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

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.