2020 Paragon Winners

THE RESULTS ARE IN!

Dozens of local PR practitioners honored as part of the annual Paragon Awards

Congratulations are in order for 30 Wisconsin public relations practitioners as PRSA SE Wisconsin names 2020 Paragon Award winners.

In light of the coronavirus  pandemic, this year’s awards will be celebrated in this virtual space. Physical awards will be distributed later this year. Our lifetime achievement award – the Dorothy Thomas Black Award – and our Communicator of the Year Award will be honored at this year’s PR Palooza in the fall.

As always, submissions are judged by an outside panel consisting of members of another PRSA chapter – this year PRSA Maryland. Each submission is reviewed by two judges on a 0-50 point scale based on research to guide the program or tactic; clear objectives and target audiences; comprehensive planning and budgeting; creativity and execution; and evaluation against the stated objectives. Entries earning 40—44.5 points received an Award of Distinction. Entries scoring between 45-50 points received an Award of Excellence. The PR program with the highest score earned the Best in Show award.

And now the winners.

BEST IN SHOW

This year’s Best in Show goes to Kane Communications Group who received this award for their internal employee communications program for the “Wisconsin Center District”. Katharine Foley of Kane Communications Group submitted the entry. The goal was to establish benchmarks to measure employee engagement that could be tracked year over year and make the Wisconsin Center District a desirable employer that staff is proud to work for and happy to endorse.  Judges said the campaign’s’ goals and objectives were “clear” and “spot on,” the budget was “eloquent,” collateral materials were “great” and the project had “excellent alignment from start to finish.”

AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE – PROGRAMS

  • “Santa’s Secret is Out – And it’s Better Than Ever” for O&H Danish Bakery (media relations), Laughlin Constable (submitted by Alicia Wilson)
    • Judges said the “campaign successfully exceeded goals and the entrant demonstrated the success of the campaign with measurable metrics.”
  • “Introducing the Regions First Experiential Grocery Store” for the Corners of Brookfield and Sendik’s Food Market (media relations), Laughlin Constable (submitted by Katie Whitlock)
    • Judges said the submission showed a “well thought out media campaign” with “very visual and very positive” media placements.
  • “HEMAD Campaign Against Human Trafficking” for Convergence Resource Center (media relations – nonprofit), McSweeney Public Relations (submitted by Patrick McSweeney)
    • Judges said McSweeney did a “fantastic job of setting key benchmarks that not only measured the number of media hits, but the impact of the campaign.”
  • “Wisconsin Stories” for the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (social media), Nelson Schmidt (submitted by Jason Gantner)
    • Judges said the video work was “high-quality, well-paced and diverse” and the entrants “know their audience and the state of Wisconsin and have an affection for both.”
  • “West Virginia Tourism State Parks” for the West Virginia Tourism Office (social media), BVK (submitted by Callie Murphy)
    • Judges said “this social media campaign was well-done and showed clear messaging and results.”
  • “#ConnectAllAbilities” for Bethesda (public service), Bethesda (submitted by Don Klein)
    • Judges said, “the research, planning and efficiency of delivery on this campaign really stood out” and “the earned media and awareness efforts were particularly successful.”
  • “More Than Just a Mother Crunching Cracker” for TH Foods/Crunchmaster (integrated communications), BVK (submitted b Callie Murphy)
    • Judges called the campaign “really fun and smart,” and “a great use of PR, event and social marketing.”

 AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE – TACTICS

  • “Destination Unknown” for the West Virginia Tourism Office (events and observances), BVK (submitted by Callie Murphy)
    • Judges said submission “exhibited what it means to think outside the box” and that it “managed to capture an exciting aspect of a destination, giving it new meaning for a generation seeking the next big thing.”
  • “MCTS Honors the Legacy of Rosa Parks” for Milwaukee County Transit Service (events and observances), Milwaukee County Transit Service (submitted by Matt Sliker)
    • Judges said the submission showed “a wonderful job of achieving their objective and reaching their target audience” and the campaign “takes a creative approach to well-known history about Rosa Parks and her significant contribution to the civil rights movement.”
  • “POP Funhouse” for the Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism (events and observances), BVK (submitted by Callie Murphy)
    • Judges said the submission “really employed a diverse array of tactics to meet its stated goal” and the execution was “visually appealing, imaginative and seems to have carved a euphoric experience for travelers.”
  • “Jakarta Distributor Event” for Maytag Commercial Laundry (events and observances), Nelson Schmidt (submitted by Jason Gantner)
    • Judges said the event was “well planned and executed,” “achieved goals” and received “good media attention.”

AWARD OF DISTINCTION – PROGRAMS

  • “U.S. Cellular 5G Network” for U.S. Cellular (media relations), Laughlin Constable (submitted by Julie Embling)
  • “2019 Pack Expo PR” for various clients (media relations), LePoidevin Marketing (submitted by Jen Bachmann)
  • “Familiarization Tour” for Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (media relations), Nelson Schmidt (submitted by Jason Gantner)
  • “#BeCourageous Social Media Campaign” for Moffitt Cancer Center (social media), BVK (submitted by Callie Murphy)
  • “A Wall that Heals: Greenfield Hosts the Moving Wall, a replica of the Vietnam Memorial” for the city of Greenfield (community relations), Ann Knabe
  • “Safety Content Campaign” for Panduit (content marketing), Nelson Schmidt (submitted by Jason Gantner)
  • “Delegate WG Insecticide” for Corteva Agriscience (content marketing), Bader Rutter (submitted by Doreen Muzzi)
  • “#MyNBFStyle Influencer Campaign” for National Business Furniture (influencer marketing), STIR Advertising and Integrated Messaging (submitted by Christel Henke)
  • “Stay PrEP’d Up: It’s Worth It” for Vivent Health (public service), Vivent Health (submitted by Tiffany Wynn)
  • “Fire Prevention Week Partnership” for Milwaukee County Transit Service (public service), Milwaukee County Transit Service (submitted by Matt Sliker)
  • “The Real DR Campaign” for Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism (crisis communications), BVK (submitted by Callie Murphy)
  • “Lakeside Foods Awareness Campaign: Strong Roots, Bright Future” for Lakeside Food (integrated communications), Lakeside Foods (submitted by Anne Smith, APR)
  • “Visit Maine’s Can’t Miss Mid-coast by Andrew Knowlton” for Visit Maine (integrated communications), BVK (submitted by Callie Murphy)
  • “All Roads Lead to West Virginia” for West Virginia Tourism Office (integrated communications), BVK (submitted by Callie Murphy)
  • “Wraparound Milwaukee -A Program of Behavioral Health Division: Serious Mental Illness Campaign” for the Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division (integrated communications), Kane Communications Group (submitted by Katharine Foley)
  • “MinXray Max Value Campaign” for MinXray (integrated communications), LePoidevin Marketing (submitted by Jen Bachmann)

AWARDS OF DISTINCTION -TACTICS

  • “WDA.org Website Refresh” for the Wisconsin Dental Association (online communications), Wisconsin Dental Association (submitted by Amanda Peterson)
  • “Strong Roots. Bright Future” for Lakeside Foods (videos), Lakeside Foods (submitted by Anne Smith, APR)
  • “California AB 1788 Awareness Pitch Letter” for Liphatech Inc. (miscellaneous), LePoidevin Marketing (submitted by Jen Bachmann)
  • “Bader Philanthropies and Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity” for Bader Philanthropies (events and observances), Zizzo Group (submitted by Lisa Ehlke)