*Image from PRWeek*
On March 17, 2017, PRWeek celebrated the 18th year of its PRWeek’s awards, where they celebrate the best of the best corporate, agency, nonprofit, and education teams, and the work they produced during the entry period.
United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz was named PRWeek’s Communicator of the Year. Munoz was recognized for his efforts over the past year to better increase client engagement and employee engagement through a “dramatic” transformation. He also did all this while recovering from a near-fatal heart attack and subsequent heart transplant.
“Communication and communication strategy is not just part of the game, it is the game,” Munoz said, when accepting the award on behalf of United’s more than 87,000 employees.
The PRWeek Campaign of the Year award was given to McDonald’s and its e agency partner Golin for their launch of all-day breakfast at the fast food chain. The campaign also received awards for Best Consumer Launch and Best in Social Media because of the effort of Golin staffers, who reached out to every tweeter who mentioned the idea on the platform.
Global communications and engagement firm, Weber Shandwick was named 2017 Large Agency of the Year and PR Agency of the Year at the PRWeek U.S. Awards. Dr. Leslie Gaines-Ross, Weber Shandwick’s chief reputation strategist, was recognized as Outstanding Agency Professional, celebrated for her industry-leading thought leadership and expertise in corporate reputation. The firm was also honored across multiple campaign categories with client partners.
“Garnering recognition like this for the third year running is a very special honor,” Andy Polansky told DIVERGE. “To me, earning marks of distinction like agency of the year speaks to the consistency and variety of breakthrough work that our teams produce every day with our client partners – in the U.S. and around the world.”
“PRWeek highlighted the agency’s growth and our deeply integrated teams as drivers for what made us stand out, but I’m most proud of the collaborative, highly-connected culture that’s at the heart of everything we do,” he added. “Our incredibly talented people are the foundation of our success.”
Additional winners include:
Best Consumer Launch
Golin and McDonald’s
All Day Breakfast Press Announcement: The People’s Launch
Best Content
Braya U.S. and Tecate
Tecate Beer Pulls Its “Trump Card” & Builds A Wall That Unifies During Presidential Debates
Best for a Cause
Ketchum and Whirlpool
Care Counts
Best Global Effort
Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media (DCPI) and Star Wars
Best in a Crisis
Camino Public Relations and Planned Parenthood
PR and Moral Outrage: Turning a viral video attack into a brand promotion
Best in Analytics
Allison & Partners and Kampgrounds of America (KOA)
What’s Behind the Yellow Sign?
Best in Arts, Entertainment, Sports & Media
Exponent PR and USA Swimming
Swim United: With liberty and flip turns for all
Best in Broadcast/Film/Video
MullenLowe and JetBlue Airways Reach Across The Aisle
Best in Business-to-Business
Burson-Marsteller and Valspar Corp.
Introducing the Product: Changing Industry Paradigms
Best in Community Relations
Approach Marketing and Goldfish Swim School
Goldfish Swim School’s Water Safety Focus Drives Growth in Community
Best in Corporate Branding
Burson-Marsteller and Bank of America
Cutting Through the Clutter – Elevating Bank of America to the Industry Fintech Leader
Best in Financial Communications
FTI Consulting and Shire
Shire’s Acquisition of Baxalta
Best in Healthcare
Ketchum and Adapt Pharma
Redefining Narcan: A Life-Saving Medication
Best in Internal Communications
IBM
IBM Cognitive Build
Best in Multicultural Marketing
Weber Shandwick and Gilead Sciences
Breaking the Silence on Hepatitis B in the Asian American Community
Best in Nonprofit
Cohn & Wolfe and Swedish Tourist Association
The Swedish Number: Saying “Halla” to the World
Best in Product Brand Development
DeVries Global and Pantene
Pantene Dad-Do: Fostering the Next Generation of Strong Women
Best in Public Affairs
The Glover Park Group and United Airlines
United to Cuba
Best in Public Sector
Ogilvy Public Relations and Covered California
Covered California Third Open Enrollment: Spotlight on Coverage
Best in Social Media
Golin and McDonald’s
All Day Breakfast Press Announcement: The People’s Launch
Best in Technology
MSLGroup and Netflix
Netflix Everywhere
Best Integrated Campaign
Edelman and REI
REI #OptOutside
Best Promotional Event
M Booth and Campari
Putting Creativity on Tap for Sales and Charity with Negroni Week
Best Viral
DeVries Global, Grey New York, and Pantene
Pantene Dad-Do: Fostering the Next Generation of Strong Women
Creative excellence
MullenLowe and JetBlue Airways
Reach Across The Aisle
Outstanding Education Program
Syracuse University, Newhouse School
Outstanding Agency Professional
Leslie Gaines-Ross
Weber Shandwick
Outstanding In-House Professional Sponsored by Zeno Group
Raymond Kerins Jr.
Bayer Corp.
Outstanding Marketer
Rob Lynch
Arby’s Restaurant Group
Outstanding Young Professional
McKenzie Haggard
Method Communications
Outstanding In-House Team
Harman International
Outstanding Boutique Agency
Harvest PR & Marketing
Outstanding Small Agency
Praytell
Outstanding Midsize Agency
Carmichael Lynch Relate
Outstanding Large Agency
Weber Shandwick
