The Scottish Government and its agency, MediaCom Scotland, were struggling to make the One Scotland anti-racism campaign relevant to a younger, 14 to 25-year-old audience until they were approached by Bauer Radio Events.
With a budget of just £2,000, Bauer managed to engage the target market with a series of live music events that achieved a PR return of £300,000.
The crux of Bauer's reasoning was that rather than preaching to target audience members, the Government needed to meet them on their own terms and in one of their "comfort zones" - the live music arena. The radio group created a music tour designed to RoAR (Rock Against Racism), which visited four 1,000-capacity venues across Scotland.
Bauer signed up popular acts Hard-Fi, Amy MacDonald, Scouting For Girls and The Zutons, who agreed to play at events free of charge.
The musicians endorsed the campaign and acted as mouthpieces for One Scotland's anti-racism messages.
The calibre of the acts resulted in extensive radio, press, online and TV interviews, with the interviewed bands speaking out against racism and promoting racial diversity.
Wannabe bands were also invited to send in their demos for a chance to open the live shows. This attracted grass-roots support from local radio stations and press as well as engaging with the target audience, who sent in a total of 1,000 demos. The on-air campaign hit 75% of its target audience and delivered ROI of 150%.
The official event website attracted 320,000 hits over the course of the 20-week campaign.
The PR element of the campaign delivered 340 cuttings, over half of which carried the RoAR or One Scotland logos. The total campaign value was estimated at 2.9 times its investment.
RoAR managed to avoid the pitfalls often associated with so-called "worthy" campaigns by forging a strong link between subject matter and target audience.
Silver
Carlton Screen Advertising
Volvo
Life is Better Lived Together
Bronze
MEN Media
NatWest
MoneySense
Shortlist
Bauer Media
Asda
Be Live
Bauer Media
COI
Royal Marines: Are You Man Enough?
Times Media
HSBC
Home Insurance and Pensions
Viacom Brand Solutions
Johnson & Johnson
Clean & Clear