Rush's Grade School Giveaway wins July's Top Ad Campaign

Media: WACH Fox Marketing
Advertiser: Rush's
Campaign: Rush's Grade School Giveaway
Key executives: Kacey Liles Mattox, senior marketing consultant, WACH FOX; Dave Ruddle, marketing director for Rush's; Rita Koch, WACH FOX Marketing interactive manager; and Ken Rochon, Follett Library Resources

Challenge: Rush's is a local fast food franchise with a 72-year history in the Columbia, South Carolina, market. Starting as a roadside store, the company boasts eight locations and has a following that spans generations. The brand is beloved in the community, but wanted to build a Facebook page and start a conversation with guests that fit their major demographic—parents, and mothers specifically—to elevate their brand and image.

Campaign concept: WACH created an integrated social media campaign around a Facebook contest that involved the community and engaged parents: Rush's Grade School Giveaway. The contest encouraged parents of elementary students to vote for their local school. The three elementary schools with the most votes vied for $1,000 each in new books for their school libraries.

Liles Mattox coordinated the project, contacting Follet Library Resources, a local distributor to libraries for local elementary schools, to ask the company to match WACH's $1,500 donation. She also obtained a list of all the local elementary schools to list them in the contest, which was created on a Facebook contesting app, Shortstack.

The television buy included 75% of the promotional spots on American Idol, driving traffic to Facebook. The campaign also ran interactive ads and used the stations's Facebook and Twitter anouncements to drive fans to Rush's Facebook page. 

A video also promoted the contest.

Parents quickly became advocates for the campaign, helping their children by providing for their local school. "We used their power, kindness, and drive to make the campaign a success," says Liles Mattox.

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