PR innovations happen every day, as counselors dream up brilliant ideas to enhance relationships with the media, community members, employees and other stakeholders. But the
challenge for every professional in this industry is to translate a creative idea into a detailed, practical campaign that moves a definitive needle - while staying within a tight
budget.
This year's judges sifted through hundreds of entries and were pleased to report that there is an abundance of creativity in the business. But the nine winners who ultimately
received Platinum PR distinction (plus nine honorable mentions that we'll feature in upcoming issues) stood out because they registered more than clever ideas. Our judges loved
the hard-driving results they presented as evidence of their campaigns' effectiveness.
For example, one campaign radically catapulted a software company from the fringe of its market to a Top 20 ranking in a national reputation survey of technology companies.
Another firm's internal communications program boosted the number of unsolicited resumes it received from fewer than 10 in 1998, to more than 300 per week by the end of 1999.
"I saw dozens of terrific ideas," says one judge. "But if you bust your budget, if you don't execute, if you don't get the results, what's the point? The winners are the ones
who kept an eye on what they were trying to accomplish."
Those same winners now have their eyes set on the envy and adoration they will receive at a June 19 reception in Washington, D.C., where we'll also be announcing our pick for
"Best of Show."