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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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