2009 Platinum PR Awards: Satellite Media Tours—Rasky Baerlin Strategic Communications

A Pivotal Meeting With Pope Benedict XVI

During the April 2008 visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the U.S., Rasky Baerlin Strategic Communications worked closely with Boston’s Roman Catholic Archdiocese to manage media activity relating to the first-ever meeting between the Pope and survivors of clergy sexual abuse.

To accommodate the limited timeframe for survivor participants and Church officials, Rasky Baerlin Strategic Communications launched a satellite media tour that would capture the emotional encounter between the Pope, several survivors and archdiocesan staff. The agency worked with the D.C. studio of CBS-TV to manage the satellite coordinates and technical aspects of a satellite feed.

Rasky Baerlin Strategic Communications coordinated back-to-back media interviews, securing significant coverage on the likes of Good Morning America, The Today Show and Eye to Eye with Katie Couric. The agency also leveraged the satellite media availability to provide Boston TV affiliates access to interview footage for their newscasts. ■

Honorable Mentions:

Ogilvy PR & FEMA: Preparing the Midwest for the Worst—In spring 2008, FEMA’s FloodSmart team, with the help of Ogilvy PR, coordinated an SMT that reached people in each of the 11 Midwestern states.

Coyne PR & Goodyear: Goodyear “Get There” Awards—The Goodyear “Get There” Awards generated stronger brand awareness for Goodyear as the Official Aerial Coverage Provider of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Consumer Electronics Association (CEA): Digital Answer Man Tour—CEA’s spokesman Jim Barry visited national and local media outlets in 50 cities across the country to educate consumers about “must-have” products and trends in the tech industry.

USMC/First Marine Expeditionary Force: Hometown Heroes—DVIDS, a 24/7 media operation, gave Marines a more reliable way to communicate with higher headquarters, enabling 1,000+ connections to international, national and regional media outlets.

October 26, 2009