Consumer Reports WebWatch

WHO:  Consumer Reports WebWatch (CRW), a division of Consumer Reports.

PROBLEM:  CRW needed 50 major companies to publicly endorse its “website credibility” guidelines — or the division risked losing its funding. Their previous outreach efforts didn’t produce results. Companies showed little interest in signing onto the guidelines

SOLUTION:  Great Jakes created a two-pronged advertising and marketing strategy:

1) Advertising: A full-page ad was run in 10 major daily papers including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and the Wall Street Journal. The ad, entitled “Praise Worthy,” applauded the companies that signed onto the guidelines and threatened to disclose the names of those who refused.

2) Strategic Mail: The CEOs of the 100 largest websites received preliminary copies of the ad several days prior to its running. They were given the ability to add their company’s name to the ad’s “Praise Worthy” list at the last minute.

RESULT:  A huge success. Over 160 companies eventually signed on, including many big names such as Monster.com, Macys.com, Orbitz.com and NYTimes.com.
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which appeared in:
  • The New York Times
  • The Wall Street Journal
  • The Washington Post
  • The Boston Globe
  • The Atlanta Journal Constitution
  • Chicago Tribune
  • Los Angeles Times
  • San Francisco Chronicle
  • The Seattle Times
  • The Dallas Morning News