It’s easy for marketers to get lost amid the frenzy surrounding the NFL season. But according to Brandweek magazine, when Fleishman-Hillard brought together the Nintendo Wii with Papa John’s, the combination resulted in a cross-promotion that broke through the clutter and created a frenzy of its own.

Fleishman-Hillard presented AT&T with the idea of supporting Cell Phones for Soldiers (CPFS) to help support AT&T's mission of connecting military families with loved ones. CPFS was a perfect fit because the nonprofit collects and recycles used wireless phones and uses the proceeds to purchase prepaid phone cards for soldiers overseas. AT&T responded enthusiastically to the idea of working with CPFS, giving the charity more than $500,000 in free phone cards for the troops and providing more than 1,800 AT&T stores as donation sites. The "CBS Evening News," MSNBC, and The New York Times, among others, covered this support. In order to achieve the year-end partnership goal of $1.4 million — enough for a 20-minute call home for every soldier based in Iraq — Fleishman-Hillard and AT&T added to the ongoing campaign with a holiday donation drive, and AT&T awarded Brittany and Robbie Bergquist, the teenage founders of CPFS, each with a $100,000 college scholarship. The agency secured several key placements for AT&T and the teens, including an interview by Barbara Walters on ABC's highly rated "The View" and an exclusive feature in USA Today and an appearance on "Good Morning America." To date, the program has generated more than 67 million media impressions. The charity estimates that enhanced awareness has helped generate 30 times more recycling and 114 percent more in funds given to CPFS compared with the previous year.

InterGen, the largest independent producer of gas-fired power for the U.K. market, relies on Fleishman-Hillard London's public affairs team to help deliver its message to government audiences throughout the region. As part of a comprehensive outreach program targeting key government officials and politicians, InterGen hosted a plant tour for Angela Smith, Member of Parliament and high-ranking political aide to U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The agency also developed a range of InterGen policy papers — on subjects such as the future of the electricity-transmission network to nuclear power and renewable energy reform — that position the company as a key independent voice in the U.K.'s high-profile energy debate.

Fleishman-Hillard led the quick-service restaurant industry across yet another technology threshold by launching Papa John's text message ordering system. To help consumers understand the "how to" of text message ordering, the team created a flash demo for the Papa John's Web site. Articles appeared in newspapers across the country, including an advance feature in the Wall Street Journal. To continue the buzz, Papa John's hosted an event at the Mall of America in Minneapolis that pit the World's Fastest Talker against the LG National Texting Champion to determine which method is faster: ordering a pizza the old-fashioned way or via text messaging. Check out the YouTube event highlights and see who won.

By all accounts it was a PR dream come true. The South African Rugby team — the Springboks — was heading to the Rugby World Cup, and Fleishman-Hillard’s client, Canterbury International South Africa (CISA), was slated to produce most of the fan apparel. But things went terribly wrong when the South African flag was inadvertently placed upside down on several garments. The crisis was further compounded when it was revealed that some of the CISA merchandise was not locally produced. As a result, South Africa’s largest trade union, COSATU, publicly called for a boycott of the team. Following discussions, CISA agreed to a goal of 100 percent local manufacturing within two years. A press conference announcing the agreement and featuring CISA and COSTATU reps wearing Springbok jerseys went a long way toward restoring the brand’s reputation.

The XXIV Biennial Congress of the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) was held earlier this year in Kerry, Ireland. Titled “Preventing Suicide Across the Lifespan: Dreams and Realities” and hosted by the Irish Association of Suicidology, the event served to increase public awareness about suicide and suicide prevention. Fleishman-Hillard’s Dublin-based healthcare team handled media outreach for this important pro bono project. Seven hundred delegates from 45 countries attended the conference, which was widely covered by local and national broadcast media, as well as the BBC and The Irish Times.

In true Apple fashion, the iPhone quickly became one of the most anticipated wireless products in recent memory. As the iPhone’s exclusive U.S. carrier, AT&T used the launch as a branding opportunity following its recent BellSouth merger and consolidation with Cingular Wireless. In the days before the iPhone launch, the team leveraged all AT&T announcements to position AT&T's core brand as wireless while capitalizing on the media's hunger for iPhone-related news. For example, when AT&T swapped out Cingular signage for AT&T branding at 1,800 wireless stores to prepare for the launch of the iPhone, Fleishman-Hillard coordinated media opportunities at AT&T stores in 38 states. These ongoing efforts culminated on "iPhone Eve." During this 24-hour period, the team coordinated interviews and photo ops at AT&T retail locations nationwide, and a live all-day countdown was broadcast by CNBC from the Chicago AT&T store the day of the launch. The results? AT&T received 3 billion impressions from the overall rebranding campaign.

Concerned about the need for asthma care for underserved children within the New York public school system, Fleishman-Hillard approached the city schools' chancellor with an innovative solution — Project E.R.A.S.E.: Eradicating Respiratory Asthma in Schools to help children Excel. This unprecedented in-school program provided children in need with access to asthma specialists. After one school year, asthma-related absenteeism dropped by nearly 50 percent, hospitalizations by more than 75 percent, and emergency room visits by more than 25 percent. Further, the program (named the PRWeek Campaign of the Year 2007) reduced costs associated with hospital and emergency room visits by an estimated $135,000.

Rawlings asked Fleishman-Hillard to create a 50th anniversary campaign that would recapture its ownership of the famous Rawlings Gold Glove Award®. The resulting integrated marketing campaign incorporated media relations, emerging media, retailers, high-profile events, celebrity spokespeople, and more. To mark the milestone, fans across the U.S. were asked to vote for members of the All-Time Rawlings Gold Glove Team. Retailers played a key role in the program, not only as a voting destination but also as a location to promote an exclusive sweepstakes. Nearly 1 million votes were cast at the newly created Web siteRawlingsGoldGlove.com. The media and fan frenzy continued until the ballot was revealed at a high-profile event that had ESPN's Chris Berman as master of ceremonies. Baseball legends Willie Mays, Frank Malzone, and Minnie Minoso — all members of the original 1957 Rawlings Gold Glove Team — were on hand for the celebration.

Fleishman-Hillard’s teams in Kansas City and Washington, D.C., joined forces to create a digital strategy to promote H&R Block during the 2007 tax season. The agency recommended the creation of an H&R Block sim (an individual region) within the 3-D virtual world of Second Life (SL). Once designed and built, the H&R Block sim was supported by a communications program that offered the firm’s products and services virtually. H&R Block’s SL site was named one of the the Top 8 Corporate Sites in Second Life by Computer World magazine, and the company continued expansion of its virtual communications program in SL for tax season 2008.

London-based McCain Foods wanted to help educate school children in urban areas about where their food comes from. To bring this earth-to-table concept alive, Fleishman-Hillard created the Potato Story, an interactive exhibit housed in a retrofitted double-decker bus. At the same time, the company launched www.potatostory.co.uk, a Web site that is aligned with the U.K.'s National Curriculum and features educational resources, including lesson plans and interactive learning games. Since February 2007, the bus has visited more than 7,500 students, and The Potato Story has received over 50 nationals and regional placements in addition to ongoing online media coverage.