Status Creative's Grand Rapids Lip Dub Wins 2011 Earnie Award, PR Newswire's Inaugural Program Recognizing Breakthrough Social Media Campaigns

NEW YORK, Feb. 21, 2012  /PRNewswire/ -- Status Creative, a new advertising and experiential marketing firm, is proud to announce that it has been named the 2011 winner of PR Newswire's Earnie award for the 'Best Use of Video in Social Media;'  an honor received for the Grand Rapids Lip Dub.  

When Newsweek called Grand Rapids a "dying city," Status Creative and the residents took notice.  Gathering 5,000 of their closest friends, they took to the streets and created a 9-minute video complete with surprises, explosions and a helicopter.  The result was a unifying sense of pride for a city and something that became relatable to viewers all around the world.  Everyone loves a great underdog story and this was one. 4.5 million YouTube views later, it was called "The Greatest Music Video Ever Made" by Roger Ebert.  

"For our first campaign, I don't think we could have hoped for a better result," said Jeff Barrett, Co-Founder of Status Creative. "This is proof that a compelling campaign is driven by a universal message and jaw-dropping moments that capture your attention. That is the formula we use.  We share this with the great city of Grand Rapids and the entire state of Michigan.  It would have never been possible without the fantastic support we received. We are excited about the future, both for us and more importantly our home state of Michigan." 

PR Newswire's Earnies Awards, the first community-chosen awards program dedicated to earned media campaigns executed through social media channels, is designed to recognize innovation and creativity and focuses on the unique approach and strategy used to implement a campaign.  The award entries were judged based on strategy, creativity, results and overall 'awesomeness' of the campaigns. An expert panel of judges reviewed the submissions, creating a short list of three finalists in each category and final winners were determined by community voting on the AGILITY@work web site. The Earnies awards program was open to individual practitioners, as well as brands and organizations.  In its first year, the Earnies was launched in the U.S., but is intended to expand globally next year.

SOURCE Status Creative