Genesis Burson-Marsteller wins Global Sabre Award for Medela campaign

Burson-Marsteller’s Indian operation, Genesis Burson-Marsteller, won a 2017 Global Sabre Award for its campaign with Medela, called ‘Back to Work’. Presented by industry publication The Holmes Report, the Global Sabre Awards celebrate superior achievement in branding, reputation and engagement and recognise the 40 best PR campaigns in the world. The awards were presented at a ceremony during #PRovoke17, The Holmes Report’s Global PR Summit, in Miami on October 25. ‘Back to Work’ ranked ninth out of the top 40. 

Commenting on the win, Prema Sagar, Vice Chair, Burson-Marsteller, Asia Pacific & Principal/Founder, Genesis Burson-Marsteller, said, “The ‘Back to Work’ campaign is the perfect example of our teams pushing the boundaries of creativity to deliver evidence-based and result-oriented communication. It also bears testimony to how a true partnership with a client can result in impactful solutions to real-world problems. We are delighted and proud as a firm for the global recognition that this campaign has received.” 

Medela, a breast pump and nursing accessories manufacturer, found that many Indian women gave up breastfeeding when they went back to work. In fact, a survey Medela commissioned revealed that nearly 42 per cent of working mothers in India quit breastfeeding due to their inability to manage work and motherhood, and that many women did not know about the utility of breast pumps. To educate women, Genesis Burson-Marsteller and Medela introduced Back to Work, an integrated communications campaign that brought breastfeeding conversations into the open and helped build a community of working mothers who shared their nursing challenges. 

The campaign’s creative elements included:

• A video released during World Breastfeeding Week;
• A social media campaign executed in conjunction with the most popular mom community in Gurgaon;
• A series of webinars, called LactoClave, which provided a platform for moms across the country to discuss their nursing challenges with medical experts;
• An awareness drive on Mother’s Day, in conjunction with the Jaipur Metro Rail Corporation, in which Medela’s lactation expert engaged with women passengers on breastfeeding and the utility of breast pumps; and,
• A comic book, “Story of a Champion Mom,’’ that educated mothers on breastfeeding and breast pumps through comic strips based on real-life situations.

‘Back to Work’ delivered a 50 per cent increase in sales of Medela’s breast pumps in one year and a 20 per cent increase in the number of consumer queries at retail outlets where Medela products are sold. Medela’s market share increased to 40 per cent, compared to 15 per cent in 2015. 

“It is a great honour for Genesis Burson-Marsteller’s outstanding creative work to be recognised as one of the top campaigns in the world,” said Don Baer, Worldwide Chair and CEO, Burson-Marsteller. “The ‘Back to Work’ campaign shows how our firm’s highly creative, integrated communications programmes deliver powerful results that make a difference for our clients. Congratulations and thanks to everyone at Genesis Burson-Marsteller who made this important campaign a reality.” 

The campaign has also been bestowed with awards at The Holmes Report’s Sabre Asia-Pacific and Sabre South Asia Awards. At the Sabre Asia-Pacific Awards, it won two Golds, in the India Subcontinent and Healthcare Providers categories, while at the Sabre South Asia Awards, it won the Best in Show Platinum Award, in addition to Golds in the Integrated Marketing and Healthcare categories.