Category Archives: Awards

Awards, Events

Congrats to our 2019 Cleveland Rocks winners!

The Cleveland Rocks Awards, PRSA Greater Cleveland’s signature event, recognizes the area’s best in public relations and communications projects and programs.

Congratulations to the winners of our 17th annual event. They include:

Best In Show

Ohio City Pizzeria – Rebranding and Grand Re-Opening
Sweeney

Judges’ Choice

We are the #1 event in the #2 business
Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District

Best Tactic

“Bring This, Leave That” NCAA Scores Big with Instagram Stories
Marcus Thomas

Annual Report

Gold:
HB Magazine, Report on Giving
Hathaway Brown School

SIlver:
2018 Annual Report: An Extraordinary Tomorrow Together
Collective Reach Consulting LLC

B2B Campaign

Gold:
Avery Dennison Labeled A Sustainability Leader Thanks to B2B Marketing Program
Fahlgren Mortine

Best Paid Social Media Campaign >$500 B2B

Gold:
Key4Women #RealLifeBosses 
Marcus Thomas

Silver:
Boosting Video Case Studies for the City of Independence
Fahlgren Mortine

Best Paid Social Media Campaign >$500 B2C

Gold:
Greater Cleveland Film Commission Band of Brothers Social Media Program
Falls

Best Social Media Campaign for a Non-Profit

Gold:
Your Voice Has Power: Sexual Assault Awareness Month 2019
Cleveland Rape Crisis Center

Best Use of Blog

Gold:
Sweeney Supports SDLA Blog
Sweeney

Silver:
Cleveland Foundation Blog
Cleveland Foundation

Best Use of Influencer Promotion

Gold:
FrogTape® Paintover Challenge® Room Makeover Influencer Campaign
Falls

Silver:
Engaging DIY Micro-Influencers to Help Consumers Get After Their After, Faster
Marcus Thomas

Best Use of Instagram

Gold:
“Bring This, Leave That” NCAA Scores Big with Instagram Stories
Marcus Thomas

Best Use of Twitter

Gold:
Dunkin’ Northeast Ohio Partners with Cedar Point to Engage with Customers
Fahlgren Mortine

Brand and Reputation Management

Gold:
Kapro Tools U.S. Influencer Program Launch
Sonnhalter

Silver:
Atlantic Union Bank Establishes Name in Financial Space
Sweeney

Bronze:
Building Brand Awareness for Local Leader in Kidney Care and Education
Sweeney

Community Relations or Cause Campaign

Gold:
Saving Chippewa Lake, Saving Freshwater Everywhere
Stevens Strategic Communications

Silver:
Erie Insurance Distracted Driving Campaign
Falls

Bronze:
Flo™ by Moen Smart Water Monitoring and Leak Detection Product Launch Campaign
Falls

Consumer New Product or Service Launch

Gold:
Juno Lights Up Consumer Marketplace with Smart Home Product Sweeney

Silver:
Duck brand Shelf Liner Research “America’s Most Hated Chores”
Falls

Bronze:
Launch of the Vitamix Aer Disc Container
Falls

Digital Campaign

Gold:
W82TXT Teen Video Contest
Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission

Silver:
HB Celebrates Women
Hathaway Brown School

E-Newsletter

Gold:
Customer Connection E-newsletter
Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission

Silver:
Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings Aero E-Finish electronic newsletter
Falls

Bronze:
The Ohio 100 Breaks Record
Stevens Strategic Communications

Events

Gold:
We are the #1 event in the #2 business
Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District

Silver:
Say Yes to Education Cleveland Launch Announcement
Cleveland Foundation

Bronze:
Ohio Turnpike Memorial Sign Dedication Ceremonies
Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission

2018 Crocker Park Wine Festival
Stark Enterprises

Cleveland Hosts the 2019 MLB All-Star Game
Fahlgren Mortine

Feature Article

Gold:
Steering the Future in the Right Direction
Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission

Silver:
CIRCOR Helps Its Global Fluid Handling Customers Envision the Tech Future
 Fahlgren Mortine

Integrated Communications Campaign

Gold:
A Sustained Success: Integrated Marketing Program Gains Traction for Labeling Sustainability
Fahlgren Mortine

Silver:
The City Mission’s Stand In for Cleveland
Falls

Bronze:
Aebi Schmidt Smart Salt Spreading Integrated Communications
Falls

ALIGN Campaign on Behalf of the Ohio Department of Higher Education
Prosper for Purpose

Celebrating 50 Years of a #RiverReborn
Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District

Erie Insurance Homeowners Survey
Falls

Headquarters Announcement
Cleveland Foundation

Red Thumb Bands and W82TXT Teen Video Contest
Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission

Rock Hall Fan Vote
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Their Worlds. Their Way.
The Cleveland Museum of Art

Internal Communications

Gold:
Providence Healthcare Management, LLC Intranet
Falls

Magazine

Gold:
HB Magazine – I have an IDEA
Hathaway Brown School

Media Relations – Local/Regional

Gold:
Celebrating a #RiverReborn with Local Media
Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District

Silver:
Cleveland Hosts the 2019 MLB All-Star Game
Fahlgren Mortine

Bronze:
The 16th Annual Avon Heritage Duck Tape® Festival
Falls

Media Relations – National

Gold:
Kilopower Nuclear Space Power Press Event
NASA’s Glenn Research Center

Silver:
A Legendary Program for North Dakota Tourism
Fahlgren Mortine

Bronze:
Becoming the Guardians of America’s Sleep One (Bedtime) Story at a Time
Marcus Thomas

The True Value of Vitamix: Buying Beyond Smoothies
Falls

Media Relations – Trade

Gold:
Kilopower Nuclear Space Power Press Event
NASA’s Glenn Research Center

Silver:
Developing a Media Relations Plan and Sticking With It
Fahlgren Mortine

Bronze:
Trade Industry Media Presentation at FABTECH 2018
Sonnhalter

Press Release

Gold:
Ohio City Pizzeria Release Talks Great Food for a Great Cause
Sweeney

Pro Bono Campaign

Gold:
Ohio City Pizzeria – Rebranding and Grand Re-Opening
Sweeney

Silver:
Media relations garners attendance and national coverage for three key events
Fahlgren Mortine

Speech

Gold:
Keynote Speech, 25th Annual Pacific Northwest Pretreatment Workshop
Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District

Technical Article

Gold:
Rittal Rethinking Enclosures to Support IoT & The Edge
Goldstein Group Communications

Website

Gold:
Aebi Schmidt Smart Salt Spreading Microsite
Falls

Ohio City Pizzeria Launches New Website
Sweeney

Save the date for our 18th annual program: December 8, 2020, at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Awards

My Salute to Hill Lighthouse Young Award Winners

 

By Ed Stevens, APR

L-R: David Gilbert, Barbara Paynter, Julie Miller

The John W. Hill Award is presented each year to the chief executive of a Greater Cleveland area organization who provides outstanding leadership and support for internal and external communications.

The Lighthouse Award is presented each year to recognize the career accomplishments and community service of a senior public relations professional who is a member of Greater Cleveland PRSA.

The Davis Young Award for Exceptional Mentors is presented each year to recognize a professional who excels in mentoring students and young professionals through hands-on instruction and support.

If you have ever served on the Hill Lighthouse Young Awards committee, you quickly became aware of the great amount of scrutiny that accompanies the selection process.

After all, we are looking for an executive who exemplifies leadership where public relations plays a key role. It would seem there are many nominee possibilities, but that is seldom the case. There are many reasons, but building a list of prospective Hill Award winners is often a daunting task.

It is easier to identify candidates for the Lighthouse Award. If you have been an active member of PRSA, you probably have done many of the right things in terms of service, professional development, leadership and more.

Being a PR mentor seems to be a slam dunk. But in today’s world, professionals don’t take the time to train, encourage and position younger professionals to succeed as in the past.

This year’s HLY Award winners are perfect choices. Each has achieved a special place among Cleveland’s PR deity. Each has left an indelible mark on our public relations profession as corporate executive, public relations professional or mentor.

The 2018 John W. Hill Award was presented to David Gilbert, president and CEO of Destination Cleveland as well as president and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission. David has made Cleveland shine as the venue of choice for sports, music and conferences.

The 2018 Lighthouse Award was presented to Barbara Paynter, APR, Fellow PRSA, president of Paynter Communications. Barbara is a good friend and one of our region’s best communicators and PR professionals.

The 2018 Davis Young Award was presented to Julie Miller, APR, associate professor and director of public relations programs at Baldwin Wallace University. Julie has touched so many students to help them excel as new professionals. We want more of Julie’s students.

I am thrilled to blog about the Hill Lighthouse Young Awards. They are the Greater Cleveland PRSA Chapter’s way of saying “thank you.” As a recipient of both the Lighthouse and Young Award, I know how humble and touched I was to be recognized. I am certain this year’s winners had a similar experience.

Why not take the time now to start thinking about the professionals you would like to see on stage next year to receive one of these prestigious awards. Could you be a candidate one day?

Awards

PRSA Greater Cleveland Chapter Recognizes Northeast Ohio’s Best in Communications

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CLEVELAND, Ohio – December 2, 2016 – The Public Relations Society of America’s (PRSA) Greater Cleveland Chapter recognized the area’s best in marketing and public relations at the 14th annual Cleveland Rocks Awards, presented by Falls Communications, Friday, Dec. 2, at the House of Blues in Cleveland.

This year, 37 awards were given to corporations, nonprofits and agencies and their clients. Fahlgren Mortine, an integrated marketing and communications agency, won the most awards with 11 silver and gold wins, as well as a Judges’ Choice recognition for a campaign on behalf of client Kidde Fire Safety.

A second Judges’ Choice award went to Destination Cleveland and Cleveland Plus with support from agency Dix & Eaton for “Making the Most of the Republican National Convention (RNC) Media Frenzy,” a media relations campaign. Destination Cleveland and Cleveland Plus also won three additional awards for their public relations work related to the RNC.

Roop & Co.’s “Bringing Drone Technology to the Roofing Industry,” a consumer new product/service launch for their client Tremco, won the coveted Best in Show award.

For the first time, PRSA Cleveland recognized a 2016 Rising Star for an outstanding communicator with less than seven years experience. The award went to Rachel Kerstetter, public relations architect at Sonnhalter and the chapter’s vice president of membership.

“This has been an exciting year for Cleveland, from hosting the RNC to the Cavs winning the national championship and the Indians making a World Series appearance,” said Katie Kennedy, president of PRSA Greater Cleveland. “Northeast Ohio’s communications professionals have played a role in Cleveland rising, but also continue to produce outstanding work at their organizations, companies and for their clients. We’re thrilled to honor them.”

Annually, the PRSA Cleveland Rocks Awards acknowledge Northeast Ohio’s outstanding PR programs, incorporating research, planning, execution and evaluation. Award winners demonstrate leadership in PR and contribute to advancing the profession locally.

The Alabama chapter of PRSA judged this year’s award entries. Falls Communications served as the presenting sponsor of the 2016 Cleveland Rocks Awards.