ICF is excited to announce that ICF Olson’s public relations and social agency, Olson Engage, was credited on 10 winning entries at the recent Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, widely considered the most coveted global honors in the marketing industry.
The agency was credited for its public relations (PR) work on Skittles’ integrated “Exclusive the Rainbow” campaign, which took the unusual step of creating a full-fledged Super Bowl ad and only showing it to one Southern California teenager, a contrast to the brand’s usual approach of advertising to 110 million-plus fans during the broadcast. The unusual approach drew more than 1 billion earned-media impressions and improved the brand’s sales performance. The campaign was among the most awarded at Cannes, earning a place on 21 award “shortlists” and winning two Gold Lions, three Silver Lions and five Bronze Lions across various categories.
The showing made Olson Engage the sixth most credited PR agency at the festival, according to a ranking compiled by PRWeek, and continued a remarkable run of national and now global recognition for the agency, which earlier this year was named “Outstanding Midsize Agency” by PRWeek and both “Consumer Agency of the Year” and “Specialist Agency of the Year” by the Holmes Report, burnishing an already strong reputation as one of the most creative and effective agencies in the category.
"Olson Engage is probably the most prolific producer of breakthrough creative work in the industry," wrote the Holmes Report. "And while Olson Engage has earned its place as a formidable creative powerhouse, it’s become clear that, in most cases, the creativity drives compelling business performance for its clients."
Indeed, Olson Engage has lived up to that billing this year, winning national or global 2018 honors for nine distinct campaigns across eight different clients including Skittles, Starburst, Oscar Mayer, Paqui Chips, Extra Gum, Elevate Minnesota and the Minnesota Timberwolves. In addition to the 10 wins at Cannes, Olson Engage was the most credited PR agency at the 2018 One Show and the most awarded agency of any kind at the Innovation SABRE Awards. It also won multiple awards at the North America Effie Awards, the PR Week Awards and the North America SABRE Awards.
“We don’t believe in creativity for creativity's sake,” said Bryan Specht, president for Olson Engage. “We’re focused on delivering meaningful impact for our clients, and to be recognized for doing that as often as we have been this year is enormously gratifying.”
