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Minnesota PRSA celebrated the best public relations campaigns of 2011 during the 34th annual Minnesota PRSA Classics Awards, at Windows on Minnesota in downtown Minneapolis. The awards banquet, emceed by KARE 11 reporter Jana Shortal and Joel Swanson, president of Risdall Public Relations, was attended by more than 250 public relations and communications professionals from area agencies, corporations and nonprofit organizations, as well as independent practitioners.

This year’s Best of Show award was presented to Caribou Coffee and Exponent PR for “Caribou Coffee Plants Hope with Amy’s Garden.” Caribou Coffee, the nation’s second-largest premium coffeehouse, has a very personal connection to breast cancer. Amy Erickson, one of Caribou’s original roastmasters, lost her battle with breast cancer in 1995. In her honor, Caribou created Amy’s Blend and brings it back every October to help raise money for a cure. To offset “pinkwashing,” Exponent PR leveraged Caribou’s personal connection to breast cancer and executed a comprehensive, events-led, cause-related program to help find a cure. In 2011, Caribou presented Susan G. Komen with the single largest company donation in Caribou Coffee’s history.

 

Programs

Programs awards honor the best overall public relations campaigns

  • Community Relations (Business/Industry): Preparing Parents to be More Effective Driving Instructors State Farm with Weber Shandwick
  • Community Relations (Government/Nonprofit): Fixing a Hole in Minnesota Music Education Vega Productions with Fast Horse
  • Institutional Programs (Business/Industry): Brewing Hope with Amy’s Garden Caribou Coffee with Exponent PR
  • Institutional Programs (Government/Nonprofit): IEEE Increases Understanding for How Engineering Benefits Humanity IEEE with Weber Shandwick
  • Special Events/Observances (Less than Seven Days – Business/Industry): Mr. Bubble’s 50th Birthday Bubble Bash The Village Company with Axiom Marketing Communications
  • Special Events/Observances (Less than Seven Days – Government/Nonprofit): Carmichael Lynch Spong Helps Celebrate Made in MN & Its Homegrown Heroes The Page Education Foundation with Carmichael Lynch Spong
  • Special Events/Observances (More than Seven Days – Business/Industry): Caribou Coffee Plants Hope with Amy’s Garden Caribou Coffee with Exponent PR
  • Special Events/Observances (More than Seven Days – Government/Nonprofit): Oink Outings – Ask a Farmer. Feed a Family Minnesota Pork with Weber Shandwick
  • Public Service (Business/Industry): Engaging Consumers to Support Their Favorite Non-Profit: State Farm Go to Bat State Farm with Weber Shandwick
  • Public Service (Government/Nonprofit): Donate Life Minnesota Hospital Campaign LifeSource/Minnesota Hospital Association
  • Public Affairs (Business/Industry): Power of the Pint Delivers a Toast for Surly Surly Brewing with One Simple Plan
  • Public Affairs (Government/Nonprofit): Vaccination FACTS: Raising a Voice for Minnesota Children Children’s Hospitals/Clinics of MN with Weber Shandwick 
  • Marketing Services (New – Budget Less Than $75,000): Tilia – Setting a Table for Success Tilia with Fast Horse 
  • Marketing Services (Established – Budget More Than $75,000): Save-A-Lot Hits the Road to Show How to Fuel Your Family for Less Save-A-Lot with Carmichael Lynch Spong
  • Marketing Products (New – Budget Greater Than $75,000): The Music of American Girl: Partnering in Perfect Harmony American Girl with Weber Shandwick
  • Marketing Products (Established – Budget Greater Than $75,000): Remember Memorex? It’s Back and Streaming Live! Memorex with Padilla Speer Beardsley
  • International Public Relations: Raising IEEE’s Profile from Sao Paolo to Shanghai IEEE with Weber Shandwick
  • Crisis/Issues Management (Business/Industry): Defending the SweeTango Pepin Heights Orchard with Fast Horse 
  • Crisis/Issues Management (Government/Nonprofit): Averting a Clash of Religion and Rock ‘n’ Roll Basilica of St. Mary with Padilla Speer Beardsley
  • Integrated Communications (Products): Jennie-O Creates Turkey Burger Converts One Switch at a Time Jennie-O Turkey Store with Carmichael Lynch Spong/BBDO/Proximity/PhD 
  • Integrated Communications (Services): Save-A-Lot Hits the Road to Show How to Fuel Your Family for Less Save-A-Lot with Carmichael Lynch Spong
  • Industry Campaign of the Year (Consumer Products): SweeTango: A Bumper Crop of Buzz Next Big Thing with Fast Horse
  • Industry Campaign of the Year (Consumer Services): Save-A-Lot Hits the Road to Show How to Fuel Your Family for Less Save-A-Lot with Carmichael Lynch Spong
  • Industry Campaign of the Year (Technology): IEEE Increases Understanding for how Engineering Benefits Humanity IEEE with Weber Shandwick
  • Industry Campaign of the Year (B2B): 7 Billion Reasons for Science-Powered Innovation DuPont Crop Protection with Exponent PR
  • Industry Campaign of the Year (Health Care): Inspiring a Generation of Beautiful Minds DSM Nutritional Products with Carmichael Lynch Spong
  • Campaign of the Year (Nonprofit): Pedaling to Mainstream Bikes Belong with Exponent PR

 

Elements

Elements Awards recognize outstanding individual components or tactics

  • Brochures: Pet Slim Down Nestlé Purina with Exponent PR
  • Multimedia: Coca-Cola Goes Around the World in a Day Coca-Cola with Fast Horse
  • Annual Reports (Business/Industry): 2010 Annual Report, Focused on Growth St. Jude Medical with Blue Hot Creative
  • Annual Reports (Government/Nonprofit): Transformation – Minnesota Zoo Annual Report Minnesota Zoo
  • Newsletters: Pro Views: A View From Andersen Windows Lemke Anderson with Andersen Windows
  • Magazines (External): Innovations – Starkey Hearing Technologies Starkey Hearing Technologies
  • Media Relations (Business/Industry – Budget Less Than $75,000): SweeTango’s Bumper Crop Dances Off Shelves Next Big Thing with Fast Horse
  • Media Relations (Business/Industry – Budget More Than $75,000): Inspiring a Generation of Beautiful Minds DSM Nutritional Products with Carmichael Lynch Spong
  • Media Relations (Government/Nonprofit): An Uphill Ride for Awareness Bikes Belong with Exponent PR
  • Feature Writing: Pediatric Nurses Make Cancer Less Scary IBA Particle Therapy with Exponent PR
  • Technical Writing: Drilling for Thought Leadership Rockwell Automation with Padilla Speer Beardsley
  •  Speech Writing: Changing the Game, One Bowl at a Time: Malt-O-Meal CEO Presents at Carlson First Tuesday Malt-O-Meal with Kohnstamm Communications
  • Websites: Engaging Boomers to Explore and Elevate Their Brain Health Online DSM Nutritional Products with Carmichael Lynch Spong
  • Evaluation: Measuring a Recipe for Success Land O’Lakes with Exponent PR
  • Social Media: CITGO: Fueling Good One Mile at a Time CITGO with Carmichael Lynch Spong
  • Creative Tactics: Remember Memorex? It’s Back and Streaming Live! Memorex with Padilla Speer Beardsley