2012 was another great awards year for MSL Chicago and MSL Detroit! On the national stage through the regional level, our clients and account teams have won a number of industry awards in public relations, marketing and digital categories.
Here are some of our noteworthy accolades from the 2012 awards season:
Our General Motors (North Central Region) client, Connie Burke, picks up a Silver Anvil Award of Excellence from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).
Cannes PR Lions
UL: Shortlist, Best Integrated Campaign Led by PR
American Business Awards (Stevies)
Chevrolet Centennial: Silver Stevie Winner, PR Program of the Year: Consumer Products
General Motors (North Central Region): Bronze Stevie Winner, PR Program of the Year: Community Relations
Dawn McKenzie, Connie Burke, Tom Wilkinson and Katie Adams (left to right) pose with their American Business Awards (i.e. Stevies) for their Chevrolet Centennial and General Motors (North Central Region) programs.
PRSA Silver Anvils
General Motors (North Central Region): Award of Excellence, Community Relations
UL: Award of Excellence, Reputation/Brand Management
UL: Award of Excellence, Public Service
Dawn McKenzie, Joel Curran and Joan Cetera (left to right) toast to prestigious PRSA Silver Anvil Award of Excellence wins for clients General Motors (North Central Region) and UL.
PRSA Bronze Anvils
Chevrolet Sonic Klout Perk: Winner, Word of Mouth Viral Marketing Program
The Holmes Report SABREs
DeVry University: GOLD SABRE Nominee, Educational and Cultural Institutions
UL: GOLD SABRE Nominee, Integrated Marketing
UL: SILVER SABRE Finalist, Public Service Announcement
BMA B2 Awards
DeVry University Newsroom: Winner, Online News Room
Brizo: Winner, Product PR Program
PRSA Chicago Skylines
Sealy: Award of Excellence, Integrated Marketing Communications
Morton Salt: Award of Excellence, Public Service Partnerships
IABC Chicago Bronze Quills
Sealy: Winner, Best in Show
Sealy: Winner, Integrated Marketing Communication
Chevrolet Sonic Klout Perk: Winner, Social Media
General Motors (North Central Region): Winner, Marketing Communication
General Motors (North Central Region): Winner, Community Relations
IABC Detroit Renaissance Awards
Chevrolet Centennial: Winner, Special Events
PCC Golden Trumpets
Chevrolet Sonic Klout Perk: Golden Trumpet Winner, New Media
General Motors (North Central Region): Golden Trumpet Winner, Marketing
Sealy: Golden Trumpet Winner, Marketing
Morton Salt: Silver Trumpet Winner, Community Relations
Ryan Gartman, Jill Delaney, Jenny Sherman and Stephanie Lewis (left to right) celebrate five IABC Chicago Bronze Quills awards, including a “Best in Show” award for Sealy.
We have been incredibly proud of work this past year, and it is very gratifying to not only deliver and exceed our client goals, but to also be recognized by the industry. Congratulations again to our clients and our account teams for all of their hard work and creativity—it certainly shows!
Brands have been trying to reach the influencers for years. It is no secret that when someone has an experience with a brand, whether or not it is positive or negative, they often share their experiences, opinions and recommendations with their online and offline networks. Considering that 90 percent of consumers trust peer recommendations while 33 percent trust ads, the tonality of these conversations affect brand consideration, loyalty and sales now more than ever. As a result, we’re finding that more and more companies are concerned about engaging influencers rather than dedicating resources to traditional media outreach and advertising campaigns. When 6.2 percent of social media participants produce 80 percent of influencer impressions, how can brand managers strategically reach those who are most influential among their target audience?
The MSL Chicago team decided to use a new approach to reach target consumers when Chevrolet launched its new small car, the Sonic. We leveraged Klout, a company that measures an individual’s influence online, to provide millennial social media influencers the unique chance to get behind the wheel of the Chevy Sonic during three-day loans.
The program not only generated significant online buzz and thousands of pieces of content and millions of online impressions, it increased awareness, created authentic conversations, provided opportunities to engage with untapped influencers, developed new brand advocates and increased opinion, consideration and purchase intention during the five-week program. The campaign earned the team a PRSA Bronze Anvil in addition to other prestigious industry awards. Take a look at this video case study for more results from this ground-breaking program.
When engaging new influencers, a strategic approach, specialized counsel, real-time engagement and behind-the-scenes management, monitoring and follow-up is essential. You may find that when done right, influencer engagement will benefit your brand well into the future.
