PRWeek
Honorable Mention
Crosby-Volmer International Communications and National Association of Broadcasters: DTV Transition Consumer Awareness Campaign
As the transition date to DTV quickly neared (the original date was February 17, 2009, but President Obama signed a bill to delay it to June 12, 2009), the National Association of Broadcasters sought to make the entire US aware of the switch, and how to make it. The campaign developed and utilized a targeted community- and media-relations effort, focusing on those groups most affected.
Crosby-Volmer created a DTV Speakers Bureau, comprised of 1,100-plus broadcasters nationwide who gave nearly 7,500 talks on the subject. The DTV Road Show spread the word by bringing two giant TVs to more than 600 stops at festivals, malls, and sporting events. Toolkits were given to members of Congress, and various media were used to generate more than 11,000 print, online, and broadcast media hits in English and Spanish.
"[This was a] creative campaign that utilized appropriate communication channels to make an impact," noted one judge, while another deemed it "a very solid effort overall, focused on informing an extremely large group of stakeholders."