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Company: BRG Communications
Company Description: BRG Communications is a certified woman-owned, public relations agency, focused on addressing critical health and social issues, strengthening brand reputation, building awareness and driving positive change. Our collaborative team has a proven track record for creative planning, successful implementation, best-in-class service and exceptional results.
Nomination Category: Corporate Communications, Investor Relations, & Public Relations Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Communications or PR Campaign of the Year - Brand / Reputation Management
 Nomination Title: BRG and American Cleaning Institute: Turning Cleaning into an Act of Care: How the Cleaning Industry Answered the Call for Accurate Information
- Which will you submit for this nomination, a video of up to five (5) minutes in length about the nominated PR campaign or program, or written answers to the questions? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the nominated video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this first question: Specify the date on which this campaign or program was launched:
March 5, 20202
- Optional: Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 250 words used.
Research: Addressed consumer knowledge gaps through consistent data collection on cleaning beliefs and behaviors
Media Coverage: Solidified ACI’s expert voice within the national media dialogue through ongoing, high-visibility placements
Press Releases: Remained responsive to consumer’s needs with timely and relevant cleaning information with nationally distributed press releases
Healthy Returns Toolkit: Developed to support small businesses navigate the 2020 reopening with targeted guidance and resources
Healthy Schools, Healthy People - Commit to Clean Toolkit: Released as part of ACI’s joint initiative with the CDC providing K-12 school systems with tools to reinforce hand hygiene and cleaning practices
C is for Clean Toolkit: Created for the childcare community, from providers and employees to children and parents/caregivers, echoing public health guidelines for disinfecting, cleaning and hand hygiene
Class of Clean Toolkit: Designed to provide a crash course in effective cleaning for college students emphasizing public health guidelines for disinfecting, cleaning and hygiene from the laundry room to the dorm room
Cleaning is Caring Programming Results: Showcased results from multiple programs including digital influencers, media outreach and strategic partnerships
ACI | GHK Discover Cleaning Summits: Held in 2020 and 2021 in partnership with the Good Housekeeping Institute, The Summit convened top voices in lifestyle, innovation and health to discuss all things clean
Cleaning is Caring PSA: Launched as part of the larger Cleaning is Caring platform, a nationally distributed Public Service Announcement was developed to emphasize the intrinsic value cleaning plays in today’s society and its connection to a safe, healthy and robust future
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this second question: Describe the genesis of the nominated campaign or program: the reasons it was initiated, the challenges it was created to address, the problems it was developed to solve, etc. (up to 250 words):
Total 244 words used.
In March 2020, as COVID-19 emerged in the U.S., millions of Americans frantically sought out information on how to protect themselves and their families through cleaning and disinfecting. Like most information at that time, the news landscape around preventive measures was full of conflicting and inaccurate information from many different sources positioning themselves to be cleaning and hygiene product authorities. This misinformation resulted in a confused consumer population, using cleaning products ineffectively and taking potentially dangerous risks. As the voice of the $60 billion cleaning products industry, the American Cleaning Institute (ACI) needed to not only correct inaccuracies and educate consumers on cleaning best practices to ensure they were using the products properly, but also protect the industry’s reputation – reinforcing their products are safe and effective, when used as directed.
While ACI has been a source for consumers on cleaning information for decades, COVID-19 brought a new challenge - the speed in which news, information and misinformation was spreading. Amidst the rapid news landscape, paired with an international cleaning supply shortage driven by panic buying, ACI and public relations agency, BRG Communications, cut through the noise by activating a large-scale communications campaign, nearly overnight. The campaign was created to educate consumers with fact-based cleaning and disinfecting protocols to ensure the products were being used properly, provide a balanced voice related to supply chain and product availability, and maintain much needed consumer trust in the industry’s cleaning products to be effective against COVID-19.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this third question: Describe the development of the campaign or program: the planning process, the goal setting, the creative and media development, the scheduling, etc. (up to 250 words):
Total 200 words used.
PLANNING AND GOAL SETTING
Objectives:
- Provide clarity and accurate information on benefits of cleaning products and smart targeted hygiene practices as a sought-after trusted expert on all things cleaning.
- Address consumer knowledge gaps through consistent data collection on cleaning beliefs and behaviors.
- Solidify ACI reputation as expert voice within the national dialogue grounded in science, data-backed guidance through media outreach and strategic partnerships.
Strategy:
Develop and launch integrated communications campaign reaching consumers and stakeholders with applicable insights on cleaning and hygiene protocols.
Conduct consistent consumer research to understand how consumer knowledge and perceptions shifted at key moments in time through nationally representative online surveys with Ipsos Research.
Leverage data points to guide messaging, programming, and targeted outreach. Identified consumer knowledge gaps/perceptions that informed message creation and media outreach.
Maintain media momentum by leveraging unique news angles, partnership opportunities and key moments in time, remaining responsive to breaking news and developments on an ongoing basis throughout the pandemic.
Create highly-visual and actionable tools and tips adapted from public health recommendations that live on ACI’s website to be distributed to a variety of consumers, businesses and schools.
Leverage strategic partners to help carry ACI messages through their own channels to expanded audiences.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this fourth question: Outline the activities and concrete results of this campaign or program since the beginning of 2020. Even if your initiative started before 2020, limit your response to activities and results since the beginning of 2020 only (up to 250 words):
Total 240 words used.
ACTIVITIES AND RESULTS
Provided clarity and accurate information: ACI’s website became a sought-after resource, receiving 575K+ visits, 25% higher than the same period of the prior year. Traffic spiked when the pandemic struck, garnering 97K+ visits. This was the highest number of visits in a month, by more than double. In 2021, ACI saw 611k web visitors. Benchmark research identified consumers were learning/maintaining proper cleaning protocols, a nod toward behavior change.
Addressed knowledge gaps through consistent data collection: Regular surveys were conducted from 10/20 – 10/21. Key data insights resulted in the creation of four toolkits geared toward unique audiences including childcare providers, small business owners, college students and the K-12 school community. Toolkits were distributed through partners including include CDC, American Academy of Family Physicians, National Retail Federation, Safe Kids Worldwide, dozens of social influencers and reached 5M+ with time-sensitive messaging.
Solidified reputation as expert voice: ACI and BRG garnered 3,540+ placements, equaling 6 billion+ impressions. Placements included two Washington Post Live Q&A’s, TIME Magazine, Entrepreneur, USA Today, Wall Street Journal and Real Simple. Executives participated in 60+ interviews. Tone of coverage moved from basic tips on how to clean to the important role cleaning plays in overall health and wellness – demonstrating a shift in consumers perceptions of cleaning. This shift resulted in development of the “Cleaning is Caring” campaign. Campaign included earned media, strategic partnerships, digital influencers, national PSA and virtual events resulting in 700M+ impressions.
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