Final night time was an epic celebration of 25 years of PRWeek Awards and reflections on how the business has fully remodeled within the intervening interval.
The night contained many echoes of the previous and glimpses into the long run, from the PRWeek Titans, Luminaries and Legends tables convened respectively by Weber Shandwick, BCW/Hill & Knowlton and Edelman, to former Pupil of the 12 months Kathleen McManus graduating to Excellent Younger Skilled in simply two years.
The consideration was introduced to the Lippe Taylor exec by former Burson-Marsteller worldwide CEO and BCW Luminary Chris Komisarjevsky – a real handing on of the PR baton.
“The night served not solely to focus on excellent work however it was an opportunity for all to see the breadth of expertise, enthusiasm and mental power in our occupation,” commented Komisarjevsky on LinkedIn.
PRWeek’s Silver Anniversary Awards included two particular classes, one for In-house Dynasty of the Final 25 Years, one for Company Dynasty – GE took house the previous, Edelman the latter, introduced by our glorious 2024 chair of jury, Spotify’s world head of public affairs, Dustee Jenkins.
See the PRWeek U.S. Awards 2024 winners
Each PRWeek Awards leaves some folks strolling away happier than others and you’ll see write-ups of each class winner right here within the digital Guide of the Evening. Lately, FleishmanHillard, Ketchum and Omnicom PR Group have shone within the prime honors. Previous to that, Weber Shandwick had a terrific run taking Company of the 12 months plaudits for a number of years in a row. Daniel J. Edelman’s Zeno has executed constantly effectively over the previous decade.
This 12 months, the workforce at Ogilvy PR can be thrilled with their eight honors, together with the flagship Marketing campaign of the 12 months for Unilever model Dove’s Flip Your Again initiative that pushed again on TikTok’s Daring Glamor filter expertise and the unreasonable psychological injury it causes younger girls.
As Normal Mills CCO Jano Cabrera famous on LinkedIn: “Dove’s Flip Your Again marketing campaign is figure everybody within the business ought to watch and use as an inspirational instance of labor that successfully drives model goal and optimistic social change.”
It is a testomony to the enduring WPP agency’s determination to return to self-discipline specialization in an built-in method beneath world CEO Devika Bulchandani, slightly than the one P&L technique of long-time CEO John Seifert. Extra to come back on that entrance on Monday from our sister title Marketing campaign US.
Golin received Excellent Further-Massive Company of the 12 months, Company of the 12 months and CEO Matt Neale was named Excellent Company PR Professional of the 12 months. It was particularly acceptable that Neale’s honor was introduced to him by former Weber Shandwick and McCann CEO Harris Diamond – a Weber Shandwick Titan – who employed the Brit after three journeys to London to influence him to make the transfer over to New York Metropolis.
Day One Company repeated its Excellent Midsize Company achievement from final 12 months, as did BRG Communications within the Excellent Boutique Company class.
Except any individual is aware of higher on the market, Boden Company turned the primary Hispanic specialist agency to win an company award within the Excellent Small Company class.
“As a Latina-owned and led, unbiased company, we’re thrilled to have been acknowledged on this stage among the many giants,” mentioned company president Sara Garibaldi on LinkedIn.
And Zeno continued its powerhouse run in numerous company classes by annexing Excellent Massive Company.
The small however mighty Wasabi Applied sciences workforce can have been delighted to beat out the heavyweight gamers from UPS, Campbell’s, Kraft Heinz and United Airways within the Excellent In-house Crew class. United bought some ink on the winners’ wall when former White Home press secretary Josh Earnest, the airline’s EVP of communications and promoting, was named Excellent In-house Skilled.
One factor that’s usually forgotten when appraising PRWeek Awards winners is that the entry interval for this system spans October 2022 to October 2023, the tip level of which is six months previous to the awards ceremony. So, for instance, there was not less than one marketing campaign shortlisted that revolved across the 2022 soccer World Cup.
There may be an inevitable lag impact and the businesses and work actually killing it in This autumn of the 12 months prior and Q1 of the present 12 months have to attend for the next 12 months’s gala ceremony to see their achievements up in lights.
There may be additionally nonetheless a false impression in some quarters that the PRWeek editorial or business groups swoop in on the finish of the method and apply a “closing coat of lacquer” to the outcomes to provide the winners most acceptable to them.
That’s completely not the case.
The scores of the top-notch group of jury members who choose the work, groups and people are the only measurement standards by which the awards winners are determined. We’ll go away the extra “proactive” method to different lesser packages. That’s why the PRWeek Awards are really “the Oscars” of the PR business – as many visitors commented final night time.
The one class the place the workforce will get concerned is our Communicator of the 12 months award, which was this 12 months introduced to GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis for her distinctive advocacy on behalf of the LGBTQ neighborhood at a time when it’s beneath extreme assault from legislators in lots of states across the U.S.
Ellis was busy internet hosting GLAAD’s Media Awards in Los Angeles Thursday night time, so RuPaul Drag Race and Traitors actress and GLAAD board member Miss Peppermint accepted the trophy on her behalf, throughout which she made an impassioned plea for manufacturers to stay with the LGBTQ neighborhood within the tough months forward main as much as the final election and past.
It was a incredible celebration worthy of a Silver Anniversary and the work honored really represents the journey PR has been on and the progress it has made when it comes to effectiveness, creativity and profile for the reason that first PRWeek Awards in 2000 on the New York Marriott Marquis.
Thanks for all of your assist throughout this time and right here’s to the subsequent 25 – the tempo of change actually isn’t going to decelerate!
