Huntsman and Cool Blue created a highly effective campaign that tapped into the talents, achievements and values of their people globally, who became figureheads for the business. There was excellent use of multimedia, such as the digital wall, and most compelling was the idea of creating a book that celebrated the contribution of its employees. Considerable preparation had gone into creating a genuinely engaging campaign that leveraged the talent of employees, and this element gave an added weight to the Huntsman brand. The choice of channels and messages was excellent. The internal brand was also positioned effectively in a way that comfortably reassured Huntsman’s customers that they had made the right choice of supplier.

The Cool Blue team employed a good range of tactics using both traditional and new media in order to meet the objectives of the campaign. Securing a regular column in the local paper gave a good platform for ongoing coverage, while the creativity of the ‘Centurions Club’, ‘Girl Geeks’ and ‘NewsAngels’ events was applauded by judges.

“This was a very creative, well-rounded campaign, with clear objectives and a solid strategy. A strong brand identity was created and integrated across all media, and the achievements of the campaign have clearly created a legacy which will be key to future communications.”

“This well rounded digital campaign worked effectively to change and improve perceptions of Darlington through the DX2 experiment. In particular, the ‘World’s First Twitterer in Residence’ not only provided a personality for the campaign, but also enabled Cool Blue to contact the traditional media with a newsworthy story, driving hits to the website. The identification of influential bloggers proved that the strategy took the role of digital media seriously as an integral part of the public relations mix.”

Cool Blue also won a silver award in this category for Barker & Stonehouse Social Media Campaign

“Cool Blue produced a highly targeted Christmas campaign that received excellent consumer results. By staggering coverage to the press over a six month period, Cool Blue ensured that the Traidcraft products were top of the Christmas list. Creative ideas were used to catch the attention of editors and key influencers including mailers, gifts and on-trend comment. The results gained an excellent return on investment and coverage had an impressive impact on Christmas sales.”

“This campaign encouraged residents of Darlington to get creative about the town in which they lived, through the use of traditional and online media. Using innovative ideas and creativity, the campaign encouraged and achieved positive community participation. The print results were substantial, but it was the online and social media aspect of the campaign which made this entry stand out.”

“Cool Blue Brand’s Temenos campaign was clearly ‘head and shoulders’ above the rest of the competition. The judges were impressed by the spectacular photography, a vast portfolio of regional and national coverage, as well as the sleek marketing collateral and online presence used to support the campaign.”

“The launch of Temenos was carefully and creatively executed, overcoming the multiple challenges of public perception and questions against spend from local authorities. The media relationships, in particular, were carefully managed, including national broadcast journalists flown by helicopter for the ultimate press tour in the sky. On a regional level, the local press was targeted appropriately using a photographic competition. Due to the careful and considered approach of the media, the coverage was outstanding. The judges thought this was an intelligent, creative campaign and one that caught the attention of the national media.”

“Cool Blue wanted to capture a series of dramatic images that could be used to promote the breathtaking new sculpture in the Tees Valley. The judges were unanimous in their view that they more than met this objective. The photography throughout their design material, both in the map showing the location of the artwork and the brochure detailing the project, is highly impressive and really draws in the reader. The images alone are enough make the reader want to go and see the actual sculpture. A particular mention should go to the stunning centre spread image in the brochure, which was the winning entry from a public photographic competition.”

“This was one of the many events that occurred during the Darlington Experiment 2.0 campaign. Each event was designed to promote social media activity around the borough, encouraging people to take photos and upload them, and mention it on other social media websites – laptops were even provided and local children – nicknamed the ‘Lab Rats’ – demonstrated how to use social media. The judges felt this event was a great combination of entertainment and education which personified the citizen-power mentality of the campaign.”

“The judges were pleasantly surprised by the level of creativity and innovation that was demonstrated by the website. A quirkiness, unique within this sector, was achieved throughout the site, and attractive animated banners set the scene for every page. Of particular note was the strong use of social media, with the conversational and topical blog entries being further discussed on Twitter through Cool Blue’s ‘threads’ system. The ethos of Lingfield Point came through effectively and presented a strong case for the viewer to engage and to visit the location.”

The judges felt this was an imaginative and refreshing campaign. They particularly liked the public comments, the simplicity of the design and the message delivery. It reinvigorated a known brand and helped it stand out to a potential new audience. Judges especially liked the booklet, which gave real personality to the campaign.

This entry stood out with its unusual die-cut. The messaging used was short and effective, and it carried a ‘call to action’ which delivered clear results. The leaflet achieved its aim of getting recipients to think about their home insurance policies and to take up the offer of free teabags when visiting the local branch of Newcastle Building Society.

Tees Valley Regeneration wanted to launch the Tees Valley giants, the world’s biggest public art initiative. Cool Blue was asked to produce imagery for a media launch and, as the structure was not yet built, the agency created a range of interesting and excellent images – despite the poor quality resolution of some. The resultant campaign materials were striking, memorable and highly effective. This campaign was an excellent example of ingenuity overcoming seemingly immovable obstacles – first rate work.

This excellent campaign showed great authenticity, which is vital to any CSR activity.

Rather than partnering with an existing not-for-profit organisation, Cool Blue and Barker & Stonehouse went the extra mile and established the ‘Trees 4 Trees’ foundation. As well as making a difference to local farmers, it provided an excellent creative platform, which led to both national and regional PR coverage. They also ensured that the campaign was maximised, stretching beyond media relations to awards, internal communications and customer collateral.