MTA, Verizon and Ad Council among this year’s Greater Good Awards nominees

Greater Good Awards poster

The 2021 Greater Good Awards nominees recognize companies that have excelled at social-good initiatives — particularly those that have raised awareness and educated consumers in areas like mental health, social justice, racial inequality, infectious diseases, sustainability and more.

Among this year’s entries focusing on infectious diseases, ATTN and NBC broadcasted ‘Roll Up Your Sleeves.’ Presented by Walgreens, the prime-time variety broadcast was designed to inform and encourage people with COVID-19 vaccine concerns to learn the facts and get vaccinated. Hosted by Russell Wilson and Ciara, the activation provided a “thank you” to essential workers and featured comedic acts, real-life stories and informative conversations with entertainers and politicians. MTA and Work & Co. also raised awareness about COVID-19 vaccines in New York through the MTA COVID Tracker, which integrated city vaccination sites into its Live Subway Map. The initiative allowed customers to see more than 600 sites on the map, hours of operation, how to make an appointment and the type of vaccine offered at each location. 

In the social justice categories, News Not Noise, a mobile platform founded by journalist and former Chief White House Correspondent Jessica Yellin, offers substantive, succinct information on news stories to give people a better understanding of — and more confidence to engage with — topics in the news. Another social justice entry is Upwave, the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative’s ‘It’s Up to You’ COVID-19 vaccine education initiative. To shift the public mindset from vaccine concern to confidence, the campaign used cross-platform video advertising. AI boosted the creative to ensure that the campaign resonated with target groups, directing people to information and resources about COVID-19 vaccines.

Verizon is shortlisted in the education category for the Verizon Innovative Learning programs, which provide free technology to students in school and at home. These programs include the VIL Schools Program, which offers tablets and a hands-on instructional coach in 511 middle and high schools. And the company’s STEM Learning Programs offered science, technology, engineering and math education alongside college mentoring with a focus on rural female and minority male middle school students.

This year’s entries also include Citi in the LGBTQ+ category. The financial services company’s ‘True Name’ campaign included a partnership with Mastercard to become the first major bank to provide customers with the ability to use their chosen first name on branded credit cards and across customer service channels. In the racial justice category, entries include Forbes for the ‘State of Black Entrepreneurship.’ The ongoing content project incorporates historical research uncovering decades of underrepresented Black business successes, along with new quantitative data and multimedia storytelling that shows where Black entrepreneurship stands today and where it’s headed. 

Finally, in the sustainability category, Reformation and FibreTrace are nominated for advancing fashion transparency. The company’s climate-positive denim collection features fiber traceability technology that allows customers to scan a garment’s tag and view the denim’s entire lifecycle.

As we wait to see which entries the judges will select for their winning roster on January 13, here’s a look at all of our finalists below:

Infectious Disease
TEGNA
Work & Co – MTA COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker
Upwave – Measuring the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative’s “It’s Up to You” COVID-19 Vaccine Education Initiative
Mahlab – Pharmaceutical Society of Australia
ATTN:, Walgreens and NBC – Broadcasted Roll Up Your Sleeves Presented by Walgreens
Courageous Studios – Pfizer No Stone Left Unturned

Hunger
Audible and Newark Working Kitchens
This Saves Lives’ The Table
Grande Cosmetics and Feeding America
Laura Geller Beauty
Simply Organic – a brand of Frontier Co-op
Mahlab – SecondBite

Mental Health
VidMob – VidMob Uses Intelligent Creative to Get Young Adults Talking About Mental Health
Pinterest embraces body acceptance and bans all weight loss ads with #NoSizeFitsAll
Four Nine – New Year’s Revolution
DoSomething.org and Harry’s
Good Skin by Topicals
AARP Foundation and United Health Foundation

Social Justice
Amplify Voices – Coach the Vote Campaign
Polygon, a Vox Media network
Six+One
Frontier Co-op – Breaking Down Barriers to Employment Initiative
Big Human – Launch of Subdial
News Not Noise

Racial Equality
Work & Co – Give Blck (now Giving Gap)
Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey
PepsiCo – Pepsi Dig In
For(bes) The Culture
Alaffia & The Alaffia Foundation – the empowerment and advancement of West African communities
3BLACKDOT – Gaming While Black

Gender Equality
Kiva.org – International Women’s Day Campaign
Mahlab – United Nations Working Group on Discrimination Against Women and Girls
Courageous Studios – HULU The Handmaid’s Tale Freedom Journeys
Courageous Studios – Secret You Can’t Pause Progress
Katz Institute for Women’s Health, with Revmade
Berlin Cameron, No7 Beauty Company, and Devries Global Group – Unstoppable Together

LGBTQ+
360i x OREO: Proud Parent
The Body Shop US — “Taking Pride in Taking Action”
Citi – True Name Campaign
FEMALE NARRATIVES & PEANUT: QUEER POSSIBLE
RuPaul’s Drag Race “Say Love” Campaign
Bombas 2021 Pride Campaign: Proud in Every Way

Children
Ally Financial
VidMob – VidMob Gives Raises Funds to Fight Neuroblastoma
Deloitte Digital – Ad Council and She Can STEM
Psycho Bunny – Launch of Color Outside The Lines
McKinsey Global Publishing – McKinsey for Kids: I, Robot? What technology shifts mean for tomorrow’s jobs
Proof Advertising & Subway® Restaurants – Subway Pro Teen Awards

Environment
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) – For Nature For Us: Shutting Down High-Risk Wildlife Trade to Prevent Future Pandemics
3 Mad Fish – Launch of Maxwell House 100% Compostable Pods
4ocean
Consumer Reports – Fighting for Fairer and Safer Access to Water
Bluon
Nike, Assembly & Mindshare Inspire & Drive Environmental Impact in Industry-First Move to Zero Campaign

Sustainability
3 Mad Fish – Launch of Maxwell House 100% Compostable Pods
Aether Diamonds — Debut of Positive-Impact Diamonds Made From Air
Narvar – Sustainable Retail Returns
Innersense Organic Beauty
Reformation – Reformation x FibreTrace® Collection
Izzy Zero Waste Mascara – Launch of Izzy Zero Waste Beauty

Disaster Relief
Horizontal Digital
Underknown — LIVEMEDAID Fundraiser for Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)
Waiakea
VidMob – VidMob Gives Raises $16 Million for CDC Foundation

Arts and Culture
Artsy
Psycho Bunny – Launch of Color Outside The Lines
The Diversity Type Project: Creating a typeface that champions diversity
Lycored
CONVICTS x Dance Theatre of Harlem

Education
VAHDAM® India
VERIZON
First Aid Beauty – FAB AID
Singular.Live and Danvik School of Media – 24hr Fundraiser
Tatawwar by Potential.com and HSBC
Deloitte Digital – Ad Council and She Can STEM

Head to the site to register for the virtual announcement on January 13.


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