The CMO Council and Yahoo! announced the winner of the 2006 Yahoo! Big Idea Chair Award in the technology and telecommunications field, with the oversized purple chair honor going to Symantec and its “Da Vinci Code” inspired campaign “Protect Your Secrets.” The award, presented at the close of the 2006 CMO North America Summit, recognized integrated, multi-channel marketing campaigns that were “exceptional, measurable and remarkable” in driving business outcomes.

The “Protect Your Secrets” campaign played off the popularity of the “Da Vinci Code” franchise to help customers protect everyday vital information stored on their computers and accessed online, including financial data, digital music and digital pictures. The campaign addressed multiple consumer touchpoints, including: in-store promotional displays and packaging in retailers; print advertising in national publications; micro-site with games, rebates and sweepstakes; online banner advertising; and product placement in “The Da Vinci Code” video game.

The results and impact on the customer were significant, with the micro-site generating 90,000 visitors in a three-month promotional period. Close to 30,000 consumers played the anagram game at least once during the promotion, with over 70,000 total games played. Overall, Symantec experienced a year-over-year growth of 25 percent in unit volume and online clickthrough rates increased 50 percent over Symantec’s average.

The Yahoo! Big Idea Chair Awards recognize superior differentiation, innovation and creativity in marketing. Yahoo! CMO Cammie Dunaway said it best: “In a world where we often find recycled messages, recycled ideas and compromised creativity, we feel that this award invigorates the core DNA of top marketers.” Submissions were accepted from companies in the technology and telecommunications industries through the CMO Council. A panel of judges drawn from leading marketing organizations, media and online channels, judged submissions based on campaign innovation, market intrusion, customer interaction, brand distinction, media channel selection and functional integration.

The finalists for the awards included:

— Symantec: “Protect Your Secrets”
— PTC (Parametric Technology Corporation): “Pro/Engineer Wildfire for
SMBs”
— Symantec: “Safety Town Phished!”
— Juniper Networks: “Juniper Federal Telework Campaign”
— Zomax: “Zomax Software Superhero”
— Vurv Technology: “WOW Campaign”