Part two of Sara Lee Deli’s successful “Mama Saga” social media campaign, featuring the talents of Second City Communications, was featured in advertising columnist Stuart Elliott’s “Campaign Spotlight” on The New York Times website. The new Saga Solver campaign, designed to connect with moms by using humor and providing solutions to her daily saga, is part of the brand’s long-term strategy to provide information to moms to help simplify her life. 

The OHC team continues its public relations support of Expedition Hanesbrands, an expedition to Mt. Everest planned for spring 2010 with Canadian mountaineer Jamie Clarke. The program first launched in September 2009 with a live online press conference in which Champion-branded gear developed for the climbing team was unveiled to the public.  Next up: In early 2010, OHC will lead the public relations effort to unveil the Champion “summit suit” – the thinnest extreme weather suit ever developed.

In support of Sara Lee’s collaboration with Disney’s “Wizards of Waverly Place The Movie” DVD release, OHC connected fans of the show to the brand by creating a series of online video messages with two of the show’s stars, David Henrie and Jake T. Austin.  Messages from Henrie and Austin helped Sara Lee reach consumers online to spread the word about giving back to local communities to ensure all families have access to good nutrition and whole grains.  The videos encourage fans to participate in a sweepstakes where consumers have a chance to join the stars as they donate 25,000 loaves of Soft & Smooth bread to a food bank near the winner’s hometown.  The videos will be posted throughout the campaign on YouTube, Facebook and fan blogs.

After more than 26,000 miles, OHC has signed on for a second year of public relations support for the successful Lane Home Entertainment Tour.  The Tour includes a massive 1,000 square foot custom-built 18-wheeler mobile showroom providing a dynamic, interactive experience for consumers and inviting the local community to come discover why Lane is considered the leader in home entertainment.  This year’s focus is on customizing a room to meet specific home entertainment needs.  The tour runs through Oct. 2010.  Go to www.laneentertainment.com to follow the tour.

In the fall of 2009, Sara Lee Sweet Goods set out to help America’s city dwellers de-stress with a daily indulgence.  With a focus on snacking with Sara Lee Bites and Simple Sweets, OHC encouraged consumers to enjoy a sweet treat any time of day within moderation.  By leveraging the newsworthiness of the annual Forbes Magazine “America’s Most Stressful Cities,” list and with the help of stress expert, Loretta LaRoche and Sara Lee chef, Jill Houk, our complete program of tips and simple, stress -free recipes became a popular topic of conversation in the media and on social networks like Facebook and Twitter.   

OHC and Sara Lee Deli launched a robust social media program to build awareness of
Sara Lee Fresh Ideas™ pre-sliced deli meat and foster relationships with moms online.  The program features a branded channel on Metacafe, enhanced Facebook page and newly created Twitter handle.  Utilizing multiple social media platforms and performing extensive mom blogger outreach, OHC worked to build an online community and position Sara Lee Deli as an everyday resource to moms.

When Sara Lee wanted to gather insights on the nutrition challenges moms face as they get ready for the back-to-school season, they tapped into the influential mom blog community for information, advice and solutions for America’s moms.  OHC engaged 13 top mom bloggers to attend the first-ever Sara Lee Soft & Smooth Back-to-School Nutrition Summit at the Kitchens of Sara Lee. At the Summit, moms discussed family-friendly whole grain nutrition with nutritionists, chefs and each other. The insights were shared with through traditional and social media and expanded our relationships with some of the country’s most influential moms. Check out back-to-school nutrition tips and pictures from the Summit here.

During Earth Month 2009, OHC helped EarthGrains bread increase consumer awareness of its effort to protect the land where grains are grown through the announcement of a year-long relationship with The Nature Conservancy.  In addition, our work included engaging environmentally conscious consumers through clean-up activities in California, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Illinois and providing advice from our eco-eating experts.

The OHC team was pleasantly surprised at the SABRE Awards ceremony in New York City when the agency was honored with the New Agency of the Year SABRE following its first full year of business. Attending the event as one of five finalists for the business-to-consumer new product launch on behalf of the Sara Lee Soft & Smooth Great Whole Grain Giveaway, the agency was recognized by Paul Holmes at the beginning of a very exciting evening.

OHC celebrated its first year of participation in the industry awards by receiving two Golden Trumpets from the Publicity Club of Chicago. The first one was received in the marketing category for the Sara Lee Soft & Smooth Great Whole Grain Giveaway. The second was awarded in video news releases and films for the crop art event held in conjunction with the Sara Lee Soft & Smooth Switcheroo: Take Your Whole Grain Sandwich to School Day.

 OHC-St. Louis relocated to new offices at 6677 Delmar Blvd. in the University City Loop. Moving from a charming, but small, location down the street, OHC-St. Louis now shares a building with a number of creative agencies in a loft environment. The award-winning Delmar Loop area was named one of the 10 great streets in the U.S. by American Planning Association Great Places program in 2007.