HelpMeSee, a global campaign to eliminate cataract blindness, was recognized with five separate awards for creative marketing, video and photography from the Hermes Creative Awards. The judges received over 6,000 entries from around the world for this year’s contest.
“I’m proud to accept these awards on behalf of our entire team,” said Matt Kupec, Vice President of Development and Marketing at HelpMeSee. “Their hard work has paid off. Particularly in this digital age, creative marketing is a critical part of our campaign to raise awareness about – and ultimately end – the leading cause of preventable blindness.”
Founded with the goal of recognizing “outstanding work in the industry while promoting the philanthropic nature of marketing and communications professionals,” the awards recognize a range of categories from direct mail to publicity to digital media. HelpMeSee was selected as a Platinum Winner for a direct-mail piece that highlighted the IOL lens used in MSICS surgery as well as a Gold Winner for a video used to raise awareness about cataract blindness. Three other marketing pieces, including two photos and one email campaign, received Honorable Mention.
HelpMeSee’s award-winning video profiled staff members navigating the streets of New York while wearing a blindfold. They were asked to do activities like shopping, finding the subway or buying a hot dog from a street cart vendor and interviewed on their experiences. The video was produced in partnership with DePalma Productions for use in HelpMeSee’s Giving Tuesday Campaign near the end of 2014.
This year’s awards were judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals, an international group from the advertising, PR, media and marketing industries. According to an official release from the Hermes Creative Awards, “AMCP judges are industry professionals who look for companies and individuals whose talent exceeds a high standard of excellence and whose work serves as a benchmark for the industry.”
About HelpMeSee
HelpMeSee is a global campaign to eliminate cataract blindness, the leading cause of preventable blindness worldwide. Along with the GIS-GPS app, HelpMeSee has developed a virtual reality MSICS training simulator to train cataract specialists as well as a pre-sterilized surgical kit to deliver safe care in remote areas. To date, the campaign has delivered over 194,000 sight-restoring surgeries to patients in India, Nepal, China, Peru, Vietnam, Togo and Sierra Leone.
