The CLIO Awards is an international advertising, design and communications competition which recognises and rewards creative excellence in the industry. Richard

Beckman, CEO of Prometheus Global Media, parent company of the CLIOs, said “ The CLIO Awards has forged its reputation as the world’s most influential advertising competition thanks in large part to the calibre of our jurors and the integrity of our judging process.

These jurors represent the very top talent in their respective fields and will bring the highest standards of excellence to the CLIOs.”

This year’s CLIO Awards will be held in May at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

Following eight very successful years, Pulse has reinvigorated its visual identity to reflect its offering and essence, helping the brand to continue to lead the rapidly-changing consumer PR landscape. 2011 has been our most successful year to date with some of the biggest consumer PR account wins in the industry including Activision, Mattel, Malaysia Kitchen and Milo. We’ve also received recognition for some of our best work with two Asia Pacific Sabre Award wins, a NSW and national PRIA Golden Target award win and we were a finalist for the PR Agency of the Year in the 2011 B&T Awards.

Managing Director, Matt Buchanan, said “Our new logo is the visual representation of a much wider piece of work to craft an agency which will deliver to the needs of clients, media and consumers in a rapidly shifting market. The new identity expresses the brand’s new mantra to ‘be curious’ – a rallying cry to ensure that we are consistently producing both strategically and creatively excellent work.”

Curious? We’d love to chat some more, please get in touch with Matt Buchanan matt@pulsecom.com.au

The Challenge: Amid a sea of cruise industry negative perceptions and myths, the Pulse team was challenged by Carnival Cruise Lines not only to build excitement for the brand, but also to promote the launch of its Thrill Slide – the world’s steepest and fastest water slide at sea.

Our Insight: To engage and excite Aussies, the Carnival Cruise Lines and Pulse teams understood they needed to bring a piece of “Aussie spirit” to the Carnival Spirit. That meant inviting Aussies to be a part of it – by naming it.

Creative Idea: The “Name the Thrill” public relations campaign was born. Pulse created a consumer experience that invited Aussies to experience the ‘thrill’ of the anticipated Carnival Thrill slide, and then invited them to name it. Building on the great Aussie tradition of the slip and slide, Pulse and Carnival created a 30 metre inflatable Slip & Slide, inviting hundreds of Aussies to attempt to break a new world record for the longest distance travelled on a slip and slide in one hour.

Campaign: The world record attempt was held at Cronulla beach, one of Carnival Cruise Lines’ target audience hotspots. Volunteers to break the record, from local Surf Life Savers to Fitness First members and local triathletes, all took part for the love of Slip & Slide and through a carefully orchestrated media campaign. Driven by a fully integrated campaign across Facebook, NOVA Sydney’s breakfast program, and traditional and social media, Aussies were
invited to get involved, break a record, enter their name the slide submission , then watch as the visual content from the day unfolded.

Outcome:

In total, approximately 1.5 million Australians were touched by the ‘Name the Thrill’ slide public relations campaign

• Over 100 local Aussies, watched by over 1,000 spectators, broke a new world record for the longest distance travelled on a slip and slide – 36.24kms in one hour (smashing the previous world record of 26kms)
• In just four days after the event, Carnival Spirit’s Facebook page saw more than 1,000 new fans, over 4,000 page views, 380 comments and likes and over 40,000 impressions of Carnival updates
• In total, over 1,600 names were entered on the Facebook page to name the Thrill Slide, exceeding KPIs seven times
• Key media coverage highlights included a call to action for Aussies to participate in the world record attempt by weather presenter, James Tobin on Weekend Sunrise (reaching 400,000), a call to action for Sydney-siders to attend the event in Sydney Morning Herald’s “what to do this weekend” pages (reaching 600,000) and TimeOut Sydney (reaching 105,000)
• Close to 9 million Australians were reached with messages about the campaign via more than 25 pieces of media coverage

Carlton Draught ‘Wagyu Beef’ was named the winning Australian campaign of the year. The campaign saw Carlton Draught and Pulse Communications make a gastronomic breakthrough, combining two of Australia’s favourite ingredients – Beef and Beer – to create what many Aussies believed to be the greatest addition to BBQing since the invention of tongs – Carlton Draught Wagyu Beef, made from beer.

The second win was for the Engineers Australia – ‘Make It So Campaign’ in the Associations category. EA is the national body for the advancement of engineering and professional development, and the ‘Make It So Campaign’ successfully raised the profile of the profession.

The Sabre Awards returned to the APAC region this year after a three year break. They recognise excellence in reputation and branding in the public relations industry. For the first time ever, APAC winners, including both Pulse campaigns, will automatically be entered in to the global competition, which will identify the 25 best of the best PR programmes worldwide.

Congratulations Pulse!

Malaysia Kitchen Australia saw Sydney’s State Theatre Laneway transformed in to Australia’s first ever Malaysia Kitchen Food Market. Creating Sydney’s hottest culinary destination the market was a modern take on the Malaysian Hawker-style market, open for 4 days only. Over 1,300 Australians visited the food market.

The event was part of a broader campaign undertaken by Pulse in conjunction with MATRADE (Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation). The campaign was aimed at raising awareness and consideration of Malaysian cuisine in Australia.

Ogilvy PR Melbourne was also recognised in the Health and Special Event categories. Kelly Ward received a Highly Commended in the Special event/observance category for Reigniting the Brisbane Good Food & Wine Show. The second award was received by Lelde McCoy together with the Organ and Tissue Authority, a Commended for the public relations campaign to support the To Donate Life, Discuss It Today – OK campaign in the Health Organisations category.

A big congratulations to Pulse and Ogilvy PR Melbourne!

Ogilvy PR’s leading consumer and brand agency, Pulse Communications, has been recognised for its innovative work to put Malaysian cuisine on the map in Australia, last night receiving a State Award for Excellence from the NSW branch of the PRIA.

The ‘ Special Events/Observance’ category award specifically recognised  Pulse for the creation of the Malaysia Kitchen Australia, an event that transformed Sydney’s State Theatre Laneway into Australia’s first ever Malaysia Kitchen Food Market.

Malaysia Kitchen Australia was part of a broader campaign undertaken by Pulse in conjunction with MATRADE (Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation), aimed at raising awareness and consideration of Malaysian cuisine in Australia.

Pulse will now be on the shortlist to receive a national PRIA Golden Target Award in the ‘Special Event/Observance’ category, with winners announced at a Gala Dinner held in conjunction with the PRIA’s National Conference, on 24 and 25 October.

Pulse MD Matt Buchanan said the entire team was thrilled with the formal recognition “The Malaysia Kitchen Australia program is a very exciting and rewarding project for us and we’re thrilled that it’s been recognised in the state PRIA awards. It’s a well deserved win by a very hard working and dedicated team who are committed to making Australian’s as passionate about Malaysian cuisine as we are.”

Another team from Ogilvy PR was also up for an award at last night’s event.  Howorth was shortlisted for the Business-to-Business Marketing category in the awards, for its work on the Telstra Productivity Indicator for Telstra Enterprise and Government (TE&G).

The Brief:

Ideas: Pulse Communications executed a range of sampling opportunities, events and media activities over the course of 12 months to raise maximum awareness for GO BEET, which included:

• Recruiting high profile athletes (without fee) to genuinely endorse the benefits of GO BEET as a fleet of ‘BEET Boys & Girls’
• Outreaching to media with tailored angles most relevant to them, to secure editorial coverage
• Securing sampling opportunities at popular Ocean Water Swim events
• Conducting a series of free ‘BEET Camp’ outdoor training sessions for the public to get involved and taste GO BEET for themselves
• Communicating training tips and GO BEET benefits via social media

Influence:

• Pulse Communications secured GO BEET trials with more than 30 high profile athletes, including Ian Thorpe, Stephanie Rice, Essendon FC, Jane Saville and Libby Trickett – nine of these publicly endorsed GO BEET
• Editorial coverage on GO BEET reached almost 6 million Australians
• Tens of thousands of Aussies sampled GO BEET at top-tier Ocean Water Swim events
• BEET Camps were conducted in both Sydney and Melbourne
• Views on the GO BEET Facebook page increased by 700% over the course of the campaign, with a total reach of 35,257 post views in this time

To celebrate the launch, Mickey & Minnie Mouse travelled to Australia from Disneyland for the first time in 7 years. An exclusive launch party was held at the Sydney Opera House in the week before launch, which was attended by hundreds of parents and kids. Pulse also secured a number of celebrity mums and dads to attend the launch party, including cricketer Ricky Ponting and TV star Katrina Warren.

In addition, Pulse managed a media photo call with Mickey & Minnie and excited local kids at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair. Nancy Kanter, Senior Vice President for Disney Junior Worldwide was also in Australia for media interviews in the days before launch, and Pulse secured back-to-back interviews for Nancy over the course of two days.

At the conclusion of the public relations campaign, Pulse had secured positive editorial coverage on the Disney Junior launch that reached over 8 million Australians. Coverage highlights included morning TV show The Circle, and large news pieces with photos in The Australian and the Courier-Mail.  The campaign delivered a 4:1 ROI and exceeded KPIs by almost double.

On launch day, Disney Junior rated the #1 kids channel in Australia and enjoyed 44% more viewers compared with Playhouse Junior the previous Sunday.

The agency will work closely with Activision and its partner agencies to create a strategic and creative communications plan, incorporating all elements of traditional media plus social media stakeholder engagement, ambassador programmes and high-profile experiential activations.

Pulse won the Activision account in a competitive pitch and will work in tandem with Activision’s in-house PR and marketing team across the Activision portfolio including games releases, downloadable content and new entertainment IPs.

Activision Senior Vice President, Ben Graetz, said: “We are thrilled to be working with an agency of Pulse’s calibre and know they will be a great partner in what will be one of the biggest years ever for our fans and for Activision.”

The first campaign for Pulse will be the launch of the innovative new kid’s property, Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure. This will be followed closely by the launch of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, which is widely expected to be the biggest entertainment product of the year.

The win further boosts the youth and entertainment portfolio at Pulse, which includes leading brands such as Twentieth Century Fox, Hot Wheels, LG, Monster High and Disney and adds to a string of recent business wins including Kimberley-Clark, Mattel, and Carnival Cruise Lines Australia.

Pulse Communications Managing Director, Matt Buchanan, said: “Gaming now dominates the entertainment industry and Activision is the best in class, so this is definitely an exciting win for Pulse.

“As the company who launched Xbox in Australia, we have the perfect skill set to hit the ground running and plenty of keen gamers among the team, raring to get started. With properties such as Call of Duty, the most successful entertainment property in history, Activision is an amazing addition to our youth and entertainment portfolio.”

Pulse Communications is part of Ogilvy PR, the largest and most awarded public relations agency in Australia. Ogilvy PR Australia is a joint venture between Ogilvy PR Worldwide and STW Group, Australia’s leading marketing content and communications services group.

Ends.

For more information contact:

Rebecca Tilly

STW Group

Ph: +61 410 501 043

From humble beginnings, to becoming the world’s biggest car manufacturer, Hot Wheels continues to be a hit for Aussie car lovers of all ages in 2011.

With more than four billion model cars sold since 1968, Hot Wheels is one of the world’s most enduring motor vehicle manufacturers. Starting with a range of just 16 cars, the Mattel Hot Wheels brand now boasts a an awesome range of over 1000 models, with an estimated 41 million adults loving and ‘driving’ Hot Wheels all over the world. In 2011, consumer public relations agency Pulse Communications, has been tasked with reigniting the passion and creating great experiences for ‘vehicle loving boys of all ages’.

To kick the year off, in January and February 2011 Hot Wheels^™ gave motorists in the key markets of Sydney and Melbourne, a blast from the past, transforming Shell service stations into fully serviced pit stops and offering fuel at the price it was in 1968, an amazing, 10c/L, the year the toy brand began manufacturing. The Fuel Your Passion public relations campaign aimed to draw on the spirit of 1968, by offering Aussies the chance to remember the ‘good old days’ when fuel was cheap and many of today’s classic cars were born.

The events held between 12-2pm at key Coles Express service stations attracted over 1200 customers and generated news coverage reaching 13,897,428 eyeballs nationwide.

To maintain this momentum, Hot Wheels introduced 3D projection to Australia for the first time when the dynamic speed racing battle lit up Sydney’s Customs House on the evening of March 10. Brought to life by international digital production agency Muse, the projection featured footage of the world’s fastest toy vehicles, shattering the building’s facade and racing into a fantasy world. Hot Wheels® fans, young and old, gathered to watch the debut live on March 10 as the iconic Twin Mill crossed the finish line and Sydney’s most historic buildings was left in a virtual pile of rubble.  Since then, almost 200,000 Aussies have clicked through to get in on the action. Check it out below!

And some fun fast facts about Hot Wheels:

• The highest price ever paid for a single Hot Wheels car is approximately $72,000, for a pink 1969 1:64-scale Volkswagen Beach Bomb, in 2000
• Placed front-to-rear, all Hot Wheels vehicles produced in the last 40 years would circle the Earth more than four times
• Some of the largest Hot Wheels collections are valued at more than $1,000,000
• To commemorate Hot Wheels 40th anniversary and the production of the four billionth Hot Wheels car, celebrity jeweller Jason of Beverly Hills created a one-of-a-kind, 1:64-scale jewel-encrusted Hot Wheels valued at $140,000