The 37th annual Minnesota Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Classics Awards, held last night at the Nicolette Island Pavilion in Minneapolis, celebrated breakthrough creativity and innovative thinking in the public relations industry throughout 2014. Top campaigns featured unprecedented ingenuity by driving engagement among diverse audiences through digital, content marketing, influencer outreach, experiential events and much more.
The annual Classics Awards Banquet brings together public relations practitioners across Minnesota for a night of celebration to honor award-winning work. More than 30 awards were presented to agencies, corporations, nonprofit organizations, and associations for exemplary work over the past year. Receiving 2014 Classics Best of Show award was Exponent PR and Land O’Lakes for its Pinterest campaign called, “Pin a Meal. Give a Meal.” Among the six industry campaign of the year awards were programs in consumer technology, retail, nonprofit, tourism and agriculture.
“One of our missions as Minnesota PRSA members is to enhance professional knowledge, standards and ethics in the public relations industry,” said Joel Swanson, APR, president of Minnesota PRSA. “ The annual Classics Awards are an opportunity to come together to share remarkable public relations work and programs with our peers. The programs we honored tonight demonstrate best-in-class work in our industry and exemplify the high standard of service that we strive for each and every day.”
“Each of the programs and work honored at last night’s event has made significant impact in their own right – from programs that sought to fight hunger or drive change, to programs that generated outstanding business results and top-of-mind awareness, to work that inspired healthy lifestyles or education,” Swanson added.
In addition to celebrating the best public relations campaigns, Minnesota PRSA honored Sara Gavin, president of Weber Shandwick North America, with the Donald G. Padilla Distinguished Practitioner Award. The award is presented to an outstanding individual who has made selfless contributions to the public relations industry and demonstrated exceptional professional achievement. Gavin received the award for her dedication to public relations during her 30-year career and her volunteer work with local community boards, such as Securian Corporation and Teach for America.
Maggie LaMaack, account executive at Bellmont Partners, received the Minnesota PRSA 2014 Young Professional of the Year Award. The award recognizes a Minnesota PRSA rising star who has contributed to the organization, industry and community. LaMaack demonstrates her innovative communications with a hybrid career in public relations, freelance writing, editing and social media.
Minnesota PRSA also honored two Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) students for their exceptional work. Stephanie Mann from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities won the Student Classics Award for digital and social media, and Ashley Elizabeth Perron from St. Cloud State University won the award for public relations planning.
2014 Best in Show Award
Land O’Lakes and Exponent PR received the Best in Show award for the cause-marketing campaign, “Pin a Meal. Give a Meal. Land O’Lakes Inspires Virtual Giving Movement.” From March to May 2014, Land O’Lakes donated $1 to Feeding America for every recipe pinned or repined from the Land O’Lakes Pinterest board or from a board of the user’s choosing. Each dollar donated to Feeding America secured 10 meals for low-income individuals and families. The organizations engaged a younger generation of consumers by leveraging the power of Pinterest to help Land O’Lakes reach its goal of 2.7 million meals donated.
About Minnesota PRSA Classics Awards
Since 1978, the Minnesota PRSA Classics Awards have recognized hundreds of organizations for excellence in public relations. The Classics are presented annually to public relations practitioners who, in the judgment of their peers, have successfully addressed a communications challenge with exemplary professional skill, creativity and resourcefulness.
The Classics Awards are divided into two categories: Elements and Programs. Elements Awards recognize outstanding individual components or tactics while Programs awards honor the best overall public relations campaigns. The highest scoring entries in the Programs Awards category are eligible for the top honor of the evening – Best in Show.
Programs Winners
Community Relations (Business/Industry)
Pin a Meal. Give a Meal. Land O’Lakes Inspires Virtual Giving Movement
Exponent PR with Land O’Lakes
Community Relations (Government/Nonprofit)
CREATE: The Community Meal
Bellmont Partners with CREATE
Institutional Programs (Business/Industry)
Taking Farmers Back to School
PadillaCRT with the On Target Application Academy
Institutional Programs (Government/Nonprofit)
Rocket Into Scouting
Risdall Public Relations with the Northern Star Council Boy Scouts of America
Special Events/Observances (Less Than 7 Days – Business/Industry)
Cured & Crafted: A Centuries-Old Tradition is New Again in the Heartland
PadillaCRT with Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma
Special Events/Observances (Less Than 7 Days – Government/Nonprofit)
Rocket Into Scouting
Risdall Public Relations with Northern Star Council, Boy Scouts of America
Special Events/Observances (More Than 7 Days – Business/Industry)
Tying Together a Community Yarn
Exponent PR with Caribou Coffee
Special Events/Observances (More Than 7 Days – Government/Nonprofit)
It's On You: Inspiring the African American Community to Step Up and Save Lives
PadillaCRT with Be The Match
Public Service (Business/Industry)
Pin a Meal. Give a Meal. Land O’Lakes Inspires Virtual Giving Movement
Exponent PR with Land O’Lakes
Public Service (Government/Nonprofit)
Pet Industry Unites to Transform the Image of Pet Adoption
Lola Red PR with GreaterGood.org
Marketing Services (New – Budget More Than $100,000)
Launching Walkadoo to make Getting Fit an Attainable Goal
Risdall Public Relations with Healthways
Marketing Services (Established – Budget Less Than $100,000)
Inbound Marketing Electrifies Outreach to Energy Executives
Maccabee with the National Theatre for Children
Marketing Services (Established – Budget More Than $100,000)
Setting the Financial Literacy Foundation for TCF Bank
PadillaCRT with TCF Bank
Marketing Products (New – Budget More Than $100,000)
America Discovers the Art of Castello Cheese
Spong with Castello Cheese
Marketing Products (Established – Budget Less Than $100,000)
A Monster Makeover
Exponent PR with General Mills
Marketing Products (Established – Budget More Than $100,000)
Overnight Coffee Challenge Heats Up Genuine Thermos Brand
Spong with Genuine Thermos Brand
Crisis/Issues Management
Communicating GNP Company's Road To New Growth
Maccabee with GNP Company
Investor Relations
Taking a Bank Back to the Heartland
PadillaCRT with Great Western Bank
Integrated Communications (Products)
Overnight Coffee Challenge Heats Up Genuine Thermos Brand
Spong with Genuine Thermos Brand
Integrated Communications (Services)
H&R Block Budget Challenge for Teens
Spong with H&R Block
Integrated Communications (Government/Nonprofit)
Inspiring Authentic #OnlyinMN Moments
Exponent PR with Explore Minnesota Tourism
Multicultural Public Relations
It's On You: Inspiring the African American Community to Step Up and Save Lives
PadillaCRT with Be The Match
Industry Campaign of the Year (Consumer Products)
Flannel is the New Black
Exponent PR with Duluth Trading Co.
Industry Campaign of the Year (Technology)
Launch of the Sleep Number® x12 bed with SleepIQ® technology at CES 2014
FleishmanHillard with Sleep Number
Industry Campaign of the Year (B2B)
Leading the Agriculture Revolution
Exponent PR with WinField
Industry Campaign of the Year (Health Care)
Saving Lives and Setting a National Example for Quality Health Care
Weber Shandwick with the Florida Hospital Association
Industry Campaign of the Year (Nonprofit)
Rocket Into Scouting
Risdall Public Relations with Northern Star Council, Boy Scouts of America
Industry Campaign of the Year (Consumer Services)
H&R Block Budget Challenge for Teens
Spong with H&R Block
Elements Winners
Brochures
Simplifying Complex Decisions
Exponent PR with WinField
Special Purpose Publications
Florida Hospital Association’s Five Years of Quality Report
Weber Shandwick with the Florida Hospital Association
Multimedia
The Fight for an Industry: New Insect Control Solutions To Save Florida Citrus
Exponent PR with DuPont
Annual Reports (Business/Industry)
2013 Hormel Foods Corporate Responsibility Report
Burson-Marsteller with Hormel Foods
Annual Reports (Government/Nonprofit)
2014 Report to the Community: We are for the big and the small
Minnesota Zoo
Media Kits
Here’s the Scoop from Mall of America
Lola Red PR with Mall of America
Measurement & Evaluation
Measuring Mealtime Inspiration
Exponent PR with Land O’Lakes
Newsletters
Operation: Newsletter
Weber Shandwick with The American College of Surgeons (ACS)
Magazines
‘C’ the World Through CHS
Exponent PR with CHS, Inc.
Media Relations (Business/Industry Budget Less Than $100,000)
Launch of the Sleep Number® x12 bed with SleepIQ® technology at CES 2014
FleishmanHillard with Sleep Number
Media Relations (Business/Industry Budget More Than $100,000)
Reaching New Audiences With an Old Event
PadillaCRT with Rockwell Automation
Media Relations (Government/Nonprofit)
H&R Block Budget Challenge for Teens
Spong with H&R Block
Feature Writing
Everyone Has a Story: How to Bring Out The People in Your Brand’s Content
Bellmont Partners
Technical Writing
A Perfect Storm for Soybean White Mold
Exponent PR with DuPont
Websites (Business/Industry)
Rethinking the Corporate Website Model: Driving Engagement Through Content
Weber Shandwick with dna Communications and Celgene
Social Media (Business/Industry)
Overnight Coffee Challenge Heats Up Genuine Thermos Brand
Spong with Genuine Thermos Brand
Social Media (Government/Nonprofit)
Inspiring Authentic #OnlyinMN Moments
Exponent PR with Explore Minnesota Tourism
Creative Tactics
Overnight Coffee Challenge Heats Up Genuine Thermos Brand
Spong with Genuine Thermos Brand
Student Winners
Student Classics Awards competition showcasing some of the best public relations work from college students in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Digital and Social Media
Al’s Breakfast News Segment
Stephanie Mann from University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Planning
Lindgren Child Care Center PR Campaign
Ashley Elizabeth Perron from St. Cloud State University
About Minnesota PRSA
Minnesota PRSA is the ninth largest chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), the world’s largest organization for public relations professionals with nearly 32,000 professional and student members. A strong, active part of Minnesota’s communications community since 1953, Minnesota PRSA’s membership is comprised of more than 400 corporate, agency, independent, non-profit and government public relations professionals from Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Western Wisconsin.
Through its programs and services, Minnesota PRSA delivers on its mission of engaging members at every stage of their careers with the knowledge, resources and connections to achieve professional excellence, drive ethical and strategic outcomes, and advocate for the profession. www.mnprsa.com