This award recognizes the most impactful and successful integrated communications campaign promoting the team’s work ahead of the competition. The winning team is judged on the quality and creativity of the content, the volume of activity as well as the impact of the campaign.

In 2020, Drop Team showed excellent use of traditional and social media outlets and impressed judges with their analytics and measurement of the impact of their communications, securing the Shell Eco-marathon Americas Off-Track award for Communications.

Drop Team leveraged their past success at Shell Eco-marathon to inform a communications campaign to illustrate the importance of energy efficiency, attract new team members and sponsors, and raise visibility and positive awareness for the Shell Eco-marathon program. The multi-channel, integrated communications campaign included social media, outdoor media via billboards, traditional media, events, fundraising efforts, and digital media. 

The team shared weekly updates on the team’s communications channels, including the recognition of sponsors and participation at various events. During the months leading up to Shell Eco-marathon Americas, Drop Team shared information and stories on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube about topics such as the team’s work on their vehicle, crowdfunding efforts, and team member introductions. They also created a well-received video about Shell Eco-marathon’s 35th anniversary, which the team has said they is most proud of.

The team also participated in nearly 20 media interviews where they discussed the history of Shell Eco-marathon, the celebration of the 35th anniversary, and how being a part of the programme has inspired them to innovate. They shared explanatory videos and highlighted the importance of their community involvement, leveraged their website to publish articles on important topics like sustainability, and advocated for other sustainability measures and social actions. Finally, to understand the impact of their campaign and efforts, the team measured and analyzed results, which showed a significant growth in their social media followers and increased awareness among media and the public.

Overall, Drop Team exemplified a successful and truly impressive integrated communications campaign through their use of multiple channels and storytelling best practices.