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Corporate Communications
WINNER
Royal Mail
Unseen UK: A book of photographs by the people at Royal Mail
Unseen UK - a 240-page coffee-table book featuring pictures taken by real postmen - was born out of the need for a flagship PR project to support Royal Mail's CSR policy, ongoing reputation management activity and to raise funds for its charity Help the Hospices.
The aim of Unseen UK was to demonstrate the unique knowledge that postmen and women have of the communities they serve.
Royal Mail provided disposable cameras to all 'posties' who requested one, and received 20,000 entries, which were edited by renowned photographer Stephen Gill, photographer Martin Parr and Guardian Weekend picture editor Kate Edwards.
To build up expectation of the book, in October 2005 Royal Mail officially launched its partnership with Help the Hospices via a day of 50 radio interviews with Help the Hospices and Royal Mail managers.
Examples of submitted pictures were sent to regional media. This was followed by promoting the shortlisting stage in November, when the final photos were chosen for the book. Postmen and women were offered as the ideal, enthusiastic spokespeople for local media.
In December, a release alerted the book trade and photographic magazines to the book's impending publication in February.
Review copies were despatched in the New Year to the nationals, and specialist press and arts programmes and to each of the UK's 646 MPs.
A carefully planned exclusive in The Guardian Weekend led to international, national, regional and specialist press and broadcast coverage when the book was finally launched. Post-launch, Royal Mail
has used photos not included in the book to promote itself. This has resulted in a DPS in the Daily Mail
(on silly signs), which was then talked about on GMTV.
Letters of support were received from the Prime Minister and The Queen, who was sent a copy of the book on her 80th birthday. The book has been so successfully promoted that of the 5,000 copies on the print run, more than half (2,736) have sold.
HIGHLY COMMENDED
McDonald's UK
The Simple Facts About Our Food
A 'listening' tour was the kick-start to a major campaign to explain the provenance of McDonald's food to worried consumers after the Super Size Me documentary. Later elements included media briefings with then CEO Peter Beresford in the national media, advertorials and a sponsored conference at the Royal Show to prove McDonald's commitment to UK farmers.
According to McDonald's the campaign contributed to an overall increase in trust among consumers.
FINALISTS
Canon: The Other Side of Football
Canon Europe
Nelson Bostock Communications
NATS - Our Story: Rebranding from Public to Private
NATS
The Cost of Carbon - Putting Climate Change on the Business Agenda
The Carbon Trust
Fishburn Hedges
30th Birthday
The Prince's Trust
