Draftfcb New York Wins Gold at 2011 ARF David Ogilvy Awards

The Advertising Research Foundation (ARF) recognized the best and brightest use of research in the development of creative campaigns last night, and Draftfcb New York took top honors. The agency won a Gold in the multicultural category for its research on the 2010 United States Census Bureau campaign at the 2011 ARF David Ogilvy Awards for Excellence in Advertising Research at the Marriott Marquis. It also earned the prestigious Research Achievement Award-one of the highest honors of the evening.

“Time after time, our strategic focus has led to creative campaigns that work,” said a jubilant Vita Harris, Draftfcb New York’s Chief Strategy Officer. “Our process infuses creativity and accountability to produce ideas that deliver results.”

Through our pioneering multicultural study, CBAMS (Census Barrier, Attitude and Motivation Study), our Census team developed a segmentation model to better understand the hardest-to-motivate audiences. This marked the first time the Census tailored a campaign based on mindsets (determined through Draftfcb-led research that included more than 4,000 interviews in conjunction with the U.S. Census Bureau). Uncovering these mindsets determined how campaign messaging would be crafted to ensure optimal response.

Additionally, a proprietary tool called Smart Suite, developed by Draftfcb and used during the campaign, served as the mission control center for tracking and monitoring the impact of the Census effort. It showed movement and trending of consumer attitudes that were defined as predictors of participation. In several cases, campaign activities were adjusted in real time to emphasize messages that the Smart Suite showed were lagging.

The government was looking for 67 percent of the population to participate in the Census and the Draftfcb-led campaign involving 13 partner agencies generated a 74 percent participation rate. “People were able to impact change in their communities and the government saved $1.9 billion dollars,” said Harris, praising the collaborative effort.

“What makes this truly remarkable is that we were competing against firms and advertisers that are doing this work year round for decades and decades and the Census has launched a national ad campaign only twice, and then ten years apart,” said Steven J. Jost, Associate Director for Communications at the U.S. Census Bureau.

Twenty-nine advertising campaigns, across 15 business award categories, were honored for best use of research. The winners provide an exemplary understanding of how research can be used to create powerful, profitable campaigns. Draftfcb Toronto was among the winners, earning a Silver Ogilvy in the packaged goods category for its “Welcome to Wholesome” Kraft Canada Cracker Barrel work.

About Draftfcb
Draftfcb is the first integrated, global marketing communications agency to operate against a single P&L, with a network that spans 94 countries and employs more than 9,200 people. The agency is driven by The 6.5 Seconds That Matter, an operating system that recognizes the brief period of time marketers have to capture consumers’ attention and motivate them to act. With nearly 140 years of combined expertise, Draftfcb has roots in both consumer advertising and behavioral, data-driven direct marketing. It firmly believes there is no way to separate creativity from accountability, which it refers to as Return on Ideas. The agency is part of the Interpublic Group of Companies. The agency’s corporate leadership team includes Howard Draft, Executive Chairman; Laurence Boschetto, CEO and President; Jonathan Harries, Vice Chairman and Global Chief Creative Officer; and Neil Miller, Chief Financial Officer. For more information, visit www.draftfcb.com

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