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WINNER
2012 Olympics: Decision Day
Eurostar

On 6 July 2005, Eurostar put itself at the heart of the broadcast frenzy in the UK and France following the announcement that London had won the bid to host the 2012 Olympics.

Throughout the day, the operator delivered extensive media coverage and positioned itself at the heart of a positive national story for Britain, featuring on the BBC and CNN.

Eurostar developed a series of distinct news hooks to reaffirm its status as the natural link between the two frontrunners, London and Paris, To entice outside broadcasters and photographers to report the news from its terminals and away from Trafalgar Square, all Waterloo staff were given 'I'm supporting London' T-shirts while Paris staff got 'I'm supporting Paris' shirts.

This was enhanced by a strong Olympic-themed atmosphere. The terminals were decorated with balloons and the announcement of the winner was relayed live on specially erected screens. Whichever city won, Eurostar knew it would not lose out.

At Waterloo, broadcasters covered the build-up to the announcement and the crowd's reaction to the news from Singapore that London had won. To provide further excitement, Eurostar laid on a ten-piece band and followed the announcement by firing confetti cannons across the concourse.

The operator's then comms director, Paul Charles, conducted interviews discussing what London's success meant for Eurostar. These activities provided content for lunchtime news bulletins. BBC News 24, for example, ran a split screen, combining images from Eurostar's terminals with studio-based interviews with MPs such as Simon Hughes.

To carry media interest into the afternoon and early evening, the operator arranged for James Bidwell, CEO of VisitLondon, to name one of its trains 'London 2012', before it departed from Waterloo.

The story was even being worked on into the evening to ensure it made the BBC Ten O'Clock News. Eurostar liaised with the BBC's Paris correspondent Alan Little to give him exclusive footage of the newly named London 2012 as it rolled into the operator's Gare du Nord terminal.

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Cow PR successfully launched the Government-backed TrustMark scheme, which helps the public find reputable tradespeople, by taking over a family home and inviting TV crews to discuss the scheme with accredited workmen as they plied their trade.

This generated 150 pieces of TV and radio coverage, and resulted in 40,000 downloads from the website. The campaign saw the scheme's operators get a rise in demand for customers, with hits to their websites increasing by as much as 200 per cent.

FINALISTS
2006 Road Atlas Launch
AA Publishing
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The Orange British Academy Film Awards 2006
Orange
Medialink

Shell Fuel Economy World Record Challenge
Shell
The Television Consultancy

Broadcast London
VisitLondon