• by The Editor , August 14, 2008

Who knows what really happens in the mind of the consumer?

This year's finalists attempted to peek inside, gaming new insights in the process.

MindShare

U.S. Marine Corps.

Debbie Solomon, Research Director; Danniele Meglen, Media Research Analyst; Steve Harding, Group Planning Director; Lindsey Phillips, Planning Supervisor; Regan Young; Planning Supervisor.

Faced with the challenge of conducting research that would boost Marine Corps recruitment numbers by 10 percent, MindShare Insights devised a military-grade plan of attack to glean insights into the target population of prospective Marines - a small, elite, and difficult-to-research portion of the population. Up for the challenge, the MindShare team developed an innovative "reconnaissance mission" approach that gathered data and insights at the most logical point of contact: the enlistment process. Potential recruits were directed to an online questionnaire through a postcard in their Welcome Aboard kits, the first materials one receives after enlisting. The survey was designated as their first mission in the Marine Corps, and the Web site was branded to signal this as well.

The reconnaissance mission received 1,415 responses with an 89 percent male ratio, and uncovered insights that proved recruits do indeed have different media habits than the general male 17-to-24-year-old population: they watch different TV programs, different cable networks, and go to the movies more often. Overall, the study gleaned new insights for media planning missions. The Marine Corps exceeded recruiting goals by about 5 percent for 2007.

Starcom MediaVest Group

Sprite: "Welcome to My World"

Starcom MediaVest Group: Kendra Hatcher, Senior Vice President, Contextual Planning. Coca-Cola North America: Don King, Group Director; Jodi Amundson Smith, Senior Manager, Consumer Research; Andrea Brown, Director, Strategic Media Planning; Laurie Clark, Strategic Media Manager.

GTM Grassroots Marketing: Courtney Counts, Director, Cultural Anthropology & Cross Cultural Communications. Dr. Charles Jamison, Independent Consultant

With "welcome to my world," Starcom MediaVest Group's consumer insights team trail-blazed an immersion research plan to get to know African-American youth. The goal was to push past the stereotypical images that have come to represent African-American youth in media to uncover the truth, and identify cultural leaders who could guide the agency team on a tour of the daily lives of African-American youth in trend-setting markets. SMG got out of the backroom and onto a tour bus to experience firsthand how African-American youth live real life. Tours were led by "culture creators" who were local celebrities in their own right for developing popular culture in each of their respective markets.

The study found that African-American youth have a different perspective on race than previous generations. For them, race was no longer the sole demographic characteristic that defined their existence.

StarLink Worldwide

American Medical Association

StarLink: Vickie Szombathy, Vice President, Director; Stephen Carlson, Associate Director; Laura Voticke, Senior Buyer. American Medical Association: Catharine Hamrick, Vice President, Integrated Brand Management; Mike Lynch, Vice President, External Communications. U.S. News & World Report: Paul Kissane, Vice President, Midwest Advertising Director.

Starlink, in collaboration with U.S. News&World Report, identified and mined an essential insight about the concerns of contemporary physicians that led to a new way of engaging the core constituents of the American Medical Association. If physicians are supposed to be the authority on health, how can they stand up to the 24/7 breaking news cycle? With the aid of US News and World Report, Starlink created high-quality-content daily updates on health news, to be sent to AMA doctors every morning. The campaign was showcased a classic print brand, and highlighted the effectiveness of linking multiple media toward a common goal.