Mediapost gave Pereira & O'Dell "bronze" for social agency of 2012, quotes our opinion on their Skype campaign.

“It’s Time For Skype” uses print, outdoor and Web iterations to position the Internet-based voice and video communications service as a warmer, more human way to connect than alternatives like Twitter and Facebook.

“140 characters doesn’t equal staying in touch,” reads one copy line. “When did it become ok to text mom happy birthday?” asks another. The campaign’s main social thrust consists of an app on Skype’s Facebook page that lets users create and share “Humoticons” — pictures of themselves expressing emotions.

“We launched this at a time when the question (of whether technology has gotten too impersonal) was really becoming part of the zeitgeist, and that helped it get great online media coverage to get people talking,” says pod’s executive creative director Jaime Robinson.

The company credits the campaign with a 20 percent rise in Skype.com feature page views, driving 8.3 million site activities.

“This campaign really got to our roots as a disruptive brand while at the same time playing to what makes our brand great, that we enable people to have experiences together, even when they are apart,” says Francie Strong, Skype’s director of global marketing.

Åsk Dabitch Wäppling, who follows the ad biz at the Adland blog, says the approach for Skype works perfectly because, at its core, “it’s the truth: Skype is face-time.”