We’re thrilled to announce the results of the CIPR Northern Ireland PRide Awards 2021. Click on the links below to view the winning entries.
Note: All case studies are in PDF format and open in a new window.
CORPORATE AND BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS CAMPAIGN
GOLD WINNER:
Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NI Chamber)
The voice of business
The planning and research that went into this campaign were impressive, as was the strategy and delivery providing a great campaign that went beyond the targets set. Well done!
SILVER WINNER:
Morrow Communications
Moy Park, Making the Difference
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS CAMPAIGN
GOLD WINNER:
Belfast City Council
COVID Response Campaign
A great campaign by the in-house team to establish “a single point of truth” for the staff and ensure they had fast one-click access to the key information. Well planned and some outstanding results.
CONSUMER RELATIONS CAMPAIGN
GOLD WINNER:
Morrow Communications
AIB Presents Movies and Mortgages, the Web Series!
On paper, mortgages aren’t necessarily the easiest subject matter to bring to life in a way that engages and inspires target audiences. However, this campaign certainly rose to the challenge… Underpinned by sound insights, and with a clear target market identified, this entry is an excellent example of a creative, integrated campaign, leveraging social media, web, and influencers with compelling content that drove commercial outcomes. Well done!
SILVER WINNER:
Rumour Mill Creative Communications
Northern Ireland Gets Gander
PUBLIC SECTOR CAMPAIGN
GOLD WINNER:
Smarts
Speak Up For Allergies
A great campaign highlighting the importance of speaking up if you have a food allergy. The research, planning, and strategy were all well thought out and delivered some impressive results. Well executed from start to finish.
SILVER WINNER:
Morrow Communications
Translink Rainbows and Trainbows – Covid Campaign
NOT-FOR-PROFIT CAMPAIGN
GOLD WINNER:
Mackle Communications
Techies in Residence, NI’s Tech4Good programme
This campaign aimed to build capacity in the voluntary sector, engage social tech companies and build digital capacity in charities and it hit the mark. It stood out for its research, planning, and delivery with some impressive returns. All of this is on a budget of under £10k. A real winner and a Gold for sure!
SILVER WINNER:
Morrow Communications
Translink and #StuffABusNI
HEALTHCARE CAMPAIGN
GOLD WINNER:
Morrow Communications
#ChangeMyStory Mental Health Through Covid
At a time when so many were dealing with mental health issues this campaign really did hit the mark. Well thought out and executed, and involving cross-border collaboration and working closely with a wide range of people who were dealing with mental health issues this was going to be a challenging campaign to deliver. But their strategy worked and the results are fantastic.
SILVER WINNER:
Brown O’Connor Communications
Community Pharmacy funding campaign
INTEGRATED CAMPAIGN
GOLD WINNER:
Morrow Communications
Translink Rainbows and Trainbows – Covid Campaign
A highly creative campaign that kept the client’s reputation moving throughout the pandemic. Engaging, well-executed, and felt just right for the circumstances.
SILVER WINNER:
Octopus Group
The Microsecond Mindset
LOW BUDGET CAMPAIGN
GOLD WINNER:
Clearbox
We know what a home is really worth
The judges were impressed by the planning and research that went into this campaign which delivered such great returns on a low budget. Everything was well planned and executed to deliver for the client. It paid off as they more than double their targets. A definite Gold!
SILVER WINNER:
Rumour Mill Creative Communications
Father the Father (Prime Cut & MAC)
ARTS, CULTURE, SPORT OR ENTERTAINMENT CAMPAIGN
GOLD WINNER:
Jcomms
Belfast Photo Festival 2019 Truth & Lies
A hard-working creative campaign that left no stone unturned to find engagement and impact.
SILVER WINNER:
Harriott Communications and Lyric Theatre
Keeping the spirit of the Lyric alive
TRAVEL, LEISURE OR TOURISM CAMPAIGN
GOLD WINNER:
Morrow Communications
Translink Rainbows and Trainbows – Covid Campaign
In a year that has felt so hopeless, as we’ve all navigated the challenges of Covid-19 together, this campaign, with the rainbow – a symbol of hope for so many – at its heart, is a superb example of an integrated campaign. Leveraging strategic partnerships and public affairs, and involving the full Translink community, from employees to friends and family, to deliver brilliant outcomes across all key measures and audiences, it is a worthy winner of this category.
SILVER WINNER:
LK Communications
Galgorm: Building a Collection of Luxury across NI
EDUCATION CAMPAIGN
GOLD WINNER:
JComms
Ulster Wildlife – Learn More Outdoors
At a time when the great outdoors have played such a key role in keeping people’s spirits high, it was great to read about the important work that Ulster Wildlife are doing to connect young people with nature. The judges were impressed by the clarity of what this campaign set out to do, namely influence key political decision-makers, and by the robust plan to get there. The use of authentic visual storytelling, coupled with solid media relations and public affairs, makes this a worthy recipient of the Gold award in this category.
REGIONAL CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR
GOLD WINNER:
Rumour Mill Creative Communications
Northern Ireland Gets Gander
This world-first app to persuade shoppers to buy yellow sticker food and contribute to food waste reduction really was a winner. Targeted at public, retail, and influencers it delivered across a range of areas creating a range of brand advocates and pushed the app into the top 12 percent of downloads. Everything about it impressed the judges. A clear winner.
SILVER WINNER:
JComms
Ulster Bank’s new 20 notes
BEST USE OF MEDIA RELATIONS
GOLD WINNER:
Clearbox
We know what a home is really worth
The planning and research for this campaign impressed the judges as did the work to target the regional media and achieve such great coverage. The data drove the planning and execution and it really was a well-thought-out and targeted campaign that delivered well beyond expectation. Well done.
SILVER WINNER:
Smarts
Zalando Greenhouse: Growing a Sustainable Future for Fashion
BEST USE OF DIGITAL AND SOCIAL MEDIA
GOLD WINNER:
Smarts
Connecting the Community: Global Bartenders in Lockdown
This campaign stood out as the ideal mix of brand messaging and being properly useful, and supportive of your audience. Using the switch from in-person to virtual to build a global audience was the perfect serve for this campaign.
SILVER WINNER:
Morrow Communications
AIB Presents Movies and Mortgages, the Web Series!
BEST USE OF CONTENT
GOLD WINNER:
JComms
Carl and Ulster Bank Check In & Chat
This campaign was a real favourite amongst the judging panel. Not only was the creative execution utterly brilliant, and the wraparound plan to drive social reach and media coverage solid, but the judges were particularly impressed by the level of insights used – to both identify the target audience, and inform influencer selection, to ensure both the messaging and content landed as intended. A great campaign, and a richly deserved Gold award winner.
SILVER WINNER:
Morrow Communications
AIB Presents Movies and Mortgages, the Web Series!
BEST EVENT
GOLD WINNER:
Brown O’Connor Communications
Trade NI’s Day of London Engagements
A great event targeted at some high-level politicians across the UK to address an important problem. The event was well planned and brought together all the key players focussing on a day of Northern Ireland engagement in London with a reception at No10 hosted by the UK Prime Minister. This event did highlight the challenges facing NI and is a deserved gold winner.
SILVER WINNER:
Morrow Communications
AIB Presents Movies and Mortgages, Live and Online
BEST COVID RESPONSE
GOLD WINNER:
MW Advocate & JComms
#FightBack
#fightback encapsulates everything this category was created for. Simple, effective messaging, bold proactivity and useful content delivered when it was needed most. The fact that two competing agencies banded together for the campaign embodies all the good that came out of 2020.
Case study
SILVER WINNER:
Morrow Communications
AIB Presents Movies and Mortgages, the Web Series!
BEST STAFF WELLBEING INITIATIVE
GOLD WINNER:
Belfast City Council
One Billion Steps Challenge
A textbook multi-faceted campaign that touched on comms, employee engagement, and wellbeing objectives by inspiring employees to get out and about. The activity illustrated the true power of comms to connect people.
ISSUES, CRISIS OR REPUTATION MANAGEMENT
GOLD WINNER:
Lighthouse Communications
Against all odds
The entries in this category were close but this was a clear gold winner for its planning delivery and evaluation. Key to its success was having a full crisis management strategy in place which was quickly implemented and working well at each stage. the tactics were spot on and the campaign was evaluated with a measurement that looked to wider business objectives and performance, while also including qualitative and quantitative goals across both offline and online. A great piece of crisis management and a Gold winner.
SILVER WINNER:
Morrow Communications
A spotlight on small-scale wind in NI
BEST PUBLICATION
GOLD WINNER:
Housing Executive
Housing Executive – Streets Ahead 2020
In a review of 2020, you might expect a publication to focus purely on stories from the pandemic or health and safety messages, and, whilst the Housing Executive certainly made mention of what’s been a challenging year, they didn’t let it dominate their year-in-review. Instead, they produced a balanced issue, packed with stories, stats, and facts about both how services have continued to be delivered and employees have gone above and beyond for residents this year, as well as checking in on residents and looking to the future. Judges were impressed by the bright, vivid design, the environmental focus in production, the variety and creativity of the stories told, and the impact it’s had. Congratulations on your Gold award.
SILVER WINNER:
Belfast City Council
City Matters
OUTSTANDING YOUNG COMMUNICATOR OF THE YEAR
GOLD WINNER:
Jessica Fok
Turley
Jessica is a practitioner with ethics and integrity at the heart of her practice. She has demonstrated that she is carving herself a niche in the world of planning consultation working across the island of Ireland navigating different rules and regulations, transforming the delivery of public consultations, and achieving positive results on behalf of her clients. Ultimately, Jessica works in an extremely professional environment and is a confident communicator who is advancing her professional and personal development, and judges are agreed that she is a rising star in public relations.
Case study
SILVER WINNER:
Amy Black
Portview
INDEPENDENT PR PRACTITIONER OF THE YEAR
GOLD WINNER:
Maurica Mackle Chart.PR, FCIPR
Mackle Communications
A solid operator with a strong commitment to professional development and a thorough approach to partner choice. It’s been a hard time for independents, and Mackle has weathered the storm admirably.
Case study
SMALL PR CONSULTANCY OF THE YEAR
GOLD WINNER:
Brown O’Connor Communications
It was a close-run thing in this region but Brown O’Connor just edged it because of the range of services the agency turned its hand to as it pivoted through COVID. The agency has a strong niche offer, and the growth over the three years it’s been operating is strong. Its founders give back too – they’re active within the CIPR in the region, as well as within various social enterprises. And finally, the agency may be relatively young, but it’s building a stellar client list.
Case study
SILVER WINNER:
Clearbox
PR CONSULTANCY OF THE YEAR
GOLD WINNER:
Morrow Communications
The judges were impressed by the embedding of the PRCA CMS accreditation into the business strategy. There was an excellent strategic approach to client retention and new client wins, helping mitigate the effects of the pandemic. A sustained and nuanced approach was shown to staff CPD and the progress made on equality, diversity, and inclusion was excellent. The campaign showed strong creativity with deep thinking on measurement and evaluation.
Case study
SILVER WINNER:
Smarts