At the Internationalist Awards, Touche!PHD in Montreal was recognized with 1 of only 2 Grand Prix awards for their campaign for the Suicide Action Foundation. At the same show, Unilever’s Becel brand was awarded Silver for the Love Your Heart concert campaign that aired in 2009.

Both campaigns were also recently announced as finalists at the Festival of Media Awards in Valencia, Spain.

source: http://www.mediaincanada.com/articles/mic/20100310/internationalistwinners.html

PHD takes Internationalist Grand Prix

by Nick Krewen

PHD was one of two media agencies awarded a Grand Prix from the 2009 Internationalist Awards for Innovation in Media for “Fin abrupte” (”Abrupt Endings”), created out of the Montreal-based office, Touché!PHD.

The Suicide Action Montreal (SAM) campaign, about the sudden shock of suicide, shared the podium with Starcom Australia, which also won a Grand Prix for its Mars Pedigree “Dog Adoption” campaign.

Both campaigns were praised by the Internationalist for their “fresh insights” and for “breaking through the defensive barriers that people automatically erect to avoid difficult emotional subjects.”

The SAM campaign was hailed for conveying the message that suicide strikes when people least expect it. With a 35% increase in calls to the suicide prevention hotline, the campaign literally helped save lives.

The Pedigree spot - using thousands of bright yellow, life-sized cut-outs of dogs placed in parks, stations and main streets - was so popular that some shelters ran out of dogs during the Pedigree Adoption Drive and were forced to put people on waiting lists.

Canadians also came up shining in the Gold and Silver categories. Gold winners include OMD Canada for “Doritos Guru”, and Starcom MediaVest Group Canada for Nintendo’s Are You Smarter than a Canadian 5th Grader integration and the Tassimo trompe d’oeil in Canadian magazines.

Silver Canadian campaign winners include PHD Canada for Becel’s “Love Your Heart” campaign and SMG Canada for Cheez Whiz’s Corner Gas integration and Swiffer’s condo-dweller-targeted campaign.

In recognizing the win, PHD president and CEO Fred Forster credited VP media director Karine Courtemanche and media strategist Maxime Corriveau for their work on “Fin abrupte” and the Toronto Unilever team - particularly group media manager Janine Maillet - for their efforts on “Love Your Heart.”

A total of 36 awards were given out this year. The winners competed against entries from over 30 countries.

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Source: http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=520839

TORONTO – Hershey Canada Inc. and the National Hockey League unwrapped the details of their new agreement — an exclusive three year partnership in Canada. In celebration of this new partnership, Hershey Canada and the NHL unveiled the one-of-a-kind Hershey’s Chocolate Stanley Cup, a milk chocolate replica of the Stanley Cup.

"Hershey Canada and all our Canadian employees are so excited to be teaming up with the NHL here in Canada," says Matt Lindsay, Vice President and General Manager of Hershey Canada. "We’re looking forward to working with the NHL to bring great promotions and experiences to our Canadian hockey fans through this new partnership. The introduction of the Hershey’s Chocolate Stanley Cup is only the beginning, there is so much more to come."

Handmade by Canadian Sitram Sharma, Master Chocolatier at Toronto’s National Club, the one-of-a-kind Hershey’s Chocolate Stanley Cup is a masterpiece created from more than 150 pounds of Hershey’s smooth, creamy milk chocolate. It took more than 12 hours to make. True to its inspiration, it stands nearly three feet high and is a life-sized replica of the original Lord Stanley’s Cup.

"Hershey, like other leading consumer brands, is strategically investing in the NHL because we have a relevant and robust fan demographic, and large scale traditional and digital activation platforms on which to showcase its leadership brand portfolio," said Laurel Walzak, NHL Director of Integrated Sales. "This partnership brings together two things Canadians love — hockey and Hershey’s chocolate and candy."

The new multi-year partnership will begin with a consumer promotion to support the 2011 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic. The promotion, which will be in stores August 2010 through February 2011, will feature prizing including a trip to the 2011 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, to attend a team practice and to skate on the official NHL ice.

Hershey Canada will develop unique and exciting consumer programs around the new partnership featuring the following brands: Hershey’s, Oh Henry!, Reese, Twizzlers and Ice Breakers. Hershey Canada official designations in Canada will include:

• Official Chocolate & Candy of the NHL
• Official Confectionery Partner of the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic
• Official Confectionery Partner of the Stanley Cup Playoffs
• Official Confectionery Partner of the NHL All-Star Game

You can also check out a video showing how Chocolatier Sitram Sharma made the Hershey’s Chocolate Stanley Cup:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDxBC44yguE

Tomorrow promises to be a spell binding, interactive day covering many great digital topics including:

• Gaming
• State of the Nation with our very own Rob Young
• Mobile - Emerging Platform or Mass Market?
• Can Social Media Drive In-Store Retail Sales?
• Do It Digital: How The Latest Advances In Digital Out-Of-Home Bring Internet, Mobile and Social Media To Life

Make sure you follow up with your digital expert to find out the new juicy details for any of the above topics. And if you are interested in more information on one of the above just ask.