National Cervical Cancer Campaign Scoops PR Lion in Cannes

London - The prestigious Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival has announced the winners of its 2010 awards for public relations work. The ‘Fight Cervical Cancer in Style’ campaign developed and funded by GlaxoSmithKline, executed by Weber Shandwick and its sister lifestyle boutique SLAM PR, on behalf of GSK in association with Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, has won a Silver Lion, the only winner in the healthcare category.

The national campaign was developed to educate girls and women about cervical cancer so they could better understand their risk and how to reduce it. The campaign pushed health education boundaries, created a website for pledges of support, commissioned a designer for the campaign scarf, recruited ambassadors, brought doctors and nurses on board for support, and hosted an event attended by Sarah Brown that was filmed by Channel 4. A first for the pharmaceutical industry, the campaign garnered influential support, reached thousands of young women and motivated them to reduce their risk. There have been more than 91,000 visitors to the website, 26,000 pledges of support and almost 100% understanding of key messages among girls who attended the event.

“It is an honour to win this prestigious award and become the first UK public relations agency to win a Cannes Lion two years running,” said Colin Byrne, CEO, Weber Shandwick UK & Europe.

Richard Heath, Director of Vaccines, GSK UK said; “Reaching out and engaging with girls and women about health messages is a big challenge. The innovative use of fashion, music and celebrity made sure that this campaign really engaged with its audience on their level. We are very proud of what has been achieved and are confident that this campaign will have a positive impact on the health of girls and women in the UK.”

“We are delighted to have been involved in such a worthwhile campaign educating girls and women about the risks of cervical cancer and making a genuine difference in people’s lives,” said Molly Hooper-Aldridge, Global Managing Director, SLAM PR.

Now in its second year, the Cannes Lions PR programme received 567 entries from around the world. From a shortlist of 87, the jury chose to award 32 Silver and 11 Gold PR Lions. Weber Shandwick in London is the only PR agency to win two years running, scooping the award second time around in partnership with its sister lifestyle boutique SLAM PR.

The 57th International Advertising Festival - Cannes Lions - was held from 20-26 June 2010. It is the largest gathering of worldwide advertising professionals and advertisers.

About Fight Cervical Cancer in Style
Fight Cervical Cancer in Style is a national campaign to educate girls and women about cervical cancer so they can better understand their risk and how to reduce it. The campaign, developed by GlaxoSmithKline, is being run in association with Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, the UK charity dedicated to cervical cancer, and is supported by the Royal College of Nursing and Wellbeing of Women. The campaign is funded by GlaxoSmithKline.

About Weber Shandwick
Weber Shandwick is a leading global public relations agency with offices in 76 countries around the world. The firm’s success is built on its deep commitment to client service, our people, creativity, collaboration and harnessing the power of Advocates - engaging stakeholders in new and creative ways to build brands and reputation. Weber Shandwick provides strategy and execution across practices such as consumer marketing, healthcare, technology, public affairs, financial services, corporate and crisis management. Its specialized services include digital/social media, advocacy advertising, market research, and corporate responsibility. In 2010, Weber Shandwick was named Global Agency of the Year by The Holmes Report for the second year in a row; an ’Agency of the Decade’ by Advertising Age, Large PR Agency of the Year by Bulldog Reporter, and Top Corporate Responsibility Advisory Firm by CR Magazine. The firm has also won numerous ’best place to work’ awards around the world including “Best Multinational Firm to Work For in EMEA” by The Holmes Report and a “Top Place to Work in PR” by PR News. Weber Shandwick is part of the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG). For more information, visit http://www.webershandwick.com.

About SLAM PR
SLAM PR is the sister lifestyle boutique agency of Weber Shandwick – launched in 2006. SLAM PR combines the best of both worlds. It is a creative hot shop full of entrepreneurial spirit, creative gurus, connected scenesters and passionate marketing experts, backed up by the international footprint, outlook and infrastructure of a global agency. We create and deliver compelling brand stories and campaigns with experience in lifestyle marketing, celebrity ambassador programmes, fashion & beauty influencer activities, event organisation and management, digital marketing and luxury outreach. We make the most of every relevant communications channel in order to connect with the most influential audiences. We directly affect our clients’ bottom line by engaging and inspiring these influencers and their followers to buy, advocate, share and most importantly love our clients’ brands. For more information visit http://www.slampr.com/.

About GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline is one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies. GlaxoSmithKline is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. For company information visit http://www.gsk.com/.