There was plenty of buzz for Strategic Objectives and Edelman Canada on Wednesday night. The two PR firms took top honours at the Canadian Public Relations Society ACE awards, as well as armloads of category prizes.
The ACE (Achieving Communications Excellence) award for PR Campaign of the Year went to Strategic Objectives and its client Yum Canada for the KFC Double Down launch campaign. The campaign also won gold in the New Product or Service Launch category. Strategic Objectives also took home three silvers and a bronze in other categories for work on Kraft, Crohn’s and Colitis Month and Caramilk.
Edelman was honoured with the Best Creative PR Campaign ACE for its Red Bull Crashed Ice 2010 campaign, which also took gold in Best Use of Media Relations – Budget Over $50,000. Edleman’s other medals included three silvers (for Labatt, Zantac and Canadian Olympic Apparel) and two bronzes (for Technology Practice and Red Bull Air Race World Champions 2010).
Argyle Communications was another of Wednesday’s big medalists, winning a bronze, four silvers and a gold in Best use of Media Relations – Budget Under $50,000 for its Pain: An Emerging Public Health Crisis effort. Fleishman-Hillard and Environics also took home large hauls with five medals apiece.
The judging panel, comprised of industry veterans, awarded golds in nine of the 11 ACE categories. The full list of gold winners included:
Best Use of Media Relations – Budget Over $50,000
• Edelman Canada for Red Bull Crashed Ice 2010
• Fleishman- Hillard for Eye Health Month
• Wal-Mart Canada Corp./ APEX Public Relations/ Morin Relations Publiques for Wal-Mart Canada Corp’s “Re-introducing George”
• Faye Clack Communications Inc. for 2010 NWPB Media Relations
Best Use of Media Relations – Budget Under $50,000
• APEX Public Relations Inc./ UPS Canada for UPS Peak Packing Season 2011
• Energi PR for The Powder Room Winter Olympics Campaign
• Argyle Communications for Pain: An Emerging Public Health Crisis
• Environics Communications for Stanfield’s: The Guy At Home
• PraxisPR for The Lifesaving Society: Ethnic Water Safety
New Product or Service Launch
• Strategic Objectives/ Yum! Canada for KFC Double Down
• Paradigm Public Relations/ BOOM Marketing/ Schick for Schick Quattro for Women TrimStyle Launch
Employee Communications of the Year
• Meridian Credit Union for Strengthening Service and Sales
Investor/Financial Relations Campaign of the Year
• Fleishman-Hillard Canada for Royal LePage HST Education Campaign
Community Relations Campaign of the Year
• Weber Shandwick Canada/ Best Buy for Best Buy Canada Best in Class Fund
• Women’s College Hospital for One Thousand Voices for Women’s Health
Best Digital Campaign of the Year
• Sequentia Environics for Globe Catalyst
Best Use of Communication Tools
• Sequentia Environics for Globe Catalyst
Brand Development Campaign of the Year
• Environics Communications/Sequentia/ Free For All Marketing for The Globe and Mail Redesign
• Future Shop for Holiday 2010
