• April 5, 2010

The CMO Council has announced the winners of a public service advertising campaign contest designed to generate creative and build awareness for the Council's "Pause to Support a Cause" initiative.

The "Pause to Support a Cause" program provides a platform for companies worldwide -- who collectively spend nearly $19 billion annually on consumer marketing research -- to make charitable donations on behalf of the consumers who participate in surveys. For every survey completed, companies donate dollars in the participant's name to the consumer's charity of choice, from among hundreds of participating nonprofits.

The program provides consumers with a charitable incentive to participate at the same time it supports worthy causes. The CMO Council estimates that the initiative could divert as much as $2 billion per year from corporate funds typically spent on market research into nonprofits. (See www.surveyforgood.org for details, participant information.)

The public service advertising contest encouraged independent and aspiring creative professionals -- members of the Zooppa global social media network (nearly 60,000 creative enthusiasts) -- to showcase their creative skills by producing video, print and other format promotions for "Pause to Support a Cause."

The resulting collection of multi-media executions will now be used to promote "Pause to Support a Cause" via public service messaging across participating print/electronic media channels. The CMO Council is soliciting media to donate time/space for running the public service ads, and has created a portal to access creative assets and information about the program for online/offline media interested in participating.

A panel of high-level marketing and social media executives chose the contest winners.

Seattle-based filmmaker Zeek Earl was awarded the grand prize (a trip for two to Africa to document the deeds of the Freeplay Foundation) for a 30-second television spot conveying the "Pause" program's key message to prospective consumer participants: Anyone can take a few moments of time from their day to support a worthy cause.

A complete list of winners and previews of their submissions is available at www.surveyforgood.com.

"The judges were very impressed by the caliber of the more than 300 creative submissions generated," reports CMO Council executive director Donovan Neale-May. "For all participants, not just the winners, this is an excellent way to gain exposure for their creative talents," as their creative is being viewed on Zoopa and innumerable other video sites and digital channels, he says. Equally important, that viral effect will be invaluable in helping to build awareness of 'Pause to Support a Cause' among professionals and consumers alike, Neale-May adds.