Minnesota PRSA Classics Awards Honor Top PR Achievements from 2007

Erbert & Gerbert’s with Exponent Public Relations wins Best of Show for “Taking a Bite Out of the Saturated Sub Category” campaign

The Minnesota chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), celebrated the best public relations campaigns of 2007 during the 30th annual Minnesota PRSA Classics Awards, held at Graves 601 Hotel in downtown Minneapolis on Thursday night.

The awards banquet, emceed by Leah McLean, evening news anchor of KSTP-TV and Rose McKinney, president of Risdall McKinney Public Relations and Minnesota PRSA immediate past president, attracted nearly 300 communications professionals from agencies, corporations and nonprofit organizations. The awards honored public relations campaigns and tactics that, in the judgment of their peers, successfully addressed communications challenges with exemplary skill, creativity and resourcefulness.

“The public relations industry in Minnesota is thriving, as evidenced by the high-quality, high-impact work showcased during this year's Classics Awards,” said Anna Lovely, APR, president of Minnesota PRSA. “Practitioners across the profession, from nonprofits to agencies and corporate teams, continue to demonstrate the importance and ever-growing value of strategic public relations to businesses and industries through their hard work, creativity and dedication to the profession.”

The Classics Awards are divided into two categories: elements and programs. Classics Element Awards honor the best program tactics, while Classics Program Awards honor the best overall public relations campaigns.

Winners in the Program Awards category were eligible for the top honor of the evening –Best of Show. The award for Best of Show was presented to Erbert & Gerbert’s and public relations agency Exponent Public Relations for their campaign titled “Taking a Bite Out of the Saturated Sub Category.” The campaign helped Erbert & Gerbert’s share its unique brand essence by leveraging the power of nontraditional marketing into national and global buzz, multiple new franchisee stores, and the achievement of double-digit growth in a declining category.

Savvy Students
Minnesota PRSA also bestowed its 6th Annual PRSA Student Classics awards for the best in student public relations among Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin undergraduate students. Awards were presented in four categories for projects completed for class work, Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapter activities, internship projects and volunteer work.

Five recipients of this year’s Dr. Willard Thompson Scholarships also were recognized for their excellence in the study of public relations and communications. Sarah Ryder of the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities was awarded Best of PRSSA and a $2,000 scholarship. Laura Wightman (University of Minnesota – Twin Cities) won a $1,000 award, and Alyssa Atkins (University of Minnesota – Twin Cities), Bridget Jewell (University of St. Thomas) and Marit Karbowski (Augustana College) each won $500 awards.

In addition, four recipients of the President’s Award also were recognized for scoring the highest among applicants from their PRSSA chapter within the communications experience section of the scholarship entry. Those honored include: Sarah Ryder, University of Minnesota – Twin Cities; Bridget Jewell, University of St. Thomas; Jessica Mongeon, University of North Dakota; and Marit Karbowski, Augustana College.

A total of 50 Classics Awards were presented during the evening to corporations, public relations agencies, nonprofit organizations and students from the metro and outstate areas. Here is a list of all the winners, which also can be found on the Minnesota PRSA Web site.