Inside the winning campaigns of Ragan's 2013 PR Daily Awards

Amazing! Clever! Inspiring! Resourceful! 

That’s just a sampling of the exclamations the judges uttered when reading through this year’s entries for the PR Daily Awards!

Companies from around the world, large and small, shared with us their best work from this past year in hopes of taking home the top prize. Each of the companies listed below showed us truly innovative and successful tactics. 

It is with great joy that we share their work with you in this Special Edition of PR Daily! We congratulate each of the winners and honorable mentions for a job well done. 

To all those that entered, we thank you for being a part of the PR Daily community and look forward to seeing where you push our ever growing industry next year. 

And now, without further ado, the winners of the 2013 PR Daily Awards.

TRADITIONAL

Best Crisis Management

WINNER
Peak Communicators for Canada West Veterinary Specialists (CWVS)

Honorable Mentions

  • Brinker International, Inc.
  • Hellerman Baretz Communications for Capitol Petroleum Group
  • MAVERICK for the Toronto Eaton Centre
  • Planit for Chesapeake Shakespeare Company

Best External Publication

WINNER
Florida Realtors

Honorable Mentions

  • Adfero Group for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation
  • Broward Health/Fort Lauderdale Media Associates
  • KCETLink
  • Lahra Carey Media & Communications for Quest Serviced Apartments
  • UCB, Inc. with Biosector 2
  • UMass Lowell Office of University Relations

Best Infographic

WINNER
Weber Shandwick for NIKE, Inc.

Honorable Mentions

  • Gregory FCA for CA Technologies
  • GroundFloor Media for Oskar Blues Brewery
  • InkHouse Media + Marketing for Bullhorn
  • Matter Communications
  • MSR Communications for CPP
  • NASPE/AAHPERD
  • Slingshot SEO for HCC Medical Insurance Services
  • Version 2.0 Communications for Acme Packet
  • VerticalResponse 

Best Op-Ed Piece

WINNER
The Marcus Group Inc. and The U.S. Department of Labor

Honorable Mentions

  • Fifth Ring Inc. for Raytheon Professional Services
  • Gregory FCA for CAST Software
  • Noble Strategic Partners for the Smoke-Free Texas coalition
  • Version 2.0 Communications for the Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies
  • Weiss PR, Inc. for SECU Credit Union

Best PR White Paper

WINNER
Varsity

Honorable Mention

  • Walker Sands Communications for Infogroup

Best Product Launch

WINNER
RF|Binder for McGraw-Hill Education

Honorable Mentions

  • Alpaytac Marketing Communications/Public Relations for CardNinja
  • BlackBerry
  • Child's Play Communications for Reading Rainbow
  • Konnect PR for Pure Fix Cycles
  • NYU Langone Medical Center
  • Version 2.0 Communications for Panjiva
  • Walker Sands Communications for HarperCollins

Best Publicity Campaign

WINNER
Ketchum for DoubleTree by Hilton

Honorable Mentions

  • Cantor Fitzgerald and its affiliate BGC Partners, Inc.
  • Citrix
  • Hollander van der Mey for the Dutch Video on Demand Association
  • Symantec Corp./Connect Marketing for Symantec Corp.
  • University of Utah Health Sciences

Best Speech

WINNER
U.S. Green Building Council

Honorable Mentions

  • Diageo North America
  • Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
  • Zipcar

Best Traditional Campaign

WINNER
BlackBerry

Honorable Mentions

  • 2K Games
  • Affect for Radware
  • CRT/tanaka for Cambria Suites
  • GreenRubino for Washington State Fruit Commission
  • Grow Marketing for Birkenstock USA, LP
  • RF|Binder for Abine
  • RF|Binder for Ameriprise Financial
  • Weber Shandwick for Mars Chocolate North America

Best Traditional Campaign

WINNER
RF|Binder for the NYU Stern School of Business

Honorable Mentions

  • 2K Games
  • Affect for Radware
  • CRT/tanaka for Cambria Suites
  • GreenRubino for Washington State Fruit Commission
  • Grow Marketing for Birkenstock USA, LP
  • RF|Binder for Abine
  • RF|Binder for Ameriprise Financial
  • Weber Shandwick for Mars Chocolate North America

Best Traditional News Release

WINNER
Gregory FCA for CAST Software

Honorable Mentions

  • Hunter Public Relations for Arby's Restaurant Group, Inc.
  • Primum Marketing Communications for MRPC

DIGITAL/SOCIAL MEDIA

Best Blog

WINNER
General Electric

Honorable Mentions

  • Adfero Group for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation
  • Kaiser Permanente
  • MD Anderson Cancer Center
  • MSR Communications for Bluewolf
  • PATH
  • Walmart

Best Electronic Newsletter

WINNER
Hunter Public Relations

Honorable Mentions

  • Diageo North America
  • M/C/C for Harris CapRock
  • The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
  • U.S. Department of Labor
  • Westbound Communications for San Bernardino Associated Governments

Best Email Pitch

WINNER
Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District

Honorable Mentions

  • Ketchum for DoubleTree by Hilton 
  • LS2group for the Ford Motor Company

Best Facebook Page

WINNER
MD Anderson Cancer Center

Honorable Mentions

  • Gregory FCA for Friendly Planet Travel
  • Marketing Support Inc. for Adobe Echosign
  • Piedmont Healthcare
  • The Marcus Group, Inc. for Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L)

Best Location-Based Campaign

WINNER
Dotted Line Communications for Ask.com

Honorable Mentions

  • MWW for McDonald's
  • National Car Rental

Best Mobile Strategy and/or Campaign

WINNER
appsasia for The Korean Mobile Internet Business Association (MOIBA)

Best Online Newsroom

WINNER
MWW for Nikon, Inc.

Honorable Mention

  • Powell Tate

Best Podcast

WINNER
Dixon Schwabl for Greater Rochester Enterprise

Honorable Mention

  • MD Anderson Cancer Center

Best PR Video

WINNER
Canyon Communications for Rain for Rent

Honorable Mentions

  • M/C/C for Chuck E. Cheese's
  • The Nebraska Medical Center

Best Social Media Campaign

WINNER
Bailey Lauerman

Honorable Mentions

  • CRT/tanaka for BISSELL Homecare, Inc.
  • Lynn University
  • M/C/C for Chuck E. Cheese's
  • MSLGROUP, MSL China for Alpenliebe, Perfetti Van Melle
  • Mullen for Century 21 Real Estate LLC
  • MWW for Nikon, Inc.
  • Walmart

Best Tweet of the Year

WINNER
Dixon Schwabl for the Heritage Classic Foundation for the RBC Heritage

Honorable Mention

  • GroundFloor Media for Oskar Blues Brewery

Best Use of Twitter

WINNER
Arketi Group for the Technology Association of Georgia

Honorable Mentions

  • CerconeBrownCompany for Seventh Generation
  • The Mx Group for JMC Steel Group
  • U.S. Department of Labor

Best Viral or Word of Mouth Campaign

WINNER
The Impetus Agency for American Pet Products Association

Honorable Mentions

  • Feather River Hospital
  • The Nature Conservancy

Best Website Launch

WINNER
The Coca-Cola Company

Honorable Mentions

  • American Automobile Association (AAA)
  • Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute
  • CRT/tanaka for the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council
  • Intellectual Ventures
  • University of Utah Health Sciences

ANNUAL REPORT

Best Annual Report

WINNER
University of Utah Health Sciences

Honorable Mentions

  • Concurrent Technologies Corporation
  • OCC
  • The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
  • Waggener Edstrom Worldwide

BRANDING AND MARKETING

Best Branding Campaign

WINNER
RF|Binder for Band Aid Brand

Honorable Mentions

  • Alpaytac Marketing Communications/Public Relations for Turkish Airlines
  • BlackBerry
  • Ketchum for DoubleTree by Hilton
  • Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District
  • Piedmont Healthcare with Tailfin Marketing and Big Table Agency
  • RF|Binder for Band Aid Brand
  • Susan Magrino Agency for Hendrick's Gin

Best Cause-Related Marketing

WINNER
Cantor Fitzgerald and its affiliate BGC Partners, Inc.

Honorable Mentions

  • Bailey Lauerman
  • California Earthquake Authority and American Red Cross
  • Flagger Force Traffic Control Services
  • NYC Human Resources Administration (HRA)
  • The Children's Medical Center of Dayton
  • The U.S. Green Building Council

Best Content Marketing/Brand Journalism

WINNER
Gregory FCA for Yoh

Honorable Mentions

  • rbb Public Relations
  • Securities America

Best Event Marketing

WINNER
RF|Binder for Band Aid Brand

Honorable Mentions

  • Dittoe Public Relations for the Western Golf Association (WGA)
  • Global Gateway Advisors and Polylog PR for the National Business Center for APEC in Moscow
  • Hollander van der Mey for the Dutch Video on Demand Association
  • Ketchum for DoubleTree by Hilton
  • King County, Washington
  • Peppercomm for Tyco

COMMUNITY RELATIONS/SPECIAL CAMPAIGNS

Best Community Relations Campaign

WINNER
Bullfrog & Baum and Diageo North America

Honorable Mentions

  • Ameren Missouri
  • Bailey Lauerman
  • Effect PR for TTNET
  • Griffin Strategies Inc. for LBJ Express
  • O'Malley Hansen Communications for HanesBrands Inc.

Best Corporate Social Responsibility

WINNER
PR Newswire & Mullen Advertising for Men's Wearhouse

Honorable Mentions

  • Abshire Public Relations for Parker's
  • CRT/tanaka for Charles Schwab Foundation
  • Diageo North America
  • Effect PR for TTNET
  • Pioneer Services, a Division of MidCountry Bank
  • PR Partners for Walmart de Mexico y Centroamerica (Walmart Mexico and Central America)
  • Weber Shandwick for Vital Voices and Bank of America

Best Fitness/Health Campaign

WINNER
MWW for McDonald's

Honorable Mentions

  • American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
  • Hollander van der Mey for the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare & Sports
  • NYC Human Resources Administration (HRA)
  • Peak Communicators for the Canadian Diabetes Association
  • University of Michigan Health System Public Relations and Marketing Communications for University of Michigan Transplant Center

Best Green Initiative

WINNER
Walmart

Honorable Mentions

  • Dixon Schwabl for Zotos International Inc.
  • Ogilvy Washington for LG Electronics
  • O'Malley Hansen Communications for HanesBrands Inc.
  • Suasion Communications Group for Concord Suites
  • The U.S. Green Building Council

TALENT

Best Client of the Year

WINNER
Babiators, submitted by Konnect PR

Honorable Mentions

  • DoubleTree by Hilton, submitted by Ketchum
  • Avigilon, submitted by Peak Communicators

Best PR Team

WINNER
Dixon Schwabl

Honorable Mentions

  • Aflac
  • American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
  • Florida Realtors
  • USACE Galveston District

Lifetime Achievement Award

WINNER
Ilene Adler, Vantage PR

PR Rookie of the Year

WINNER
Reina Porritt, Minnesota Sports & Entertainment

Honorable Mentions

  • Jackie Gogel, Cognito
  • Brandy Stone, Konnect PR
  • Amber Rice, Noble Strategic Partners Inc.

GRAND PRIZE

Grand Prize: Best PR Campaign of the Year

GRAND PRIZE
Murphy O'Brien Public Relations for Mukul Beach, Golf & Spa

Honorable Mentions

  • Cantor Fitzgerald and its affiliate BGC Partners, Inc.
  • Griffin Strategies Inc. for LBJ Express
  • Hollander van der Mey for the Dutch Video on Demand Association
  • National Safe Boating Council
  • Peppercomm for T.G.I. Friday's
  • RF|Binder for Band Aid Brand
  • The Communications Group Inc. (tcgpr) for Skyline International Development Inc.
  • The Nature Conservancy