featured 20 officers and the Shaker Heights book featured 17 officers. This unconventional tool opened dialogue in a way that both the officers and children found exciting, and helped them discover common ground, build trust and cultivate a positive perception of law enforcement officers. Silver Winner BAMKO MetLife wanted to do more than simply give its 4,300 employees a yearend gift. The company wanted to leverage the opportunity into a companywide sustainability effort and generate results for both the staff and the environment. To that end, BAMKO suggested a RIPL bottle to begin a ripple of change by promoting a positive impact on people, communities and the environment. With each RIPL bottle gifted, the company sponsored a full day of employment for individuals in Bali, Indonesia, to collect plastic from the beaches. To double down on this philanthropic effort, MetLife also planted a tree for each employee who received a gift. The bottles were customized with PMS color matching, plus a logo on burlap bags and a QR code linking to a site highlighting the project’s impact on employing people in impoverished communities. BAMKO also established a slogan, “Your MetLife x RIPL bottle set off a massive ripple effect of positive change,” to express the mission of the program in a clear and intentional way. The program generated more than 11 years of employment time, prevented approximately 4.3 million plastic bottles from reaching the ocean and filled 15,000 garbage bags with discarded plastic. It also led to approximately 4,300 trees being planted. Must Read | Pyramid Awards | Client Promotions 50 • MARCH 2025 • PPAI
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