CPRS ACE Awards

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#CPRSACE: Edelman’s Sarah McEvoy On The Power Of PR
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“Imagine this. Picture yourself emerging from a dense jungle. In front of you? El Dorado, the lost city of gold.”

This sounds breathtaking, doesn’t it? This scene does have an end, and it was written by Edelman for their award-winning 20-Second Daydreams campaign.

Edelman and the Ontario Association of Optometrists (OAO) took home the ACE Award for 2016’s PR Campaign of the Year. We tapped Edelman Vice President of Corporate Communications Sarah McEvoy to grab insight into the campaign’s creative process and learn how powerful PR can be.

 

  1. What inspired the 20-Second Daydreams campaign?

Our research. When we sat down with the OAO, the optometrists told us their patients most commonly ask about how computers affect their eyes. Then we learned about the 20/20/20 rule – look away from your computer every 20 minutes, for 20 seconds, 20 feet away. We used this rule to anchor the campaign and educate the public about computer vision syndrome, an issue we know they care about.

 

  1. What was the biggest challenge the creative team faced while developing an idea to promote computer vision syndrome?

We know online channels are most effective in reaching Ontarians en masse. Ironically, this meant we needed people to use screens to tell people to look away from their screens. The challenge was crafting a compelling idea based on that irony. Instead of simply sharing our information, we used an audio theatre of the mind concept to create a way for them to enjoy it. “Edutainment” if you will.

 

  1. You launched your campaign and waited for the public to react. What was it like to watch the public respond?

We had speedy results, shares and comments on our five different videos. YouTube and Facebook delivered over 356,000 video views and the OAO’s “Find an Optometrist” locator tool saw clicks increase by 26,000. Seeing these kinds of numbers was gratifying for the team to realize we struck a cord with the public.

 

  1. The OAO said the 20-Second Daydreams campaign was a success.
    Why submit it to the ACE Awards?

We exceeded our objectives within the first couple months. That’s when we realized we really had an interesting story to tell. The traditional model of PR is evolving, where campaigns are far more integrated, combining research creative, earned, digital, paid and search all as part of the PR offering. Since our work fit perfectly into this evolving world of PR, we wanted to share it with our industry colleagues and beyond.

 

  1. Do you think it’s important to recognize work in PR?

Absolutely. PR, and by extension, communications marketing, is a powerful tool that can influence positive change. Working with the OAO to bring attention to an issue that affects nearly all Ontarians continues to be fulfilling. After our campaign, the OAO reported that an additional 198,843 optometry services were provided in 2014/2015 compared to 2013/2014. We were so pleased to have our campaign contribute to that increase.

 

  1. After all of this, do you see yourself taking more trips to the optometrist?

100 per cent. I have three kids at home who all go for comprehensive eye exams and I’m now more passionate than ever about children’s vision. I’m thrilled our campaign sent more people to the optometrist. It’s so rewarding when your work truly makes a difference.

 

Sarah’s PR Tip: Our research was the foundation for our campaign idea. You cannot underestimate the importance of insights and analytics.

To hear more Edelman voices on the 20-Second Daydreams campaign you can click here.

The CPRS Ace Awards Gala will be held on May 2, 2017.

 

By: Carolyn LoConte,
Humber College Postgraduate PR student

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2016 CPRS ACE Award Creative Campaign of the Year: Narrative PR for Scotiabank
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2016 CPRS ACE Award Best in Show Contender: APEX PR for Polysporin
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2016 CPRS ACE Award Best in Show Contender: Narrative PR for Bacardi
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2016 CPRS ACE Award Best in Show Contender: APEX PR for Walmart Canada
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Taking home the top CPRS Toronto ACE Award
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“And the 2015 Public Relations Campaign of the Year goes to Weber Shandwick and McDonald’s Canada McCafé Retail Launch.”

On May 20, 2015, the Weber Shandwick team jumped out of their seats and congratulated one another as their McDonald’s client walked on stage to accept the most prestigious ACE award of the night.

The Work Behind Winning

When asked to reflect on the agency’s big achievement and what it was like to compete in the ACE Awards, Jessica Greasley, account director from Weber Shandwick, stepped up to the opportunity.

In September 2014, Weber Shandwick devised a communications plan for McCafé’s first ever grocery launch. The essence of the communication plan focused on driving awareness of the retail launch to both consumers and the business sector.

Weber Shandwick demonstrated how the brand was innovative and appealed to a younger demographic through their campaign’s creative strategies and tactics. The global agency also took risks to try something new with Songza and the McDonald’s Canada internal team embraced this opportunity to engage their younger audience on a new digital platform. Greasley also explained how the agency’s partnership with the McDonald’s team also fueled the campaign’s success.

The ACE Awards Submission

The submission was comprehensive.

“All of the components in the submission emphasized how the campaign’s strategies tied directly back to the company’s business objectives.”

Greasley also noted the submission’s careful attention to distinguishing how their results matched their initial objectives and goals, which was instrumental to ensuring the campaign stood out. She even identified how showcasing the large scope of the campaign combined with the business and consumer phases and the planning and timing layout were key aspects of the submission.

In terms of advice to agencies developing their submission for the 2016 ACE Awards Greasley said, “Provide a good understanding of the insights that led to the approach. Having clear targets, and how you measured against it will make help the judges understand why it’s award-worthy.”

The Best In Show Presentation

With only 15 minutes to present in front of the judges, the team selected critical parts of the campaign to prove why it was deserving of the top award.

Their presentation communicated why the McCafé Retail launch should receive the prestigious award by:

  • Demonstrating a strong understanding of the company’s audience and brand image
  • Highlighting the agency’s thought process and initial research that was conducted to tailor the campaign’s objectives
  • Showcasing innovative strategies such as the Songza partnership and proving why it was chosen to effectively reach McCafé’s younger audience
  • Explaining the media relations strategy behind the campaign and timing it with International Coffee Day, which engaged consumers and garnered an overwhelming and successful amount of media coverage

The Importance of Celebrating the Public Relations and Communications Industry

After finding out the campaign surpassed Weber Shandwick’s targets (and stretch targets!) the team was confident that it was a strong contender to compete within the ACE Awards. “It was a great honour for the company and client,” said Greasly. Especially since McDonald’s has had a long standing partnership with the agency. Greasly also mentioned “it was all hands on deck”. Everyone from the agency contributed to the campaign and award.

Greasley informed me the agency is currently assembling their application for the ACE awards again this year, “As an industry, it’s definitely important to submit and recognize the great work that’s being done by communications professionals. Wishing all this year’s submissions the best of luck!”

To learn more about the campaign watch this video

Jessica Greasley LinkedIn

Follow Weber Shandwick @WSCanada

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Written by: Alessandra Manieri, Post-Graduate Student, Humber College

 

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Judging the ACE Awards, a researcher’s perspective
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Friday February 26 is the deadline to submit to this year’s ACE Awards and returning judge, Lisa Covens, vice president of communications and public affairs at Leger, discussed her marking style and approach to judging this year’s campaigns.

Before stepping up as a judge, Lisa would attend the ACE Awards to support the clients who used Leger and the research they conducted for the award winning campaigns. When the opportunity came up to be one of the esteemed ACE judges, Lisa took it and started doing something she had never done before.

Lisa shared with us her strategy to marking submissions and to help prepare this year’s hopeful campaigns. Here are some highlights from her interview:

On her judging approach

“My focus will be on the RACE formula.” Research and evaluation jump at her the most.

On what makes a campaign stand out

“Today, campaigns are now so integrated – videos and visuals – which allow people to be very inclusive in their submission. Not only is the winning campaign sharp, but there’s something special about them. It is supported with research, includes creativity, success was measured and explained and overall well-executed.”

On the importance of submitting to the ACE Awards

As a returning judge for the third year in a row, Lisa listed why it is important to submit to recognitions awards such as CPRS Toronto’s ACE Awards:

  • Keeps public relations professionals on top of their game throughout the year
  • This isn’t done in market research so this a an opportunity worth taking advantage of
  • Provides a good reflection on the campaign – when summarizing a submission it makes you think of the campaign from beginning to end
  • Outline and learn from the issues encountered
  • And of course, recognition is always a good thing

On one piece advice for this year’s submissions

“It’s a shame when we mark a submission and it’s so creative and clear but misses a part of the requirements. Doing that will take you out of the running for the gold.”

TIP: Ask someone, who was not part of the campaign, to review the guideline and checklist. Ensure all the components are included because anything can be overlooked and the missing section will be marked with a zero.

On what she is looking forward too

“One aspect of the ACE Awards I really enjoy is the Best In Show judging day. That day, candidates are on top on their game. You get to witness great presenters and great speakers. I take away so much and I even receive insight on how to be a better presenter. It is such an inspiring night.”

One last thing: “Keep up the great work!”

 

Follow Lisa Covens on Twitter: @lisacovens

 

Submission deadline is this Friday February 26. Submit your campaigns here.

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Written by Charzie Abendanio, Humber College BPR Student and CPRS Toronto’s Student Steering Committee President

CPRS ACE
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CPRS Toronto recognizes the best public relations campaigns at the 2015 ACE Awards
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TORONTO, May 20, 2015 /CNW/ – The Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) Toronto chapter honoured theGreater Toronto Area’s best public relations (PR) practitioners this evening at the annual Achieving Communications Excellence (ACE) Awards Gala. Attended by over 300 practitioners, the ceremony at Arcadian Court celebrated the accomplishment of PR professionals.

“This is a very special night for the public relations industry in Toronto, as we get to highlight all of the creative and innovative work that our colleagues bring to life,” said Maryjane Martin, President, CPRS Toronto Chapter. “The level of expertise on display tonight was fabulous and I’m very proud to see the industry coming out to support each other.”

The ACE Awards concluded with the presentation of the two most prestigious awards: Best PR Campaign of the Year and Best Creative PR Campaign of the Year. Weber Shandwick & McDonald’s Canada was honoured for PR Campaign of the Year for the strategic planning and execution of the “McCafé Retail Coffee Launch in Grocery” campaign. The Best Creative PR Campaign of the Year was awarded to APEX Public Relations & Walmart Canada for the innovation and creativity behind the “Back-to-School with Walmart” campaign.

“A dedicated panel of volunteer experts carefully reviews all of our submissions to find the very best campaigns,” saidCarolyn Schulz, ACE Awards chair, CPRS Toronto. “For our members, an ACE Award is a calling card that represents skill, ability and trust.”

The 2015 ACE Award recipients include:

PR Campaign of the Year

  • Weber Shandwick & McDonald’s Canada – McCafé Retail Coffee Launch in Grocery

Best Creative PR Campaign

  • APEX Public Relations & Walmart Canada – Back-to-School with Walmart

Leadership Awards

  • Lois Marsh Award: Barry Waite, Chair, School of Communications, Media & Design at Centennial College
  • Volunteer of the Year: Arden Bagni, Humber College
  • CPRS Toronto Public Relations Student of the Year: Jessica Grace Chong, Centennial College

Media Relations – Budget Over $50,000

Gold

  • APEX Public Relations & Walmart Canada – Walmart Canada: Christmas Comes Together for Less
  • APEX Public Relations & Walmart Canada – Back-to-School with Walmart

Silver

  • Edelman Public Relations – The AMD #2BetterThan1 Campaign
  • Paradigm Public Relations & Tim Hortons – Tim Hortons Camp Day Raises $11.8 million
  • Strategic Objectives – A&W Ingredients Guarantee

Bronze

  • APEX Public Relations – Nestlé Halloween Scary Bars
  • Citizen Relations – Future Shop Back-to-School 2014 Campaign
  • Cohn & Wolfe – Sunbeam Supports with Warmth
  • Edelman Public Relations – Kraft Hockeyville 2014
  • Edelman Public Relations – Symantec Canada Honey Stick Project
  • GCI Group & Novartis Canada – VOLTAREN Emulgel® Stay in the Play
  • Kaiser Lachance Communications – Thought Leadership in Canadian Real Estate: The Royal LePage House Price Survey
  • NATIONAL & Boehringer Ingelheim – Kiss IPF Goodbye – 2014
  • NATIONAL & Pfizer Canada – Quit to List
  • Paradigm PR, Energizer Personal Care & Real Interactive – Schick Hydro “Becoming my Dad”
  • Weber Shandwick – Protecting Our Tomorrows
  • Weber Shandwick & McDonald’s Canada – McCafé Retail Coffee Launch in Grocery

Media Relations – Budget under $50,000

Gold

  • Kaiser Lachance Communications – Wealth Simple, Canada’s First Online Investment Service
  • Lamb Creative Group – Yves Veggie Cuisine Food to Love

Silver

  • DDB Public Relations – 26th Annual Beaches Jazz Festival
  • MSLGROUP Canada – The Randstad Award 2014
  • Veritas & Microsoft Canada – Microsoft XP EOS

Bronze

  • Argyle Communications & COLD-FX – COLD-FX Holiday Media Engagement
  • Argyle Communications & Novartis – World Asthma Day, Helping Canadians Breathe Easier
  • Canadian Tire Corporation – Jumpstart Red Ball Campaign 2014
  • TVO and marblemedia – Back-to-School with Hi Opie!
  • Veritas & Disney Consumer Products Canada – Minnie Mouse at World Master Card Fashion Week

Best Use of Special Events

Bronze

  • Argyle Communications & DHL Express – Connecting Mothers Around The World
  • Centennial College Students – ART HAUS
  • DDB Public Relations and Shopper DDB – CIL Décor Experts on the Road”
  • Shaw Media and Unit PR – Chopped Canada Media Challenge

Brand Development Campaign of the Year

Gold

  • DDB Public Relations and Shopper DDB – CIL Décor Experts on the Road
  • Strategic Objectives – Second Cup Coffee Company: Café of the Future

Silver

  • Ford of Canada & NATIONAL Public Relations – Mustang 50th Anniversary & Global Launch
  • Canadian Tire Corporation – We All Play for Canada

Bronze

  • Argyle Communications & Real-Estate Council of Ontario – Communicating Real Estate Protection
  • Edelman Canada – Revealing the Truth about RVing
  • Hill + Knowlton Strategies Canada – ABSOLUT MakerFest: Curiosity, Creativity, Canadian
  • Paradigm PR, BOOM! Marketing, Real Interactive & Energizer Personal Care – Join the Panty Party
  • Veritas & CBC – #FALLforCBC

Employee Engagement / Internal Communications Campaign of the Year

Silver

  • City of Vaughan – Internal Communications Strategy

Bronze

  • DDB Canada – Share DDB: Art Crawl & Auction
  • Ford of Canada – Ford of Canada and Free The Children Partnership

Community Relations Campaign of the Year

Bronze

  • Citizen Relations – Hyundai Hockey Helpers

Best Digital Campaign of the Year

Gold

  • Hill + Knowlton Strategies Canada – Make it a #MoscatoMonday
  • Toronto Public Health – Breastfeeding in Public Campaign
  • Strategic Objectives – The Great #PringlesDIPbate

Silver

  • DDB Public Relations and Shopper DDB – CIL Décor Experts on the Road
  • Ruckus Digital & Husqvarna Canada – Bring it On!

Bronze

  • Argyle Communications & The American Peanut Council – Getting Social Around the Campfire
  • Toronto Hydro – Be Enlightened Whiteboard Video

Government Relations/Public Affairs Campaign of the Year

Silver

  • Cohn & Wolfe and Hoffmann-La Roche Limited – The Ontario IPF Patient Watch List Advocacy

Bronze

  • The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan – The Defined Benefit Pension Evolution Thought Leadership Program

Investor/Financial Relations Campaign of the Year

Silver

  • Kaiser Lachance Communications – Divestiture of Sherritt’s Coal Business

New Product or Service Campaign of the Year

Gold

  • Toronto Hydro – The Making of Copeland Station
  • Narrative PR – Jaydess Launch – Sex Ed 2.0
  • Weber Shandwick & McDonald’s Canada – McCafé Retail Coffee Launch in Grocery

Silver

  • Manulife’s Advisory Services & Veriday – Empowering advisors to take control
  • Strategic Objectives – Second Cup Coffee Co. Flat White Launch

Bronze

  • Citizen Relations – Hyundai Hydrogen Fuel Cell Launch

Best Student PR Campaign of the Year

Gold

  • Centennial College – Talk is Cheap 7.0

Silver

  • Centennial College, Wilki Team – Wilki Night Out

Bronze

  • Centennial College – More Than Just a Brew
  • Humber College – Clearpath Robotics CSR Strategy

The Canadian Public Relations Society is a national professional organization focused on establishing and upholding educational and ethical standards in Public Relations. CPRS Toronto is one of the largest local societies with nearly 600 members. For more information, please visit:https://www.cprstoronto.com.

Special thanks to our sponsors:

GOLD:

CNW
Leger
Marketwired
Postmedia

SILVER:

CP Images
Fifth Story
Freeman Audio Visual

BRONZE:

McMaster-Syracuse Master of Communications Management

SPECIAL PARTNERS:

Ampifii
ConsumerVision

ConsumerVision

 

The Canadian Public Relations Society is a national professional organization focused on establishing and upholding educational and ethical standards in Public Relations. CPRS Toronto is one of the largest local societies with nearly 600 members. For more information, please visit:https://www.cprstoronto.com.

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For further information or to schedule an interview, please contact:

Robin Smith
Lead, ACE Marketing/Communications
CPRS Toronto ACE Awards Committee
ace@cprstoronto.com

CPRS ACE

PR Campaign of the Year: “Weber Shandwick & McDonald’s Canada – McCafé Retail Coffee Launch in Grocery.” (CNW Group/Canadian Public Relations Society)”.

CPRS ACE

Best Creative PR Campaign: “APEX Public Relations & Walmart Canada – Back-to-School with Walmart.” (CNW Group/Canadian Public Relations Society)”

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One more week to get your ACE Award tickets!
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Don’t wait any longer before getting your tickets for the 2013 ACE Awards gala, which will be held one week from today! It’s the Oscars of PR – a chance to recognize and celebrate the excellence in public relations and communications. It will be a fabulous night of networking with colleagues, while enjoying a delicious three-course dinner. Tickets are selling fast, so make sure to reserve your spot at this prestigious event you don’t want to miss.

Our host for the night will be Global Toronto’s Sean O’Shea, award-winning investigative and consumer reporter who is regarded as one of the most tenacious reporters on local television.

Date:

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

  • 5:15 p.m. Registration and Cocktail Reception
  • 6 p.m. Dinner and Awards Ceremony

Location:

Arcadian Court
401 Bay Street
Simpson Tower, 8th floor
Toronto, ON
M5H 2Y4

Ticket costs:

  • Member: $130
  • Table of 10: $1,250
  • Non-member: $165
  • Student member: $70
  • Student non-member: $85

For more information, and to buy your ticket, visit the CPRS Toronto website.

 

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Quick! Time is running out to get your CPRS Toronto 2013 ACE Awards Tickets!
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By: Barbara Loureiro

It’s that time of year again – the CPRS Toronto Achieving Communications Excellence (ACE) Awards are fast approaching!

On April 24th join Toronto’s top PR practitioners to celebrate the best of public relations and communications. Held at the Arcadian Court, the ACE awards will commence at 5:15 p.m. with a cocktail reception, followed by dinner and the award ceremony at 6 p.m. Hosted by Sean O’Shea, award-winning investigative and consumer reporter on GlobalTV Toronto, the 2013 ACE Awards is guaranteed to be a great time.

ACE has always been the hottest ticket in the Toronto PR industry, so don’t miss out. Tickets sell out every year, make sure you get yours now!

Ticket costs:

  • Member: $130
  • Table of 10: $1,250
  • Non-member: $165
  • Student member: $70
  • Student non-member: $85

For more information, and to buy your ticket, visit the CPRS Toronto website.

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