For this year’s Children’s Oral Health campaign, Grey New York created a series of PSAs to encourage parents to educate their children about good dental health habits by humorously highlighting the many life lessons parents try to teach their children. Last night at the Ad Council’s 61st Annual Public Service Award Dinner, the campaign earned Grey the Ad Council’s top creative award of the year–the Gold Bell for Creative Excellence. Tor Myhren, worldwide chief creative officer of Grey, and Rob Feakins, president, chief creative officer of Publicis Kaplan Thaler, chairs of the Ad Council’s Campaign Review Committee (CRC), presented the award. Silver and Bronze Bells were also awarded to Publicis Kaplan Thaler and Merkley + Partners for their work on the Learning and Attention Issues and Safe Firearms Storage campaigns, respectively.
The Ad Council’s Annual Dinner was hosted by Stephen Colbert and attended by more than 1,400 prominent members of the media, advertising and corporate communities. The Annual Public Service Award Dinner served as a tribute to the industries and individuals who support the Ad Council and its PSA campaigns. The dinner was chaired by Laura Desmond, the global CEO of Starcom MediaVest and Chair of the Ad Council’s Board of Directors. Platinum sponsors included IHeartMedia/Clear Channel and Facebook. The Ad Council’s largest fundraiser, this year the Annual Dinner raised an unprecedented $3.5 million to support the Ad Council and its public service campaigns.
The Gold, Silver, and Bronze Bell winners were chosen from the Ad Council’s more than 40 PSA campaigns created by the Ad Council’s volunteer agencies that launched this past year. Through a comprehensive review process, the Bell winners were selected by the Ad Council’s CRC, comprised of top creative and planning talent from the nation’s leading advertising agencies. The committee is responsible for review and approval of campaigns’ strategic and creative direction and they help to ensure the Ad Council’s standard of excellence. In addition to Myhren and Feakins, CRC chairs include Susan Credle, chief creative officer, Leo Burnett and Cindy Gallop.
“Each year, our volunteer agencies produce compelling and groundbreaking creative. This year, the powerful work of our agencies has resulted in a significant impact on the health, education and well-being of families throughout the country,” said Lisa Sherman, president & CEO of the Ad Council.
The winning Children’s Oral Health PSAs by Grey New York are humorous depictions of life lessons which make the point that while parenting can be tricky at times, getting kids to brush for two minutes, twice a day can be easier than most other things parents will try to teach their children. The PSAs direct parents to www.2min2x.org to find interactive games for their children and facts on the importance of brushing your teeth.
“At Grey, we believe creativity can solve the world’s biggest problems. So we’ve loved partnering with the Ad Council and The Partnership for Healthy Mouths, Healthy Lives to help parents help their kids brush more often,” said Myhren. “The campaign message is simple: Parenting is hard, but helping kids brush for two minutes, twice a day is easier. We’re delighted to receive this coveted honor, and more importantly we’re thrilled this campaign continues to make an impact on kids’ lives.”
Since its launch in 2012, more than 1.7 million people have visited 2min2x.org and the English and Spanish-language PSAs have received more than $64 million in donated media across TV, radio, print, web and outdoor outlets. Additionally, there has been a significant increase in the percentage of parents who report that their children are brushing for 2 minutes, twice a day.
The Silver Bell was awarded to Publicis Kaplan Thaler for their work on the Learning and Attention Issues campaign, which launched in October to raise national awareness about learning and attention issues and connect parents to Understood.org, a one-stop, easy-to-use online resource and community. The TV creative features parents’ frustrations with being misunderstood by their cell phones to show the frustrations of a child being misunderstood in school and in life.
The Bronze Bell was awarded to Merkley + Partners for their work on the Safe Firearms Storage campaign. The campaign features the tagline “Lock It Up” and encourages current and prospective firearm owners to safely lock up their weapons when they’re not in use.
