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Research

WINNER
These Four Walls: The REAL British Office
Gensler
Man Bites Dog

When architecture firm Gensler wanted to raise the profile of its UK workplace interiors practice, it knew that office design was not an issue that kept most CEOs (or journalists) awake at night. But PR agency Man Bites Dog offered a solution: Gensler could set the media agenda by championing an issue that people do care about - the state of the British office - by linking office design with profitability.

A specially designed questionnaire found that poorly designed offices cut productivity by 20 per cent. Armed with the data, a heavyweight report was produced. The Financial Times gave the story a half page as an exclusive and the rest of the media followed its lead. The AVE return on investment was more than 40:1.

'The campaign made a tremendous contribution to building our reputation as a global thought-leader in workplace design and strategy,' says Gary Wheeler, director of workplace at Gensler.

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Cheese and Dreams
The British Cheese Board
Harrison Cowley

Harrison Cowley - retained agency for the British Cheese Board - decided to find the truth behind the myth that eating cheese at night gives people nightmares by devising research with the London Sleep Centre.

Among the 200-plus testers, cheeses did cause different types of dreams with statistical  consistency. Newspapers loved it, with headlines such as 'Sweet dreams are made of cheese' (Daily Star) and 'Say cheezzzz' (Metro).  Traffic to the British Cheese Board's website rose by 55 per cent.

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Networking Skills in western and eastern Europe
Cisco
Band & Brown Communications

A study into the shortage of advanced networking skills across Europe, and a subsequent report, created huge publicity for Cisco. Working with Band & Brown Communications, the IT giant gained the ear of governments, education institutions, NGOs and industry - organisations previously out of reach. The report might have cost £78,000, but theROI has been clear, with 250 items of coverage in Europe and a CNBC World Business feature broadcast to 250 million homes.

FINALISTS
Tea 4 Health
The Tea Council
Nexus Communications Group

From the Heart - The Cholesterol Message Isn't Getting Through
AstraZeneca
Shire Health International