Boscobel Marketing Communications
Company: Boscobel Marketing Communications, Silver Spring, MD, U.S.A.
Company Description: Boscobel Marketing Communications, Inc., is the Washington, D.C.-area's only mid-tier branding and PR firm serving government and industry. Now in its thirty-third year, Boscobel provides integrated public relations, branding, marketing, graphic design and web solutions for federal contractors, government agencies, commercial clients and associations.
Nomination Category: Communications & Marketing Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Communications or PR Campaign of the Year - Public Service
Nomination Title: Help the Planet, Help a Soldier: Power IT Down Day 2010
In up to 500 words, tell the judges about the nominated campaign: its genesis, development, planning, commission, and performance to date:
The federal government is the single largest consumer of electricity in the U.S. In the current climate of tightening budgets and increased awareness of environmental issues, four information technology (IT) companies – Citrix, Intel, HP and GTSI – turned to Boscobel Marketing Communications to lead their Power IT Down Day 2010 campaign.
The campaign, in its third year, launched activities in July 2010 to encourage individuals in government and industry to power down computers and other IT equipment before leaving work for the day on August 27, 2010. Power IT Down Day sponsors encouraged responsible energy consumption in government while highlighting their own energy-efficient offerings and “green” expertise in the government space. Sponsors also wanted to make a donation to Wounded Warrior Project to symbolize how we can all put energy savings to good use.
For Power IT Down Day 2010, Boscobel identified three key objectives:
• Grow the number of participants by 10 percent to 6,100 individuals.
• Expand media outreach to secure coverage in public sector media, national IT media, broadcast media, online media, blogs and social media outlets.
• Secure at least one public endorsement by a government agency.
The Power IT Down Day 2010 campaign included public relations as well as branding, a new website, social media, pro-bono advertising, marketing and direct government outreach to spread the message about powering down. The campaign encouraged individuals to visit the event website – redesigned for 2010 with a new “dot-org” look and feel – to sign up to participate in the event. Because Power IT Down Day 2010 fell on a Friday, new “weekend savings” messaging helped to renew media interest in this latest incarnation of the annual event.
By the end of the day on August 27, 2010, Power IT Down Day 2010 exceeded the campaign’s participation goal by nearly 200 percent. Most notably:
• More than 17,600 individuals pledged to participate in Power IT Down Day – a 315 percent increase from the previous year. Public sector employees made up more than two-thirds of the event’s participants, providing solid evidence that this campaign effectively reached its target audience.
• Power IT Down Day and its sponsor companies were covered in 66 media hits, including print and online articles, blogs, radio and television.
• General Services Administration CIO Casey Coleman publicly endorsed Power IT Down Day in a keynote address (see URL provided), giving the event a real “stamp of approval” from a top federal agency.
Event sponsors donated $60,000 to Wounded Warrior Project. And, as one government executive stated:
"Our sustainability team is ecstatic because this event has generated interest among our employees. We will continue our efforts in saving energy and money and, thanks to you guys, this event may have initiated a push for possibly regular workstation power downs… We look forward to participating in the next Power IT Down Day."
That’s what Power IT Down Day is all about!
List the URLs (web addresses) of any online news stories, press releases, work samples, videos, photographs, or other supporting materials that you would like the judges to see. IMPORTANT: List each URL on a separate line, begin each URL with http://, and enclose each URL in square brackets. For example, [http://www.yourcompany.com/pressrelease.html]:
http://www.powerITdown.org
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-EVztVjkD0
http://www.afcea.org/signal/articles/templates/signal_connections.asp?articleid=2367&zoneid=220
http://washingtontechnology.com/articles/2010/08/19/power-it-down-day-and-brac.aspx
http://www.federalnewsradio.com/index.php?nid=150&sid=2031300
http://blogs.federaltimes.com/federal-times-blog/tag/energy-agencies/
http://fcw.com/blogs/quick-study/2010/07/power-it-down-day.aspx
http://www.govtech.com/technology/102484469.html
Provide a brief biography of the person or persons who lead the team that created and carried out the nominated communications campaign (up to 100 words):
Since founding Boscobel Marketing Communications, Inc. in 1978, Joyce Bosc has provided a full range of communications services for high-tech companies, associations, federal, state and local governments and government contractors – from start-ups to the Fortune 500. Her extensive experience includes nationally prominent media relations, product rollouts and company launches (including America Online), brand management programs, and strategic marketing plans. Her unique combination of PR, marketing and business savvy provides clients with strategic communications that make a real impact on the bottom line. Joyce is an accomplished author and an avid supporter of women in technology.