NEW PERSPECTIVES

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Congratulations 2012 CPRS Toronto ACE Awards Winners!
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Ace Awards 2012 LogoWhat a night it was at the 2012 CPRS Toronto ACE Awards Gala! Toronto’s Top PR pros gathered together on Thursday, April 26 to honour the best and brightest campaigns of the year, and there was no shortage of celebration.

CPRS Toronto welcomed over 300 communications professionals at the Bram & Bluma Appel Salon to congratulate each other on their amazing successes.

While the room was filled with feelings of pride an accomplishment, it’s easy to say that the benefits of collecting a sparkling ACE trophy extend far beyond this evening’s ceremony. The evening’s winners achieved merit, credibility, peer recognition and a quality reputation along with their awards.

Congratulations to all of the 2012 ACE Award recipients, and be sure to check back for more gala highlights next week.

PR Campaign of the Year

Best Creative PR Campaign

Leadership Awards

Best Use of Media Relations – Budget Over $50,000

Gold

Silver

  • APEX Public Relations – Rimmel’s Spring Summer Media Relations Launch
  • Broad Reach Communications – Broad Reach Communications (Deloitte Canada)
  • Edelman Canada – Make Your Face a Maynards
  • EdelmanCanada– Breaking News for the Caramilk Key to the Secret
  • Environics Communications – Coca-Cola Ltd.’s Arctic Home Campaign
  • Environics Communications – Advil Nighttime Launch
  • GolinHarris – McHappy Day 2011
  • GolinHarris – McCafe
  • Paradigm Public Relations – TD Leads  with Mortgage Advice
  • Polaris Public Relations Inc. –S. Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Canadian Regional Competition
  • PRAXIS – Launch of the Environmentally-Friendly 7Up EcoGreen Bottle
  • PRAXIS – 2011 Quaker Unlock Amazing PR Launch Campaign
  • Strategic Objectives – The WhiteCashmereCollection 2011: Fashion with Compassion
  • Strategic Objectives – Magnum Ice Cream Bars Canadian Launch
  • Temple Scott Associates – Clif Bar & Company Media Relations

Bronze

  • Argyle Communications – Schneiders Country Naturals: Just the Good Stuff
  • Citizen Optimum L.P. – Future ShopHoliday 2011
  • EdelmanCanada–Holiday& Mom: The Chief Gift Buyer
  • EdelmanCanada– ArthritisAllianceofCanadaNational Media Launch
  • Shaw Media & UNIT:PR – Top Chef Canada
  • Strategic Objectives – TOPSHOP TOPMAN Takeover
  • Thornley Fallis Communications – ElectionsOntarioMakes Voting Easy
  • Thornley Fallis Communications – Taking Action Against Distracted Driving

Best Use of Media Relations – Budget Under $50,000

Gold

Silver

  • APEX Public Relations – “Get Going to Keep Going” Guide
  • APEX Public Relations/UPSCanada – Maintaining the Momentum:UPSCanada™’s Summer Survey Campaign
  • Fleishman-Hillard Toronto – The Royal LePage Shelter Foundation
  • Paradigm Public Relations – Molson Canadian Introduces the Red Leaf Project
  • Paradigm Public Relations – Tenderflake Declares 2011 the Year of the Pie
  • Polaris Public Relations Inc. – The Lost Wallet Program

Bronze

  • Argyle Communications –MarkhamStouffvilleHospitalFoundation: The Climb to Conquer
  • Edelman Canada – Alexander Keith’s Green Initiative “Show Your Plaid”
  • Environics Communications – Protecting First Responders:CSA Standards CBRN Launch
  • G Adventures – G Adventures Career Break Campaign
  • MAVERICK Public Relations – People for Good
  • Paradigm Public Relations – If I Had a Million Dollars: It’s Within Reach for Savers Who Start Early
  • Paradigm Public Relations – TD Brings E-Recycling to Local Communities
  • Paradigm Public Relations – Renter’s Insurance 101
  • PRAXIS –Alberta Premium 30 Year Old: The Unveiling of a Rare and Affordable Canadian Whisky
  • Temple Scott Associates – Motorcyclists Hall of Fame 2011

Best Use of Special Events

Gold

Silver

Bronze

New Product or Service Launch Campaign of the Year

Silver

  • dvCommunications – Martha Stewart Clean Makes Green Homekeeping Easy: Introducing Martha Stewart’s  New Line of Natural Household Cleaners
  • NATIONAL Public Relations – Smart Shopping is in the Palm of Your Hand
  • Paradigm Public Relations – TIMEX Opens its Archives: The Launch of TIMEX Originals
  • PRAXIS – Launch of the Environmentally-Friendly 7UP EcoGreen Bottle

Bronze

Employee Communications Campaign of the Year

Gold

Silver

  • Meridian Credit Union –MeridianCredit Union

Bronze

  • TVO – myTVO 2.0

Community Relations Campaign of the Year

Gold

Silver

  • Faye Clack Communications –Ontario Apple Growers’ Winter Apple Ball
  • PRAXIS – The Courvoisier Collective: Artist Collective To Foster Community, Access to Space and Exposure for Bright Talent
  • Strategic Objectives – The Creation of Koodonation:Canada’s First-Ever Microvolunteering Community
  • Strategic Objectives – The Body Shop “Stop Sex Trafficking of Children and Young People” Petition

Bronze

Public Affairs / Government Campaign of the Year

Bronze

Best Digital Communications Campaign of the Year

Gold

Silver

  • Argyle Communications – New Transit forToronto: The Eglinton-Scarborough Crosstown
  • RBC – Royal Bank ofCanada (Canadian Banking) – The Sales Experience Social Media Initiative

Bronze

Best Use of Communication Tools

Gold

Silver

Brand Development Campaign of the Year

Gold

Silver

  • GCI Group – Barbie and Ken’s Reunion in Celebration of Ken’s 50th
  • Narrative – Let the Saving Begin

Bronze

Crisis or Issues Management Campaign of the Year

Gold

Silver

Student PR Campaign of the Year

Gold

  • Cora Timofte – TelLaurentide Communications Plan

Silver

Bronze

  • CentennialCollege– UglyHolidaySweater Party
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Thank you to our ACE Awards Sponsors!
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Ace Awards 2012 LogoBy Sybil Eastman

With the CPRS Toronto ACE Awards sold out and only days away, we are putting the finishing touches on the soon-to-be spectacular evening. As always, this celebration of communications excellence could not take place without the dedication and help of many.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of our sponsors for their generosity and support both throughout the year and for this evening in particular. They have helped the gala become a great success and to grow larger every year.

So, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you to:

AVW Tel-AV, a full-service audio visual resource rental company for corporate events, exhibit programs, trade shows and conventions of all sizes.

Business Wire, a global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.

Canadian Press, Canada’s trusted news leader, multimedia news agency and creator of our favourite book: CP Style.

Cision, a leader in public relations planning, media monitoring, reporting and communications analysis.

CNW Group, Canada’s leading newswire service specializing in media monitoring, photography and video services, translation, webcasting, conference call services, regulatory filling and measurement.

Infomart, Canada’s largest provider of news and broadcast media monitoring, financial and corporate data.

Leger Marketing, the largest Canadian-owned polling, research and strategic marketing firm, with offices across Canada and the United States.

Marketwire, which provides customized communications solutions, targeted coverage across all media and measurement services.

News Canada, a leading provider of ready-to-use, timely, credible, newsworthy and copyright-free news content for editors, broadcasters, web and video content providers.

See you on Thursday night! And remember, are you tweeting about the gala? Use the hashtag #CPRSACE!

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Brace yourself for more brand competition on the World Wide Web
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Think you have the tools to protect your brand in cyberspace?  Spend an hour with lawyer Ashlee Froese @brandfashionlaw from Gilbert’s LLP and you’ll be convinced otherwise.


CPRS Toronto hosted a professional development program on March 29 with Ashlee Froese, a branding lawyer from Gilbert’s LLP whose practice encompasses trade-marks, branding and domain name laws.
For example, did you know that you can use the trade-mark symbol on your company’s trade-marks immediately, even before applying for registration, as soon as you start to use a new brand image, tagline or even a distinctive sound?  Froese strongly recommends that you do, “By adding the ™-symbol to your trade-marks, you’re sending a strong message to the public that your company owns the creative and is serious about protecting its brand assets.”  Of course, obtaining a trade-mark registration is the most prudent course of action to asserting your company’s branding rights.

Similarly, always add the copyright symbol to your written work and ideas.  To be complete, Froese advises that the copyright statement include the ©-symbol, name of the owner (individual/corporate entity), and publication year.  Footnote your website, social media sites and all new print materials in this manner.

If you think you’ve got these covered, do you also maintain your trade-mark registration and copyright portfolios as current on an ongoing basis?  If so, great, but are you ready for the exponential growth of the World Wide Web that will soon see the addition of web
domain names in a number of foreign languages and a virtual explosion of generic Top Level Domains?  Froese cautions, “It’s more important than ever to be proactive in owning the rights to your brand names online.”

You might also be surprised to hear how quickly you can get action against brand infringement online via domain name dispute resolution tribunals. Don’t be afraid to throw your weight around by responding to brand look-a-likes in cyberspace.  “There’s a common misconception that the online world is an unenforceable space.  It’s not the Wild West.  Dispute resolution forums have been created to assist brand owners,” says Froese.

For more information or to connect with Ashlee Froese, contact our PD program chair Natalie Bovair.

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CPRS Toronto Leadership Awards – Deadline Extended!
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The deadline to submit nominations for the CPRS Toronto Leadership Awards has been extended! You now have until March 23, 2012 at 5:00 pm to submit nominations.

The CPRS Toronto Leadership Awards recognizes individuals who have achieved excellence in their careers or made significant contributions to the field of public relations. Nominate a student, your boss, a colleague or CPRS Toronto volunteer today!

Please submit Leadership Award nominations to ace@cprstoronto.com.

The Leadership Awards will be presented at the ACE Awards Gala on Thursday, April 26, 2012. Winners will be notified in advance.

Leadership Award Categories

CPRS Toronto Public Relations Student of the Year

Individuals may enter themselves, or be nominated by others. This award will be presented to a CPRS Toronto full or part-time student graduating this year who has a solid academic record and has demonstrated interest in professional development. The award is designed to attract, encourage and reward future talent. The winning entrant will be awarded one-year student membership as well as entry into five selected CPRS Toronto professional development and networking events.

Entry requirements:

  • Résumé (maximum two pages)
  • A one-page endorsement from a nominator (faculty, fellow student or mentor)

CPRS Toronto Young Public Relations Professional of the Year (Under 30 years of age)

An individual may enter themselves, or be nominated by others. This award is open to a public relations professional (under 30 years on March 23, 2012) who has been in the industry for less than three years (i.e., since March 23, 2009) who has made significant achievements in his or her career.

Entry requirements:

  • Nomination from employer(s) detailing nominee’s career history and professional qualifications (maximum 2 pages)
  • A 250-word statement from the nominator outlining why this individual should be awarded this special recognition. Judges will look for evidence of outstanding achievement in supporting clients and/or senior-level staff, development of public relations strategy, business savvy, creativity, knowledge of public relations tactics, and contributions to business objectives and to the overall profession of public relations

CPRS Toronto Public Relations Professional of the Year

An individual may enter themselves, or be nominated by others. The award recognizes outstanding personal achievement within the public relations industry over their career, with particular focus on their successes over the past year.

Entry requirements:

  • Résumé (maximum two pages)
  • A 250-word statement from the nominator outlining why this individual should be awarded this special recognition
  • Two reference letters from past or present clients or employers

CPRS Toronto Mentor of the Year Award

Candidates must be nominated by someone other than themselves for the award. The award recognizes a volunteer who has served as a mentor to public relations professionals or students in the year of 2011/2012.

Entry requirements:

  • A brief description (maximum one page) that outlines the nominee’s volunteer involvement as a mentor within and outside CPRS (Toronto) and explains why this nominee should be honoured with this special recognition
  • Names and testimonials from individuals mentored by the volunteer
  • Résumé (maximum two pages)

CPRS Toronto Volunteer of the Year Award

Candidates must be nominated by someone other than themselves for the award. The award recognizes a volunteer within CPRS Toronto during the previous year (2011/2012) year.

Entry requirements:

  • A brief, one-page outline of the nominee’s volunteer/committee involvement in CPRS Toronto that explains why this nominee should be honoured with this award
  • List of the CPRS Toronto committees for which this volunteer provided assistance
  • Résumé (maximum two pages)

Please submit Leadership Award nominations to ace@cprstoronto.com.

Questions? Contact the ACE Awards team at cprs.ace.awards@gmail.com or tweet to us @CPRSToronto.

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What’s the Secret to APEX PR’s ACE Success?
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By Parm Chohan

Executing a successful public relations campaign can be quite challenging.  Summarizing months of planning, brainstorming and program results all into an Executive Summary – and then in to a concise binder’s worth of details for an award – can be just as difficult.

APEX PR managed to pull off both with their “UPS Peak Season 2011” campaign, winner of a Gold 2011 CPRS Toronto ACE Award for Best Use of Media Relations.

I had a chance to chat with Erik Bauer, Consultant at APEX, to learn about and experience the journey that APEX and UPS Canada embarked upon, delivering exceptional program results and an award-winning submission.

Can you tell me about your winning campaign? What was the objective and why was it so successful?

The holidays are a busy time, especially in the world of transportation and logistics. In the month leading up to Christmas, UPS sees a 60 per cent volume increase in its normal daily delivery volume. UPS knew that in order to maximize business efficiency and provide stellar customer service during this demanding period it would have to develop a communications strategy to inform customers about peak season forecasts, packing tips and pertinent shipping deadlines.

UPS approached APEX to develop a public relations campaign to educate Canadians about the many potential complications associated with holiday shipping and thus ensure that more packages were delivered in time for the holidays.  APEX implemented a strategy that targeted consumer and online media, with images and messages of how to properly package gifts. The intent was to cut through holiday media clutter by showing how to give, rather than what to give.  Tactics included creating and distributing a VNR that allowed UPS to overcome challenges associated with media interview facilitation; a driver ride-along opportunity in mid-sized markets, and national media relations.

The success of the campaign was tied directly to the resulting coverage, which represented a nearly 200 per cent rise in reach from the previous year.  Furthermore, UPS’ key messages were prevalent in all the coverage, which allowed the brand to ensure that its target audience was informed and educated about all of its peak season offerings.

How did winning an award contribute to the agency’s brand?

The public relations industry is tremendously competitive. Now, more than ever, it is crucial for businesses to receive recognition for their outstanding achievements in order to distinguish themselves from competitors.

At APEX we pride ourselves on developing innovative communications campaigns that are based on sound strategic planning. More than anything, winning the 2011 CPRS ACE Award validated our strategic thinking and the stellar results that we achieve for our clients. It also helped to differentiate our business offerings from those of our competitors while at the same time building our reputation in the industry.

Finally, the award validated the hard work and dedication of the team that developed and executed this campaign. Although we all strive to achieve the best results possible for our clients, the truth is that sometimes we need to be recognized for our hard work!  This award was particularly significant because the judging committee consisted of a group of diverse and experienced fellow communicators. Being recognized by a group of peers made the award that much more meaningful.

What inspired you to submit?

First, it is important to note that not every campaign is worthy of an award submission; the process is lengthy and costly and therefore needs to be looked at like any other business decision. Every year APEX strategically considers its most successful campaigns in an effort to determine which ones warrant an application. The 2011 UPS Peak Season Campaign was a particularly strong candidate for an award submission for a number of reasons. Most importantly, the results of the campaign exceeded all of its goals, most notably in the quality of the coverage, all of which was positive and included UPS’ key messages. The coverage secured represented a 200 per cent increase from the previous year.

What were the challenges associated with submitting an award?

Anyone who has worked in the industry knows that time is a scarce resource. It can be difficult to balance the necessary demands of priority client work and addressing our own agency’s promotional and marketing needs. Luckily, we have a team of dedicated practitioners who – year after year – ensure that deadlines are met and that the submissions reflect the quality of work that we produce.

What were you sure to include in your binder?

Our supporting material included coverage from all mediums: digital, social, broadcast, and print.  We were also sure to include MRP reports and other supporting metrics that allowed the judges to get a better understanding of how we met and exceeded our measurable objectives.  In addition, we included a number of key messaging and planning documents that demonstrated our strategy and how our approach led to the results our client expected.  Lastly, we included a number of additional assets that we leveraged throughout the campaign, including digital b-roll, images, news releases, and other media materials.

How did it feel to receive your award at the gala?

Receiving the award at the gala was extremely meaningful for all of the team members involved.  As mentioned earlier, there is nothing quite like being recognized for your success by a group of your peers.  Accepting the award in front of a room full of seasoned communicators meant a great deal to the team; all of whom had put months of hard work and effort into the campaign. Furthermore, it was also great to share the experience with our client, who was in attendance that evening as well.

What advice would you give to other entrants?

The most important part of any award submission is ensuring that you are offering a full and accurate glimpse into the success of a campaign. Sound strategic planning is the foundation of any successful communications campaign, so be sure to illustrate how you developed tactics that were informed by a strong strategy. Lastly, ensure that you include measurable objectives, coupled with results that can be quantifiably analyzed by the judging committee.  Most importantly, be proud of the work you do and seek out the recognition you deserve!

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Where is my ACE Submission?
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By Nicole Laoutaris

You spent hours perfecting your entry for the CPRS 2012 ACE Awards and you made darn sure you got your submission in before the deadline, but what the heck happened to it?

If you’ve ever been riddled with such wonder about where your submission goes after you hit the send button, then read on to assuage your curiosity!

The journey of your ACE submission starts and ends with the judging panel. This panel – a group of more than 20 experienced communications professionals, many of them accredited – engages in a methodical process for both the executive summary and full submission stages.

Stage 1: The Executive Summary Submission

This stage is really an initial screening and allows the judges to narrow down the sheer number of entries before the next, more cumbersome step of reviewing the “big binder” submissions. After you submit your executive summary, it is divided at random to be assessed by two independent judges. For this portion of the process, the judges have a few days to complete the evaluation.

Your final score is then determined by the average of those two evaluations. Once all the numbers are in, those who have met a threshold score of 70 per cent move on to the next round. There is no limit to the number of submissions that can be put through to the next stage.

Stage 2: The Full Submission – “The Big Binder”

The full submission stage is the time and place for you to provide all of the shining evidence of the success of your campaigns for the judges’ consideration. These submission are larger, longer and far more detailed; this is the Big Kahuna.

Imagine this: one room with piles upon piles of huge binders containing budgets, media clippings, photos, research summaries and a whole lot of blood, sweat and tears – figuratively, of course.

How many days must it take to evaluate these submissions? 10 days? eight days? It can’t be less than five days, right? Surprisingly, the full submission judging takes place in only a single day.

The judging panel meet all together and then are divided into teams with submissions divided equally amongst them. Everyone randomly selects binders for their team to tackle. At least two judges evaluate each binder and, once again, the average score between them determines the final success level.

Stage 3: Best in Show

Once the full submission scores are compiled, the four highest rated campaigns are judged yet again for two coveted prizes: Best Creative Campaign and Best Overall Campaign. Only the full submission scores are taken into account for Best in Show.

If your submission has risen above the rest, then you will be invited to present your work in person before the judges. This is your opportunity to compete against the other stand-out entries of the year by delivering one last pitch to highlight your campaign’s excellence for the judging panel.

That’s all, folks! Now that you know what goes on behind those judging doors, you can appreciate the daunting task the panel faces each year. Be sure to check out Preparing Your Ace Submission and Your ACE Submission: Round Two! for tips and tricks to make your submission stand out.

And what’s the best way to celebrate all of this hard work? By attending this year’s gala on Thursday, April 26, 2012! Be sure to save the date.

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Your CPRS ACE Award Submission: Round Two!
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By Robin Smith

CPRS Toronto’s ACE Award judges have been poring over your submissions these past few weeks, choosing the best of the bunch. Did you make the cut this year?

To help ease the daunting task of building your “big binder” submission, we sat down with David Scholz, Vice President at Leger Marketing and ACE Awards Judging Co-Chair, to ask him some questions. We talked with Dave about the greatest submissions he’s seen, the best way to get on a judge’s good side, and the easiest way to miss the mark altogether!

What separates the good and the great?

“Sometimes it’s about taking that same old campaign, and turning it on its ear,” explains David. For our ACE judges, the best way to stand out is creativity, plain and simple (pun intended). When you are looking through your submission, take a step back and look at your campaign. What made it different? How did you take something old, and make it new?

“Creativity doesn’t come from the submission,” says David, “It comes from the interpretation of the work you’ve done.” In your submission, you need to show the imagination that went into your plan. It’s this ingenuity that will make you a winner!

What makes reviewing a submission easier for you?

Research-Analyze-Communicate-Evaluate—Use RACE properly!

“Sit down with the RACE formula and make sure you’ve answered all aspects of it.” Sound simple? Let’s do a quick review.

Research: Show how you used research to explore the situation, your organization’s relationship to it, and the publics involved.

Analyze: This is the strategic element. Establish what the key issues of your campaign were, and explain your goals, objectives, and key messaging.

Communicate: How did you get your message across? What were the tactics you used to connect with target publics?

Evaluate: Most important, evaluate the execution of your campaign to
show your results! Evaluation is key to proving the effectiveness of your campaign.

The RACE formula is crucial to showing what your objectives were, and how well you achieved them. If the RACE components are easily laid out, it makes the judging process significantly easier for David and the other judges, meaning they spend more time appreciating your campaign, and less time trying to decipher it.

What is one way you see applicants blow the “big binder” submission?

For David, the devil is in the details, specifically your entry category. One of the most damning mistakes that he penalizes for can often be avoided simply by reviewing carefully.

“You may need to do some tweaking and fixing to make sure it is clear why a piece is in a certain category,” says David. Did you enter your social media campaign under “Best Use of Communication Tools”, when really it should be under “Best Digital Communications”? You might be in trouble. Wrongly categorizing your entry can skew the judge’s review of it, so be sure to review the ACE Award guidelines first.

As you can see, making your submission shine is all about going back to the basics of good public relations: be creative, plan carefully, and be detail oriented! Second round submissions are due March 9, so get cracking!

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Clear Communication Saves Lives: CEO of the Year Award Luncheon
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By Martha Holmen

On January 24, I attended the 19th annual CPRS Toronto CEO Award of Excellence in Public Relations luncheon. As a student in Centennial College’s corporate communications and public relations program, I was looking forward to getting a glimpse of how a leader dedicated to communications can influence an entire organization, and I wasn’t disappointed.

This year’s recipient of the CEO Award is Dr. Robert Bell of University Health Network (UHN). During his distinguished career in Canadian health care, Dr. Bell has earned a well-deserved reputation for strong, creative leadership; I was eager to hear his insights into how a culture of open communication affects UHN.

What struck me most about Dr. Bell’s experience is the importance of clear communication at every level of an organization. While the CEO Award recognizes Dr. Bell’s communication in an administrative capacity, he spoke passionately about how communication affects life and death in the daily life of a hospital.

Dr. Bell’s example of the surgical checklist used in operating rooms around the world was particularly fascinating. A surprisingly recent innovation, the checklist introduced the idea that everyone in an operating room should be introduced to each other. In operating rooms where the checklist is used, the patient’s risk of dying is cut in half.

It’s remarkable to think that clear communication, something that’s so easy to take for granted, can quite literally save lives. The surgical checklist is deceptively simple, but its effect on a patient’s well-being is extraordinary.

Dr. Bell also reminded us that good communication doesn’t necessarily come naturally; it’s a learned behaviour. Basic conversation between doctors and patients might seem like an obvious step to many of us, but it’s a behaviour that needs to be deliberately encouraged at every level of an organization like UHN.

As Dr. Bell has discovered throughout his career, the best communication doesn’t happen spontaneously; most of the time, it’s the result of careful planning. The importance of Dr. Bell’s emphasis on communication became clear in the video presentation prepared by UHN. Hearing from so many UHN staff members, I came to understand just how much influence a CEO like Dr. Bell can have when he embraces open communication in his words and actions – and when he works closely with his communications team, of course.

As CEO of University Health Network, Dr. Bell has infused his organization with a culture that values communication, and I can only hope that CPRS Toronto continues to find many more CEOs who share his dedication.

CPRS Toronto members can listen to an audio archive of Dr. Bell’s presentation on the members-only blog, here.

Photo credits: The Canadian Press Images PHOTO/CPRS Toronto

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Preparing Your ACE Submission: Sometimes the Most Common Mistakes Are the Easiest to Avoid
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By Nicole Laoutaris

Winning an ACE Award will earn you industry recognition, strengthen your strategic communications skills and allow you to celebrate your work with your peers in Toronto’s public relations community. But, before you can earn such a distinction, you need to enter a submission.

Whether it is your first year applying or you are a seasoned pro, preparing your CPRS ACE Awards submission can be a daunting task.

What are the judges looking for?

CPRS Board member and ACE Awards judge, Lawrence Stevenson, APR, weighs in on how you can get your submission to rise above the rest. Lawrence, who has been judging the Awards for the past five years, shares some of his top tips to help you on your way to ACE.

1. Read the requirements.

Too often, submissions do not even meet the eligibility criteria for the executive summary. The judges are very stringent about details like the page length and font size.

The guidelines require the entrant to prepare, in only two-pages and minimum 10 pt font, an executive summary that includes a brief description of the strategy, quantifiable objectives, audiences, plans and tactics, budget and restraints, and the results. For full ACE Awards 2012 Entry Guidelines, click here.

2. RACE can take you from ‘good’ to ‘great’

Many submissions fail because they do a few things poorly. First and foremost, follow the RACE formula: Research, Analysis, Communications and Evaluation. Be clear about the components and set measurable objectives. ‘Raising awareness by xyz’ is not a measurable objective. Objectives should be SMART.

Poorly articulated research can negatively affect your submission. You may have done primary or secondary research, but how did it impact your decisions? You may have done a media scan, but what does that mean? Did you look at similar campaigns, or last year’s campaign? Tell the judges.

Then, did you evaluate based on your SMART objectives? The very best submissions restate objectives and discuss what was actually achieved from them. Conversely, if you didn’t achieve them, explain why because it could be due to some compelling mitigating circumstances. Mistakes do not negate the work of the campaign; being able to identify your mistakes can still result in high scores.

3. Do not gloss over (or completely leave out) your budget

Budgets are sometimes confidential, but there are ways of presenting it in such a way that is representative of your work, without breaking confidentiality. Without giving a specific dollar amount, illustrate where you spent your money.

For example, you could simply document that you spent 90 per cent of your budget on a guest speaker. This does not disclose your actual dollars, but it is a large portion of your budget and needs to be presented. If you’re a not-for-profit with a smaller budget, a guest speaker could be the strongest element to your campaign and well-worth 90 per cent of it. Clearly explaining this will earn you a higher score.

4. Know your campaign

Entrants are more than welcome to submit their campaign to more than one category, but be selective. If you have a special event campaign that also excels in media relations and you decide to submit it to both categories, then make sure you illustrate the difference for each. Do not just copy and paste your entry for both categories.

5. Edit your work!

First impressions are everything. That goes for your ACE Award submissions too, and it is very difficult to undo a bad first impression. Your initial executive summary is your opportunity to introduce yourself to the judges. The small details are important. You could provide an award-winning campaign, but the judges will not be able to see it through an entry that is riddled with errors.

Remember, this is your best work in a campaign, so it should be your best work in the submission.

So, what are you waiting for? Submissions are due on January 26, 2012. You can enter here through the online entry form. And be sure to save the date for this year’s gala on Thursday, April 26, 2012.

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Locating Influencers Online – Without Third-party Paid Software
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By Adam Weitner @AdamWeitner

Before you can dive in to an online influencer outreach program you obviously need to figure out who is influential and where they hang out online. Customers and potential customers read blogs and take part in discussions online every day, and online influencers are writing those blogs, and leading those conversations. If you can find out which blogs, and where these discussions are happening, you can begin to seek out, and build a list of online influencers. This can be done without purchasing third-party software such as Radian6 or Sysomos, though even with those programs some human analysis will be required for building accurate influencer lists.

For now, we will focus on finding potential online influencers and compiling a list.

Step 1 – identify keywords:

Since customers and potential customers will be actively seeking information, they will be searching for content based on keywords that are related to what they want to find. For example, your company produces and sells tablet computers – people who are interested in buying a tablet, or learning more about tablets will search the internet for more information. They will search for things such as “tablet computers 2011”, for example.

To determine which keywords related to your product type are the most commonly used, you can use a tool like the Google AdWords “Get keywords ideas” Tool. Once you’ve populated a list of popular search terms that are related, you can make a note of the most commonly used ones (between 5 and 7 should be plenty), which will come in handy in the following steps.

Step 2 – locate bloggers:

Now that you have identified the keywords that your customers and potential customers are using to find their information, you can search for blogs that contain those keywords and begin building a list.

A handy, accurate tool for doing this is also a Google property (oh how I love Google), called Google Blog Search. It works much the same way as any other Google search, but focuses on blog results only. You can search for both blogs and blog posts, or just one or the other. The advanced search function allows you to really narrow things down, if a broad search is turning up too many results.

Technorati is also a great tool for finding blogs, so be sure to check there as well to make sure you don’t overlook any major players.

Step 3 – find discussions on other social media

Forums are great for finding influencers as many of them will take part in online discussions as a means of driving traffic to their blog. Yet another Google tool (are you surprised?), you can use the same keywords identified in step 1 to search Google, then simply click on the “Discussions” tab on the left sidebar of the results screen.

Another place that hosts a ton of discussion that can in-turn lead you to influencers is Twitter. Try using Twitter Search with those same keywords to see if any discussion is taking place there. Though this will involve more digging than any of the other steps thus far, it can pay off large if you find one or two big influencers there.

Building your potential influencer list

Throughout steps 2 and 3, you should be compiling a list. I use Excel for this, but any charting tool or contact database you are comfortable with will be just fine. One thing to note with regards to your list is which information you should capture. Below is a basic example of the type of info I usually capture in a potentialinfluencer list:

Determining who is actually influential:

Once we’ve pulled together a solid list of potential influencers we can begin to determine which ones will become a part of our outreach and rank them based on a number of variants.

Before we can really even begin to judge whether someone is influential or not, however, we will have to look at some of the top-level data that is readily available to us. The first thing I always do is look at a few things that are easy to locate:

  • Number of Twitter followers
  • Number of times they are listed on Twitter by other users
  • Number of “Likes” on their Facebook fan page
  • Number of inbound links to their site. This can be found by searching “link:sitename.com” in Google (see image below). The number of results returned will give you the number of inbound links for that site

It is also important to note that some people who may not be overly active online can have a lot of influence offline. These people should not be overlooked! They can be found on LinkedIn, or through traditional news stories (among many other, more traditional methods – that’s for another post all together) and can play a major role in your online efforts, even though they are mostly influential offline-only.

Building your target influencer list

Using the simple methods listed above, you can start to eliminate bloggers from your list that don’t boast reasonable numbers (what is considered reasonable is, ultimately, up to you to decide). You will figure out what is average, and what is considered “good” after doing this with a few of your potential influencers. Take it from there…

In the chart below, I would immediately remove “The Tech Blog” from this list. I would also likely remove “TechABC” as well, though I would need to find data for a larger list of potential influencers before I would make that decision (to determine just how bad TechABC’s numbers actually are). Chances are that TechABC would be cut from the list as well.

If you want to get really in-depth and ensure that your influencer list includes only those that are actually influential, there are some ways to look beyond the obvious numbers (fans, followers, etc.):

  • What kind of content is the person creating and sharing (quality, focus/niche, credible and sourced, etc.)?
  • Of the lists that Twitter users have added them to, is there a common theme/niche? For example, have they been added to several lists focused on technology? If so, they are likely influential about technology, which is why people listed them in the first place.
  • How does the content they create relate to what you are planning to achieve? The most effective blogs are often tailored to a very niche audience – is their blog attracting the group of people you want to reach?
  • What kind of engagement does their blog receive – comments? Discussions between readers through the comments?
  • Are people sharing the content through their own networks? (Through Google +1, Facebook “Likes”, Twitter, etc. – this can most often be seen by a counter next to its respective button)
  • Is their content ever picked up, or linked to by other bloggers or even major news outlets?
  • Perhaps most importantly, are they seen as credible? (A look at the tone of the comments and the kinds of comments the blog receives should give an indication of this. People won’t be afraid to speak their mind if they think the writer is full of it).

If you follow all of the steps outlined in this article and do your research, you should be well on your way to a strategically targeted online influencer outreach campaign. It is very important, however, that you recognize that checking online influence and building lists is an ongoing process, and it should be revisited regularly.

Have you already completed an online influencer campaign in the past? If so, how did you determine influencers? Please add your thoughts and tips in the comments!

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