Campaign Media Awards 2005: Best Total Communications Programme

WINNER Title: Local Heroes Media agency: BLM (BLM Media, Quantum, BLM Sports Marketing) Media director: Guy Abrahams Account director: Nick Drew Media planner: Phil Harper Creative agency: Flint Account director: Jane Maskill Account planner: Guy Abrahams Client: Dennis Publishing Brand/product: Maxim/Little Black Book Marketing director: Bruce Sandell

Maxim magazine offered lucky readers the chance to date 101 girls with the help of its "Little Black Book". The book featured real, datable and single girls from around Britain. BLM's communication strategy was all about creating word on the street: first, by strategically placed controversial TV advertising - at the limits of the regulations, the agency created a special X-rated "boys snogging", post-watershed TV ad; second, by making the Little Black Book girls "local heroes" through poster sites. Maxim received requests for more than 9,000 dates in the first week and magazine sales increased by more than 50 per cent compared with the previous month's.

COMMENDATION Title: NiQuitin CQ Going Through It With Lorraine Media agency: MediaCom Media director: Jason Theodore Account director/media planner: Janine Edwards Creative agency: WCRS Creative director: Tim Robertson Account director: Phil Welch Account planner: Amelia Hibbs Client: GSK Brand/product: NiQuitin CQ Marketing director: Mark Dickinson Media/brand manager: Kathy Roe

The Nicotine replacement brand NiQuitin was faced with the challenge of advertising out of season, a bold step considering January is a typical month to quit smoking. Reality-style TV ads followed the character Lorraine's impending attempts to give up as she invites viewers to join her. The campaign included online diary entries, and press ads with straplines such as:"How I survived a night down the pub without cigarettes." NiQuitin maintained peak awareness out of season and sales increased by 40 per cent year on year.

This article was first published on Campaign