Silence is golden for Burson-Marsteller at PRCA awards
Congratulations to companies that picked up Awards or Nominations at the 2011 PRCA Awards night (November 15). Viewed in totality, the shortlists show that the difficult economic climate has not undermined the creative vitality of the PR sector.
Two minute silence
One of the stand-out campaigns on the night was Burson-Marsteller’s ‘Two Minute Silence’ on behalf of the Royal British Legion. Having previously picked up awards at the prestigious Cannes Lions this summer, BM left the PRCA Awards venue with both the digital and not-for-profit awards.
For anyone who missed the campaign in action, it relates to the RBL’s 2010 Poppy Appeal, the high-profile fund-raising event that takes place in the run-up to Remembrance Day. BM’s job was to create a campaign that engaged a younger, digital audience.
Silent single
An easy option would have been to do something with poppies. But BM decided to work with the Legion's other key asset - the two minute silence. On paper it seems like a strange choice. We all know what the two minute silence represents, but what can you do with it? Well BM’s approach was to create a single that could be downloaded via iTunes. The single was silent. But that didn’t stop it becoming the first ever silent single to enter the UK charts reaching No. 20 in the BBC Charts and selling over 20,000 copies.
Clearly, there’s some in-built emotional support for the concept of the two minute silence. But that isn’t enough in itself to explain the impact of the single – so what does? Well there are two things. Firstly, there’s the fact that the single isn’t truly silent. In the background you can hear all of the usual background noises that go with such silences (rustling wind, traffic going by). This evokes the sense of an extraordinary occasion. Secondly, and critical to winning support from the young audience, the single was accompanied by a video which showed 20 leading celebrities respecting the silence. When Andy Murray, David Tenant, Mark Ronson, Mary Portas and the like are willing to back such a concept, it underlines the continued relevance of the appeal. This was further backed up by BM’s stats, which show that the campaign generated 200 pieces of media coverage and celebrity endorsements on social media reaching 16 million consumers.
If there’s a lesson for other brands and agencies, it’s to think laterally about visual and aural assets. As with The Legion’s two minute silence, is it something in your brand tool kit that can make consumers stop, think and engage. An example which comes to mind is the way Marmite made a PR positive out of the fact some people can’t stand its product (Love It Or Hate It). Equally you can see how Lynx and Old Spice have both managed to pack a PR punch by subverting clichés around male grooming. Even something as simple as the colour of your product can provide a PR hook, as HP demonstrated when it persuaded snooker player Jimmy White to change his name to Jimmy Brown.
Note: 40 organisations won trophies at the PRCA Awards 2011, which was hosted by Rufus Hound. The event, at London’s Park Lane Hilton, saw Gong Muse and Barclays walk away with Agency & In-house Campaigns of the Year in front of 840 peers. For a list of winners and nominees, go to www.prca.org.uk.