The IPR PRide Awards 2004/5: West of England - Award winners pick up their accolades

Corixa demonstrated that it can regularly produce quality, targeted and well-evaluated campaigns. The team has had a very successful 12 months, attracting some impressive brand names and building and strengthening client relationships - such as their impressive one with brewer Greene King - which will lead to better client retention in the future. With all of its work, the agency shows a consistent and imaginative approach that delivers excellent results. A key feature of the agency is value for money, and the team is impressive with what it can achieve on modest budgets. A newly created training and internal communications programme, The Corixa Masters, which set out best practice for performance, also impressed the judges, ensuring that everyone is encouraged to continually improve knowledge and skills.

GOLD AWARD - PR Team of the Year - In-house - Wiltshire County Council

In this entry, the Wiltshire County Council in-house team demonstrated just how enterprising a committed, enthusiastic group can be. Working mainly with small budgets, it has time and again produced imaginative and quality initiatives to communicate to its range of target audiences. The judges were particularly impressed with the small team's proactive, resourceful approach and, above all, its ability to deliver. The tone of its messages for different groups was well-defined and results were simply outstanding. The team has received positive feedback from the people it serves, both for its excellent magazine and its community-based People of Wiltshire Awards, which sought to recognise and promote outstanding contributions to life in the county. Its efforts demonstrate exactly what good PR can achieve.

GOLD AWARD - Grand Prix - BCLO

This was a truly excellent piece of PR creativity and communication. That was the view of the judges as they put this Valentine's Day campaign for the Mango Association at the top of the pile. The panel remarked that it could imagine the BCLO PR team scratching their heads when this brief landed on their desks. The question that would have been on everyone's lips - how on earth do you promote a mango? - needed some lateral thinking. Yet the results of the Valentine's Day campaign, especially given the budget the team had to play with, were excellent - and this was also true of the coverage.

Throughout the programme, the images used were colourful and they clearly told the reader the story with the need of very few words. All in all, this was well worthy of the Grand Prix award.

PUBLIC SECTOR PROGRAMME

SILVER AWARD - HARRISON COWLEY

Raising the Profile of Wessex RFCA (Wessex RFCA)

There was a feel-good factor about this campaign, plus lots of evidence that the ideas worked. The judges felt it was well thought out and well executed.

SILVER AWARD - HARRISON COWLEY

Launch of the Netregs Website (The UK's Environmental Regulators)

A fine campaign from the agency that met all the criteria. It generated good coverage and quality column inches. Excellence in all aspects.

ISSUES OR CRISIS MANAGEMENT CAMPAIGN

SILVER AWARD - FIRST SOUTH & WALES

Employment of Polish Drivers

The recruitment of 32 Poles because of a shortage of drivers to drive buses in Bristol could have been a controversial issue. First's in-house PR team set themselves clear objectives, such as avoiding hostile press coverage and communicating with existing staff. The agency's decision to train some of the new drivers for media interviews was a good one. An excellent campaign.

CHARITY OR NON-PROFIT CAMPAIGN

GOLD AWARD - JBP PR

Launch of Babe's Big Appeal

Having acquired permission to use the popular Babe name and image, the campaign to raise funds for a children's hospice near Bristol used this licence to best effect with strong visual material and appealing merchandise. A great deal of imagination and creativity has gone into the campaign.

SILVER AWARD - GRAYLING

Great Bristol Reading Adventure (Bristol Cultural Development Partnership)

An extremely well thought-out and professionally executed campaign with immediate 'pick up and read' appeal. The book title The Day of the Triffids was inspired and used to great effect.The planning, research and the quality of the media information was excellent.

INTEGRATED PR CAMPAIGN

GOLD AWARD - MONTPELLIER MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS GROUP

Young Officers Campaign (Territorial Army)

This entry showed a very thorough mix of integrated techniques. The use of cinema advertising and event sponsorship - alongside media relations, direct mail and a dedicated website - particularly struck the judges as a strategic response to a challenging brief.

SILVER AWARD - HARRISON COWLEY

Territorial Army - Spring Recruiting Surge (Wessex RFCA)

A campaign that demonstrated excellent use of above and below-the-line marketing techniques to promote this vital recruitment drive.

BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS CAMPAIGN

GOLD AWARD - TARGET PR

Builders from Heaven (Jewson)

Good-quality materials and careful research ensured this campaign hit clear objectives within a realistic budget. Media partnership with the Daily Mirror guaranteed a high profile. Neatly conceived, using well-executed campaign materials.

SILVER AWARD - JBP PR

Raising the Awareness of Greenaways Among the South West Financial Community

JBP created an opportunity to recognise the work that companies do. This was an outstanding entry that showed a good understanding of how to grab the attention of a difficult audience.

NEWSLETTER

GOLD AWARD - HARRISON COWLEY

LINK South West (South West RDA/Business Link

This superb entry was researched, designed and written well. The overall standard of this publication impressed all the judges, who are sure it will be read by a range of partner organisations. Evidence from readers shows they enjoy the magazine and want to continue receiving it.

SILVER AWARD - WILTSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Wiltshire Magazine

A good-looking publication that has received positive feedback from readers. The judges were impressed by both the design and content, which highlighted many of the council's services, as well as people and news in the county. The entry detailed very good research and a clear strategy. It has great distribution channels, making good use of existing council mechanisms.

CONSUMER CAMPAIGN

GOLD AWARD - GRAYLING

Building Confused.com's Brand (Confused.com)

Grayling played an integral role in raising the profile of the company's site with an excellent campaign. It showed PR to be a highly effective tool in generating business.

SILVER AWARD - BCLO

British Asparagus Season 2004 (British Asparagus Growers)

SILVER AWARD - MONTPELLIER MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS GROUP

Hip Hooray (Joint Replacement Instrumentation)

LOW BUDGET CAMPAIGN

GOLD AWARD - BCLO

Valentine's Day Campaign (The Mango Association)

What an excellent piece of PR creativity and communication was the view of the judges. The results, given the budget, was excellent.

SILVER AWARD - GRAYLING PR

D-Day 60 (English Heritage)

SILVER AWARD - TARGET PR

MFS - 16th Birthday Party (Midland Fertility Services)

SILVER AWARD - WILTSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

People of Wiltshire Awards

TRADE OR TECHNICAL CAMPAIGN

SILVER AWARD - MONTPELLIER MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS GROUP

Tune into FM (FSI - FM Solutions)

The campaign was highly successful in attracting a quality audience to the launch event, which was well branded and given a high degree of credibility owing to the calibre of the presenters. The panel thought that the various elements of the programme came together in a cohesive manner, and generated a decent level of media coverage. A worthy winner.

RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME

SILVER AWARD - CORIXA COMMUNICATIONS

Greene King Pub Company

This entry from the Corixa team clearly demonstrated how an evolving, long-term relationship can benefit both the client and the agency. It also showed how a good mix of PR activities had been used during the seven-year campaign to target specific markets and help turn a 'sleepy' regional family brewing company into a leading UK pub company.

CORPORATE AND FINANCIAL CAMPAIGN

GOLD AWARD - HARRISON COWLEY

The UK's Largest IFA Recruitment Campaign (Thomson's Group )

This entry demonstrated the team's ability to set clear and multiple objectives, make good use of research and identify target markets and key messages. It showed an understanding of the need to back up press meetings with news and of the news agenda in a niche area. A successful campaign that increased the profile of the client.

YOUNG COMMUNICATOR

WINNER - AKOFA WALLACE - PAPILLON PUBLICITY

The judges were impressed by the exuberance and energy Wallace brings to the accounts she manages, and in how she identifies, develops and sells great stories for clients. Her creativity in bringing together local prison gardening volunteers with her garden product distributor client achieved a showcase at the Chelsea Flower Show and national media exposure.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - JAYNE ROBINSON - BCLO

Robinson has demonstrated great maturity and confidence in running complex, integrated comms programmes since joining BCLO.

- All finalists can be found at www.ipr.org.uk/prideawards.