Three Bath PR consultancies are hoping to be among the winners at this year’s hotly-contested 2013 CIPR South West PRide Awards.
The awards, which this year celebrate their 10th anniversary, showcase the cream of the region’s public relations agencies, in-house teams, individuals and campaigns. They are widely regarded as the most prestigious and rigorous awards of their kind.
Geometry PR has been shortlisted in two categories – Best Regional Campaign for ‘Building Confidence in the Bid’ and Best Corporate & Business Campaign for ‘Creating a Local Hero’.
Fellow Bath PR consultancy Media Safari, which primarily works with tech brands, is nominated for the Best Use of Media Relations award with ‘Passion for Paralympics: One event, 10 days, 59 media briefings’.
Both firms are previous winners of PRide awards.
Highlight PR has been nominated in the Best Low Budget Campaign category for its work for Norland College – Britain’s oldest and most prestigious nanny and childcare training college which is based in Bath.
During the past 12 months Highlight has managed a high-profile media relations campaign for Norland, focused on how the college is modernising its training by requiring all students to study for a BA Hons degree in Early Childhood Studies, and by incorporating 21st century elements into its practical training such as self-defence classes and skid-pan driving lessons. As well as more than 100 pieces of coverage generating a phenomenal 2,250m ‘opportunities to see’, hits to Norland’s website were up 444% and the number of applications to the college increased by 60%.
Highlight PR director Alison Vellacott said: “Norland is a great British institution. For a modest budget we’ve worked hard over the last year to build awareness around the brand, and move it up the national media agenda. We’re delighted with the news that our efforts have been recognised by the CIPR with this award nomination.”
Media Safari’s entry highlighted the achievements of a campaign for Ottobock, the world’s leading supplier of innovative solutions for people with limited mobility. The campaign maximised awareness of the role Ottobock was playing as technical service provider to the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
Media Safari generated significant levels of press coverage from a series of media briefings in the Paralympic Village workshop with national, international, broadcast, business and trade media, reaching around 700m people across the globe.
Media Safari managing director Matt King said: “It is a real honour to have been shortlisted for this CIPR PRide Award as media relations is core to what we do at Media Safari. This is especially significant as this is the third year in a row that the team has been nominated for an award that recognises exemplary achievement, impact and value.”
Commenting on the PRide shortlist, chair of CIPR South West Sarah Pinch said: “The CIPR South West PRide Awards celebrate the very best in public relations from across our region. We were delighted to receive an increase in entries and they were all of an incredibly high standard. The entries highlighted the industry leading work that is taking place and we should be proud of the work of our colleagues in PR and communications. I offer my congratulations to all of those who have been shortlisted for an award; their success demonstrates their exemplary achievements in such a thriving profession.”
CIPR president Sue Wolstenhome added: “This year’s entries were all of an incredibly high standard, highlighting the industry-leading work that is taking place right across the UK. I would like to congratulate all of those who have been shortlisted for an award; their success demonstrates their exemplary achievements in such a thriving profession, and recognises the impact they have made in their region and beyond.”
The awards will take place on November 22 at the The Bristol Hotel, Harbourside, Bristol.
The full South West PRide Awards shortlist 2013 is:
Corporate and Business Communications Campaign
- Camargue
Rebuilding Britain - Grayling
Frazer-Nash Consultancy - Geometry PR
Creating a local hero - Inside Media
Refreshing Cider, Refreshing Aston Manor Cider - Plymouth University
The Plymouth University 150th anniversary campaign - Target PR
Magnetic PR attracts sales for ADEY
Not-For-Profit Campaign
- JBP PR & Parliamentary Affairs
Empower: Access to Medicine campaign - Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust
Moving a Hospital: The Royal Eye Infirmary
Internal Communications Campaign
- Cornwall Council
Moving to ERP - Gloucestershire County Council
Think Customer - Octane
Fridoids for TGI Friday's - UNITE Group
Our Five Year Plan
Community Relations Campaign
- Camargue
The T-pylon project - EDF Energy
EDF Energy's Openness and Transparency campaign - Grayling
The Big Beach Clean-up 2013 - JBP PR & Parliamentary Affairs
Coyte Farm: using social media in a planning application
Public Sector Campaign
- NHS Devon, Plymouth & Torbay
Heading-off the A&E crisis in Devon: Choose Well - Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust
Moving a Hospital: The Royal Eye Infirmary
Low Budget Campaign
- Barefoot Media
Christmas comes early to Padstow - Bully-Banks Ordinary People in Business
Justice for small businesses over bank mis-selling - Grayling
The St David's student lock-in 2012 - Highlight PR
PR for Norland College - Inside Media
Putting Arran on the Map - PamLloyd PR
Like Wasabi? Love it Fresh
Consumer Relations Campaign
- Royal Mail South West
Royal Mail's Golden Olympics - PurpleFish PR
NUK Mum's Guilt - Inside Media
Whisky Galore
Best Use of Media Relations
- Barefoot Media
Veuve Clicquot Polo on the Beach 2012 - Brandon Hill Communications
Launch the Goodwin Sands as a site for a new London airport - Media Safari / Ottobock
Passion for Paralympics: One event, 10 days, 59 media briefings - Octane
Colourology with Rainbow Club - PamLloyd PR
British Asparagus – Best of British - PamLloyd PR
So You Think You Know Beetroot?
Integrated Campaign
- Barefoot Media & Watergate Bay Hotel
Polo on the Beach 2013 - Firegrass Communications
Cornwall Business Show - MPAD
Ice Skate Truro - Plum Communications & PR
Love Weston Winter Wonderland - PurpleFish PR
Bang on with BILLY
Best Use of Social Media
- Grayling
The St David's Student Lock-In - Inside Media
Tantrums & Tyres: Driving Continental's Social Media - JBP PR & Parliamentary Affairs
Best use of Social Media – Hotcha - Octane
Dr Marten's Stomp West - PamLloyd PR
Pink Lady The Sociable Apple - PurpleFish PR
Spontex UK
Best External Publication
- Selwood Housing
Working Together magazine - Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Horizon - Inside Media
Cider Made Simple - Stagecoach South West (Astley Media)
Hop - Wendy Best Journalist
Rescue Our Ruins – Glastonbury Abbey
Best Internal Publication
- First Great Western/Proteus
WesternLines - The Hills Group
intouch magazine
Best Event
- Airbus in the UK
Aerospace Technology Institute Announcement - Brandon Hill Communications
British Expertise International Awards 2013 - Octane
Dr Marten's Stomp West - Target PR
ADEY Media Day
Issues and Crisis Management
- Bully-Banks Ordinary People in Business
Securing justice for small businesses for bank mis-selling - MPAD
St Michael's Catholic School - PurpleFish PR
Axminster Carpets
Best Use of Photography or Design
- Cornwall Council
Cornwall Council Benefits are changing booklet - PamLloyd PR
Sweet Eve Strawberry - Wild Card
Cornwall's Spring Story - Inside Media
Cider Made Simple - UNITE Group
Our Five Year Plan
Regional Campaign of the Year
- Geometry PR
Building Confidence in the Bid - McCann Bristol PR
Redrow South West - Inside Media
Graze Expectations
Outstanding Freelance Practitioner
- Shelley Fletcher-Bryant MCIPR
Firegrass Communications
Outstanding Young Communicator
- Amy Bullen
Inside (Media) Track - Amy Thompson
JBP PR & Parliamentary Affairs - Charlotte Merryfield
Gloucestershire County Council - Kelly Moralee
Cornwall Council - Laura Hicks MCIPR
Wild Card - Lisa Hale
JBP PR & Parliamentary Affairs - Simon Gill
Camargue PR - Sophie Cottrell
Octane - Sophie Quartley MCIPR
Aster Group
Outstanding Small Consultancy
- Barefoot Media
- Inside Media
- Leapfrog PR
- MPAD
- Plum Communications & PR
Outstanding In-House Public Relations Team
- Gloucestershire County Council
GCC's Communications Team
Outstanding Public Relations Consultancy
- Camargue
- Inside Media
- Octane
- PamLloyd PR
