• by Staff Writers , September 1, 2006

An innovative, integrated delivery method can have as much impact as the message itself, as proven by these finalists.

Crispin Porter + Bogusky

Slim Jim

Jim Poh, VP, Director of Creative Content Distribution; Brian Hoar, Media Planner

Crispin Porter + Bogusky began with an essential consumer insight  that meat-eating satisfies a primal urge and is therefore a manly snack option  and devised an unusual media strategy for reaching client Slim Jim's audience of young men and boys.

The campaign played off the old tagline, "Snap into a Slim Jim." The new commercials feature guys making "snap" decisions that result in spontaneous acts of often-inane machismo. The men are egged on by the hilarious and scary Fairy Snapmother: one part coach, one part drill instructor, and one part Bluto from "Animal House."

Placement brought it to life. The print plan, for example, called for the Snapmother to appear near photos of "snap moments," making him seem like the true inspiration behind an athlete's outrageous (and sometimes disastrous) trick. The media plan placed the tattooed Fairy Snapmother on cable TV networks, on the Web, and in magazines targeted to the demographic.

HBO/"Entourage"

Jay Farrand, Strategist

HBO's "entourage," a series about a young movie star and his hanger-on friends, succeeded immediately with critics, but didn't generate enough word-of-mouth to make it a hit with viewers. HBO couldn't just tell its jaded young target audience the show was cool, so agency OMD created a media strategy that let viewers discover it for themselves.

The agency splashed the show's catchphrase, "Let's hug it out, bitch," on custom graffiti posters. It printed cards and left them in the pockets of clothing in hip stores. It commissioned a dance track with audio samples and got it played in clubs. When a campaign T-shirt appeared on MTV's "Cribs," celebrities began demanding swag. URLs led the curious to a Web site that revealed the "Entourage" connection and provided free ringtones, the dance track, and more.

The plan, executed for less than $200,000, propelled a bit of dialogue into the pop-culture lexicon. Ratings shot up 20 percent.

Click here to see the original entry.

The Richards Group

Fruit of the Loom

Mary Price, Traci Yourse, and Ira Berger, Brand Media Team Members; Dennis Walker and Ron Henderson, Brand Creative Team Members

Music videos have been used to sell recording artists, fashion, high-end fragrances, and even automobiles. But underwear? Well, why not? The Richards Group cast the quirky Fruit of the Loom guys in a singing commercial, then marketed it as a genuine country music video.

Strange as it sounds, it made some sense, because the 150-year-old brand's target audience resides in the heartland. The agency debuted the video on the country cable channel CMT. It aired the song, "You Can't Over Love (Your Underwear)," on country stations and the Bob Kingsley American Country Countdown show. The microsite received 4.6 million visits with nearly 70,000 downloads; more than 8,000 visitors e-mailed the video to friends.

The campaign vaulted Fruit of the Loom into first place in its market, despite being outspent nearly two to one by its biggest competitor.

Click here to see the original entry.

For more information about the Creative Media Awards ceremony go here.