The 2020 Platinum PR Awards: Finalists Named, Winners Unveiled Oct. 27 During Virtual Gala

awards

The PRNEWS team announced the 2020 Platinum PR Awards finalists, saluting the most imaginative messaging campaigns, exceptional communicators and top-notch teams in the PR space. The year’s Platinum PR Awards will be produced as a one-hour online gala, recognizing winners across 50 categories.

Come raise a glass as we celebrate the industry's most prestigious honor and salute examples of the world's top PR and communication, October 27 from 4-5 PM (EDT). Grab your tickets here.

Finalists are listed below in each category. Congratulations to all!

CEO of the Year

  • Megan Driscoll, EvolveMKD
  • Marianne Harrison, John Hancock
  • Jay Timmons, National Association of Manufacturers
  • Harold Wimmer, American Lung Association

PR Professional of the Year

  • Lina Baena, CCOM Group, Inc.
  • Virginia Hock, Children's Health
  • Casey Smith, The Kroger Co.
  • Maureen Suda, Sage Therapeutics
  • Liz Wu, Intel Corporation

Marketing Team of the Year

  • Chesapeake Utilities Corporation
  • Cisco: @WeAreCisco Talent Brand
  • Hanna Lee Communications and Fever-Tree: Unveiling the First-Ever Beverage Brand Partnership in Bryant Park

PR Team of the Year

  • 5W Health & Wellness Team
  • Aflac
  • CCOMGROUP
  • John Guilfoil Public Relations
  • SiteMedia Consultancy Bulgaria

Boutique Agency of the Year

  • Adam Ritchie Brand Direction
  • Gillian Small Public Relations
  • King Media
  • Powers Brand Communications
  • Violet PR

Small PR Agency of the Year

  • Argentum Partners
  • Firehouse Strategies
  • Mighty
  • ROKK Solutions
  • Singer Associates Public Relations
  • SourceCode Communications

Medium PR Agency of the Year

  • APCO Worldwide
  • Clyde Group
  • EvolveMKD
  • Ruder Finn
  • Sharp Think
  • Vested

24-Hour Campaign

  • Actors' Equity Association: #NotALabRat
  • Krispy Kreme & FleishmanHillard: Krispy Kreme Leaps to National Delivery
  • Ghidotti: Catholic High School for Boys Giving Tuesday

Activism Campaign

  • Consumer Reports: What the Fee?!
  • Hudson Pacific: Respect Big Bend
  • Prudential Financial: Legacy Lives On: Creating an Authentic Conversation About Financial Wellness with Black Consumers

Anniversary

  • Micro Focus: COBOL60 Campaign
  • Penn Medicine Princeton Health Celebrating 100 Years of Caring for the Community
  • Project Management Capitalized: PMI and the World’s 50 Most Influential Projects

Annual Report

  • Advantest: Sustainability Report 2019
  • Consumer Technology Association: Tech Connects
  • Mars Petcare: BETTER CITIES FOR PETS Annual Report Reaches Millions, Inspires Cities for a Better Life for Everyone
  • National Association of Manufacturers
  • WGBH Annual Report: Doors Wide Open

Best Global Crisis Communications/Crisis Management

  • AT&T and FleishmanHillard: An Essential Service Provider’s Response to the COVID-19 Crisis
  • Northeastern University: Response to COVID-19 and Reopening Campus
  • T-Mobile: Stay Healthy Together Campaign
  • U.S. Postal Service: Crisis Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic 

Best Podcast

  • BMO Financial Group: Better conversations. Better outcomes. Podcast
  • BMO Financial Group: Macro Horizons: A Podcast on Global Trends in Fixed Income
  • Cambia Health Solutions: HealthChangers Podcast
  • CerconeBrown Company: Press Play: Spreading Optimism with Life is Good

 Best Use of Data and Measurement

  • Adobe with Cision Insights: Unleashing the Power of PR
  • Aflac
  • good2grow: Measuring the good2grow Experience in Atlanta Through Real-Time Consumer Insights

Best Use of Influencers

  • CCOM GROUP, INC: Neutrogena #UnfoldYourStory
  • CVS Health & Kaplow Communications: CVS Beauty Mark
  • Habitat for Humanity International & Porter Novelli: Harnessing Influencers for "Home is the Key"
  • IW Group, Inc: Godzilla x Steve Aoki x Johnny Dang
  • The Allen Lewis Agency: Nissan Versa 2020: The Hill Country Experience

Best Use of Social Media, Multi-Platform

  • Cisco: @WeAreCisco National Intern Week Celebration
  • ExxonMobil/ Group SJR
  • Strategic Public Relations Group: Colours by Europe
  • Weatherford: Together We Are #OneWeatherford Social Campaign

 Best Use of Social Media, Single Platform

  • 5W Public Relations: We Come Bearing Tweets – SodaStream Super Bowl LIV Tiwtter
  • Aflac’s Special Duck Brings Moments of Joy for Kids with Cancer
  • Cisco: @WeAreCisco Talent Brand LinkedIn Live Beta
  • Hanna Lee Communications: Giving Back to the Community Through an Instagram-Based Bartender Scholarship
  • SiteMedia Ltd.: Nivea #daretowowandcare

 Best Video/Video Program

  • BMO Financial Group: Belski: A Different Outlook
  • Chispa House and Aflac: Moments of Joy
  • Exxon Mobil Corporation: Miniature Science
  • Mobileye, an Intel Company: Inside the AI Black Box: Mobileye Invites the World Under-the-Hood on its Autonomous Driving Efforts

Blog

  • Cisco: Life At Cisco
  • NewYork-Presbyterian: Health Matters

Branding

  • American Lung Association: Brand Refresh & Website Redesign
  • Hanna Lee Communications: Dear Irving on Hudson: Launching an Opulent Bi-Level Bar with NYC’s Most Spectacular Views
  • Hanna Lee Communications: The Times Square EDITION: Making Times Square a World Class Destination for Foodies, Cocktail Lovers and Wine Enthusiasts
  • National Association of REALTORS®: New Brand Development ‘That’s Who We R’ for Consumer Ad Campaign
  • NJI Media: Brand Development for American Property Owners Alliance
  • RF|Binder: Developing a Communications Strategy to Bring Harbinger Ventures’ Investment Paradigm to Life

Cause-Related Marketing/ Pro Bono Campaign

  • CVS Health & Kaplow Communications: CVS Beauty Mark 2019 Campaign
  • DeVries Global and Secret Deodorant (P&G): Secret “Equal Work, Equal Sweat, Equal Pay” Campaign
  • MHP/Team SI: Uplift Arkansas

Community Engagement

  • Cisco: @WeAreCisco Instagram Trends For Talent Branding
  • NagaWorld Limited: Kind Hearts Uplifts and Engages: Nation Building In The Cambodian Society
  • San Antonio Sports: The Power of Sport
  • SiteMedia Ltd.: Nivea #daretowowandcare
  • Tata Consultancy Services & FleishmanHillard: Team TCS Teachers

Community Relations

  • Beech-Nut Advocacy: Real Moms, Real Food and Real Community Connections
  • Big Communications: Apple-Backed Education Farm Launch
  • BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee: BlueCross Healthy Places
  • Hanna Lee Communications: Giving Back to the Community Through an Instagram-Based Bartender Scholarship
  • Megaworld Foundation, Inc.: One with the Aetas
  • Sauce for a Cause: Bushel Boy Farms Deepens Impact in the Twin Cities 

Content Marketing

  • BMO Financial Group: Sustainability Leaders: Ideas that make a difference
  • Children’s Health: Content Strategy Focuses on Search, Engagement to Achieve Record-Breaking Results
  • National Association of REALTORS: Uninterrupted
  • Microsoft: Latinx Customer Story Series
  • Project Management Capitalized: PMI and the World’s 50 Most Influential Projects
  • Stein IAS: Ingenuity4 the win

 Digital Communications

  • Cox Communications: One Call A Day
  • Gallagher
  • Northeastern University: News@Northeastern
  • SiteMedia Ltd.: Nivea #daretowowandcare
  • Southern Company Gas: Fueling Homes to Feel Like Home
  • University of Maryland Clark School of Engineering: US News Campaign

Diversity & Inclusion Initiatives

  • 5W Public Relations: Homeis COVID-19 Immigrant Support & Awareness Campaign
  • DeVries Global and Pantene (P&G): Pantene Hair Says it All Campaign
  • John Hancock: Signature Series
  • Microsoft: Hispanic Heritage Month “Our Voz”
  • PwC: CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion Day of Understanding
  • University of Phoenix: Classroom Diversity
  • Violet PR: Making Flying Accessible: Pittsburgh Airport Opens World’s Largest Space for Autistic Travelers 

Employee Relations/ Customer Relations

  • Covered California: "All Things Covered -- Telework Edition" employee newsletter
  • ECMC Group: COVID-19 Response
  • Hotwire with Pinterest: The Journey to IPO: Building Excitement and Clarity for Pinployees
  • PJ Lhuillier Group of Companies: Proud Ka-Cebuana Iponaryos: Advocating financial wellness among Cebuana Lhuillier Employees
  • PwC: CEO Action Check Your Blind Spots Unconscious Bias Tour
  • SAP: Customer Storytelling Program: Driving Results and Deepening Relationships

 Event Initiatives

  • John Hancock: Signature Series
  • LG Electronics: LG UltraGear Female Streamer Campaign
  • SAP: All Hands Event: Taking a Customer First Approach to Engage Employees
  • Satisfyer: Normalizing the Conversation Around Sexual Wellness
  • V2 Communications: Evolving ASG’s EVOLVE

Event Marketing

  • CCOM GROUP, INC: Unveiling Event for the New Neutrogena® Hydro Boost Commercial With Ambassador Gaby Espino
  • Rogers & Cowan PMK: Side By Side: A Celebration of Service by Northwell Health
  • Stein IAS: Danfoss – Empowering Experience
  • Wise Public Relations: ST(III)ZY Influencing, Inspiring and Innovating with Shryne Group

External Publication

  • Air Movement and Control Association International Inc.: 2019 Edition of AMCA inmotion Magazine
  • Consumer Technology Association: It Is Innovation (i3) Magazine
  • ExxonMobil/ Group SJR: Energy Factor site
  • Miami Cancer Institute: Cancer Patient Education Folders
  • Northeastern University: News@Northeastern

GameChanger Award

  • CVS Health & Kaplow Communications: CVS Beauty Mark 2019 Campaign
  • DeVries Global and Secret Deodorant (P&G): Secret “Equal Work, Equal Sweat, Equal Pay” Campaign
  • SiteMedia Ltd.: Nivea #daretowowandcare

Global PR Campaign

  • DeVries Global and Pantene (P&G): Pantene Hair Says it All Campaign
  • DeVries Global and Zippo: Fight Fire With Fire
  • Project Management Capitalized: PMI and the World’s 50 Most Influential Projects
  • Proofpoint: Putting People at The Center: How Proofpoint Stood Out From 700+ Vendors
  • UN Foundation: COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for WHO, powered by UN Foundation 

Government and Regulator Relations/ Investor Relations

  • Strategic Public Relations Group: IPO of Huijing Holdings Company Limited
  • Strategic Public Relations Group: QP Group Initial Public Offering - Creating a New Epoch in the Printing Realm
  • Verizon: Turning Up The Volume for Verizon In Washington and Beyond

Industry Vertical > Education

  • IW Group, Inc.: McDonald’s Asian American Education Initiative
  • King Media: Lake Michigan Catholic Schools
  • Lifelong Learning: Learn4Life Pandemic Communications
  • North Carolina Community College System: Your Hire Education Campaign
  • Primrose Schools Helps Working Parents Let Guilt Go
  • Stein IAS: ETS GRE, Navigating Holistic Admissions

Industry Vertical > Finance/Fintech

  • Bank of America: A Commitment to Making the Dream of Homeownership a Reality
  • Forefront Communications: Epsilon Asset Management Hedge Fund Report
  • Sharp Think: Building Prudential’s Financial Wellness Platform
  • Tier One Partners: Ally Home Raises Awareness by Shedding Light on America’s Most Relatable Home Ownership Issues

Industry Vertical > Healthcare

  • Amendola Helps Air Methods’ No Membership Required Program Take Off
  • EvolveMKD & CooperVision: Pediatric Myopia Awareness & MiSight FDA Approval
  • MDVIP: Year of Cardiovascular Health
  • Rogers & Cowan PMK: Side By Side: A Celebration of Service by Northwell Health
  • Seismic: BD Issues A Call to Action on Hospital Drug Diversion
  • Sharp Think: Launching CBD Medic and Rob Gronkowski

 Industry Vertical > Sports

  • Gazprom PJSC, AGT Communications Agency and International Football for Friendship Academy: How to teach the most important human values to thousands of children around the world?
  • NagaWorld Limited: Pathways To Ultimately Empower The Youth of Cambodia

Industry Vertical > Travel/Hospitality/Tourism

  • A First for Oceania Cruises: 21 Top-Tier Media Voyages in 120 Days
  • Hanna Lee Communications: Dear Irving on Hudson: Launching an Opulent Bi-Level Bar with NYC’s Most Spectacular Views
  • Hanna Lee Communications: Placing Consortium Holdings and Its Groundbreaking Bars on the World Stage
  • Hanna Lee Communications: The Times Square EDITION: Making Times Square a World Class Destination for Foodies, Cocktail Lovers and Wine Enthusiasts

Industry Vertical > Other

  • HUNGRY: Series B Fundraise
  • Peppercomm for D'Artagnan: Moving the meats online during COVID-19
  • SiteMedia Ltd.: Nivea #daretowowandcare

Integrated Communications, Marketing & PR Brand/Agency

  • Crafted Communications x Plenty of Fish: Pressure Points of Dating
  • First Advantage: The New Future of Work
  • LG Electronics: Café OLED by LG
  • The North Face Breaks Into Mainstream Tech Conversation with Industry-First FUTURELIGHT Launch Strategy
  • Travelers pops the question: Do you have wedding insurance?

Integrated Communications, Marketing & PR Nonprofit

  • American Heart Association and American Diabetes Association: Know Diabetes by Heart's Type: 2 Take: 2
  • BlueCross BlueShield Association: Leveraging Data to Spark a National Dialogue on Millennial Health
  • Penn Medicine Princeton Health: Celebrating 100 Years of Caring for the Community
  • South Dakota Department of Social Services: Meth. We’re On It: Uniting South Dakota Communities Against Meth Use
  • Truth Initiative: This is Quitting 

Internal Publication

  • Covered California: "All Things Covered -- Telework Edition" employee newsletter
  • Megaworld Foundation @ 20 

Marketing Communications

  • King Media: The Dirt on Weed Campaign
  • Hanna Lee Communications: iichiko USA: Launching iichiko Saiten, a New Mixology-Optimized “Umami Spirit” from Japan
  • Hanna Lee Communications: The Times Square EDITION: Making Times Square a World Class Destination for Foodies, Cocktail Lovers and Wine Enthusiasts
  • MediaDC: Washington Examiner Brand Advertising Campaign
  • North Carolina Community College System: Your Hire Education Campaign

Media Event

  • 10Fold – CBRS Alliance: Launch of OnGo Commercial Service
  • BML Public Relations & Big SNOW American Dream: Big SNOW American Dream's Grand Opening
  • Green Giant with Gillian Small Public Relations: Green Giant Dishes Up Viral Story with Record-Breaking 1,000-lb Green Bean Casserole
  • NASA's Glenn Research Center: Artemis I Spacecraft Testing Campaign
  • NRGized Media: American Cornhole League: Turning the Super Bowl into "Super Hole"

Media Relations: Agency

  • Brownstein Group: Opening Philadelphia’s Newest Retail Destination
  • CVS Health & Kaplow Communications: CVS Beauty Mark 2019 Campaign
  • Hanna Lee Communications: Dear Irving on Hudson: Launching an Opulent Bi-Level Bar with NYC’s Most Spectacular Views
  • Hanna Lee Communications: iichiko USA: Launching iichiko Saiten, a New Mixology-Optimized “Umami Spirit” from Japan
  • Hanna Lee Communications: The Times Square EDITION: Making Times Square a World Class Destination for Foodies, Cocktail Lovers and Wine Enthusiasts

Media Relations: Corporation

  • Amwell Raises Awareness for Telehealth as Safe Care Option During COVID-19
  • IBM: COVID-19 High Performance Computing Consortium Brings “Manhattan Project” of Global Supercomputing Providers Together to Combat COVID-19 Pandemic
  • Intel Corporation Turns “Deep Tech” to “Must Read” Tech with Computers That Can Smell
  • John Hancock Aspire
  • Making Sage Therapeutics one of the most talked-about companies in biotech
  • T-Mobile-Sprint Merger

Media Relations: Nonprofit

  • Child Care Aware of America: No Child Care No Recovery, COVID-19 Media Relations
  • Children’s Health: Sparks Change, Awareness with Mental Health PR Campaign
  • E Pluribus Unum: "Divided by Design"
  • Plain View Project: Media Spotlight
  • Truth Initiative: This is Quitting
  • Violet PR: Pittsburgh International: Becoming the World’s Most Inclusive, Innovative Airport
  • Wilks Communications Group: Taking a Holiday Gift Catalog to the next level through Earned Media Relations

Multicultural Campaign

  • Burrell Public Relations: Highlander Home Team Media Brunch Event
  • CCOM Group, Inc.: Don Q Rum – Coquito Holiday Parranda
  • Covered California: Targeted Segment Outreach
  • Toyota Motor North America with Jackson Spalding: Takata Airbag Recall in Puerto Rico 

On a Shoestring Campaign

  • Clarity Global: Entrupy's State of the Fake Report Leads the Conversation on Product Counterfeiting
  • Ghidotti: Catholic High School for Boys 2019-2020 School Year
  • Olmstead Williams Communications: In The Image: Face-To-Face with Los Angeles’ Homeless Population
  • Stein IAS: Fender Performance

Online Press Room/Media Center

  • AT&T and FleishmanHillard: AT&T's COVID-19 Website: An Essential Information Source for an Essential Service Provider
  • Prudential Financial: Prudential’s Newsroom Sets New Standard for Corporate Narratives

Product Launch, B2B

  • Hanna Lee Communications: iichiko USA: Launching iichiko Saiten, a New Mixology-Optimized “Umami Spirit” from Japan
  • Intel Corporation Turns “Deep Tech” to “Must Read” Tech with Computers That Can Smell
  • Orkin & Jackson Spalding Fight Coronavirus with VitalClean™
  • RF|Binder: Launching Grasshopper, an innovative new venture bank
  • Trevi Communications for RightHand Robotics: RightPick2

Product Launch, Consumer

  • HUNTER: ScotchTM Brand Powers Getting Ship Done
  • Krispy Kreme & FleishmanHillard: Krispy Kreme Solves Pumpkin Spice Letdown (PSL)
  • HP Print: Small Business Launch
  • Hanna Lee Communications: iichiko USA: Launching iichiko Saiten, a New Mixology-Optimized “Umami Spirit” from Japan
  • Sharp Think: Launching CBD Medic and Rob Gronkowski

Public Affairs

  • KImball Hughes Public Relations: Taking Private Flood Insurance to Capitol Hill
  • Makovsky Integrated Communications: Northwest Hardwoods: Moving The Needle of U.S. Trade Policy
  • NASA's Glenn Research Center: Artemis I Spacecraft Testing Campaign
  • National Fair Housing Alliance: Defend Civil Rights Campaign
  • NewYork-Presbyterian: COVID-19 Campaign
  • U.S. Postal Service: Dog Bite Awareness Campaign

Re-Branding/Re-Positioning

  • King Media: Lake Michigan Catholic Schools
  • PAN Communications for Citrix: Becoming a Modern Leader in the Future of Work
  • RAYTHEON, Corporate: A Merger Like No Other: Launching Raytheon Technologies

Satellite Media Tours

  • American Heart Association: Health Equity
  • American Heart Association: Know Diabetes by Heart

Social Good Campaign

  • Cox Communications: One Call A Day
  • DeVries Global and Pantene (P&G): Pantene Hair Says it All Campaign
  • IW Group, Inc.: #WashTheHate
  • Rogers & Cowan PMK: Side By Side: A Celebration of Service by Northwell Health
  • TELUS Health for Good 2019 - 2020

Social Good Campaign during a Global Crisis

  • Aflac: Why Building a Culture Before the Storm Matters
  • Cox Communications: One Call A Day
  • Durée & Company, Inc.: Feeding South Florida®: Publicizing a South Florida Food Insecurity Hero from the Local to National Arenas During the COVID-19 Outbreak
  • IBM: COVID-19 High Performance Computing Consortium Brings “Manhattan Project” of Global Supercomputing Providers Together to Combat COVID-19 Pandemic
  • Panda Express: COVID-19 Relief Efforts
  • Pluralsight: #FreeApril for Social Distant Skilling Up
  • True Speed Communication: Racing For a Cause: Stewart-Haas Racing & Novant Health
  • UN Foundation: COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for WHO, powered by UN Foundation

Viral Marketing/Visual Storytelling

  • Big Blue Marble Academy: Enrollment Marketing & Lead Generation
  • Peninsula Open Space Trust “The Coyote/Badger Adventure”
  • True Speed Communication: Beyond The 10

Website Launch or Redesign

  • Amazon Science
  • AT&T and FleishmanHillard: AT&T’s COVID-19 Website: An Essential Information Source for an Essential Service Provider
  • Ferrovial Global Website
  • U.S. Postal Service: USPS COVID-19 customer and employee website

 

 

For questions about PRNEWS' Platinum PR Awards categories, rules or eligibility, contact Mary-Lou French at [email protected].