Students Honored in Second Annual Heineken USA/ Collegiate Effie PSA Challenge

Advertising and Marketing Undergrads from Furman University and Iowa State University receive top honors for public service announcement campaign encouraging responsible behavior

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Heineken USA

Jun 13, 2011, 03:01 ET

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., June 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Heineken USA and Effie Worldwide, Inc. today announced winners of the second annual Heineken USA/ Collegiate Effie PSA Challenge, where advertising and marketing students showcase their talents by creating a public service announcement focused on responsible behavior.

For this competition, students 21 and older representing advertising and marketing departments at universities nationwide were tasked with creating and pitching a full-fledged public service communications campaign that encourages adult consumers to make "every night" a night of great choices. In particular, participants were required to find ways to encourage their audiences to learn, understand, download and use Taxi Magic, a smartphone application that provides an innovative alternative to avoid drinking and driving. Heineken USA is an exclusive sponsor of Taxi Magic, which provides consumers the ability to connect with a local taxicab company anywhere in the U.S.

Teams representing Furman University and Iowa State University were named this year's winners by a judging panel comprised of industry professionals representing expertise in various disciplines including creative, strategic planning, media strategy, branding, marketing and social media.

Since 1968, winning an Effie Award has become a global symbol of achievement as the Effies honor marketing ideas that work. Heineken USA and Effie joined together in 2010 to create the Collegiate PSA Challenge with dual purpose; provide students a valuable learning experience and the opportunity for recognition and feedback from experienced professionals; and to honor effective public service marketing communication ideas.

"This competition underscores Heineken USA's ongoing commitment to encourage responsible and legal alcohol consumption," said Dan Tearno, senior vice president and chief corporate relations officer, Heineken USA. "This program allows students to learn firsthand the strategic and creative process in PSA development, and at the same time, we collectively foster the next generation of advertising professionals to effectively spread awareness around important issues such as drinking and driving."

"Launching the collegiate Effie competition with Heineken USA in 2010 proved to be a fun and effective way to recognize, educate and inspire future marketing professionals," said Mary Lee Keane, president of Effie Worldwide. "We were again blown away by the talent and ambition of this year's entrants and are excited to continue to cultivate and encourage future industry leaders as we offer this opportunity on an annual basis."

The first-place winners received a cash prize of $3,000 and second place received $1,500. The two top teams presented their campaigns to the Heineken USA marketing and communications teams in New York.

And the winners are…

Finalists Stacey Bragg, Amanda Quinton and Sara Sanders from Furman University in Greenville, SC, leveraged Heineken's history of responsibility and target-market research to position Taxi Magic as the hip, new and easy way to be responsible in their campaign, "Responsibility has Evolved."

The team from Iowa State University in Ames, IA, also impressed the judges with a social media focused submission, "Tag Your Taxi." The plan, submitted by team members Justin Lobaito, Lucas A. Droessler and Maria Borosnov, encourages users to document and share their "great decisions after a great night" by tagging images from their taxi ride home to Facebook.

For more information about the Heineken USA/Effie Collegiate PSA Challenge, please visit: http://www.effie.org/collegiate

About Effie Worldwide

Effie Worldwide stands for effectiveness in marketing communications, spotlighting marketing ideas that work and encouraging thoughtful dialogue about the ever-changing marketing industry. The Effie network works with some of the top research and media organizations worldwide to bring its audience relevant and first-class insights into effective marketing strategy. This has taken shape in webinars, white papers, global conferences, winner showcases and more.

The Effie Awards are known by advertisers and agencies globally as the pre-eminent award in the industry, and recognize any and all forms of marketing communication that contribute to a brand's success. Since 1968, winning an Effie has become a global symbol of achievement. Today, Effie celebrates effectiveness worldwide with the Global Effie, the Euro Effie, the Middle East / North Africa Effie and more than 40 national Effie programs. For more details, visit www.effie.org. Follow @effieawards on Twitter for updates on Effie information, programs and news.

The Effie Effectiveness Index identifies and ranks the marketing communications industry's most effective agencies, advertisers, and brands by analyzing finalist and winner data from Effie Worldwide competitions.

About Heineken USA

Heineken USA Inc., the nation's premier beer importer, is a subsidiary of Heineken International BV, which is the world's most international brewer. European brands imported into the U.S. include Heineken Lager, the world's most international beer brand; Heineken Light; Amstel Light, a leading imported light beer brand; Newcastle Brown Ale, the leading imported ale in the United States; and Buckler non-alcoholic brew. Heineken USA is also the exclusive USA importer for the Tecate, Tecate Light, Dos Equis, Sol, Carta Blanca and Bohemia brands from Mexico. For a safe ride home, download the Heineken USA-sponsored Taxi Magic™ application from your smartphone at taximagic.heineken.com. Please visit www.EnjoyHeinekenResponsibly.com.