Public Relations Awards

Strategic Public Relations Group (SPRG) of Hong Kong won a Grand Stevie Award for being among the top 10 overall winners, including three Gold Stevie® Awards, in The 2013 International Business Awards.  Among the agency's Gold Stevie wins was for Public Relations Agency of the Year (China, Japan, and Korea) in the PR awards categories.  The early-bird entry deadline for the The 2014 International Business Awards, the world’s premier business competition, is April 16. Get your entry kit here

We asked SPRG’s Chairman, Richard Tsang, what has made his agency so successful in the Hong Kong and Asia-Pacific markets.

Richard Tsang founded SPRG in 1995, at the age of 29, with just four employees. Within a relatively brief period, he successfully transformed the agency into one of the largest PR networks in Asia, with nine regional offices employing 300 professionals. SPRG is now the largest PR consultancy in Hong Kong (with a 150-strong workforce), and currently serves 300 retainer clients in Asia, including over 160 listed companies.

Retaining Staff and Clients

“One of the keys to operating a successful PR agency is a stable workforce,” Richard told us. “And such stability can only come through trust, which is why members of SPRG’s senior management are afforded full autonomy to run their business, while benefiting from the Group’s resources.”

The overall staff retention rate at SPRG was an impressive 80% in 2013, despite high turnover and aggressive headhunting in the Hong Kong communications industry. All 22 assistant director-grade or above staff have remained loyal to the Group–with each having served SPRG for over 12 years on average.

To convey SPRG’s philosophy, vision, and goals, Richard personally welcomes new staff members on board during bi-annual meetings. “A stable workforce helps us build long-term relationships with our clients,” Richard explained. “80% of the clients that we secured during the first three years of SPRG’s establishment are still with us today. These long-standing relationships really mean a lot. I sincerely believe that we not only help clients climb to the top of their fields, but that we also grow along with them.”

Some of SPRG’s retainer clients include adidas Golf-TaylorMade, Air China, Automobili Lamborghini Asia Pacific, CFA Institute, China Mengniu, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Eli Lilly (Taiwan), FOX International Channels, Google China, GSK, Hasbro Singapore, Hong Kong Deposit Protection Board, KFC, Lenovo, LG Electronics, Lindt, Logitech, P&G, Nestle China, Ronald McDonald House Charities Taiwan, and UC Rusal.

IPO Specialist

SPRG continues to be No. 1 in the IPO market in Hong Kong, having completed 26 new listings in 2013 alone. The Group has devised a number of pioneering campaigns for its clients, including the listing of the top fast-moving fashion group in Asia and of the largest housewares retail chain in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Macau.

An Independent with Worldwide Contacts

In addition to helping clients from Asia reach out to the world, SPRG also works closely with partners to provide their overseas clients with professional services, thus enabling them to be in touch with Asia.

“While mergers and acquisitions have become more prevalent among PR agencies, I like SPRG to remain independent,” commented Richard. “We are affiliated with some of the best independent PR agencies in the world, many of which are leaders in their respective countries.”

SPRG is a partner of PROI Worldwide, the world’s oldest and largest independent PR affiliation network. Together with its member companies and partners, it has coverage of more than 110 cities around the world. To promote experience-sharing and regional business cooperation, SPRG established a taskforce responsible for selecting the appropriate office or team to work with member companies and worldwide partners.

Awards and Accolades

As a PR veteran, SPRG is no stranger to industry recognition. The award-winning agency captured several accolades in 2013, including 10 Stevie® Awards, and was named Local Hero–Public Relations Agency of the Year (for the fourth consecutive year) and one of the Top Ten PR Agencies in Singapore by Marketing magazine, along with other international and regional awards for client-related campaigns.

Still other agency-specific awards that SPRG has won over the years include Asia Pacific Network of the Year (SPRG became the first independent agency in Asia to ever win the award), Greater China Independent Agency of the Year, Hong Kong Consultancy of the Year, and Best Financial PR Firm–Asia.

“We are truly grateful for receiving the Stevie Awards, among others,” Richard noted. “The Group has been increasing its participation in local, regional, and international industry awards, and the fruits of our efforts include over 30 accolades in 2013, with 2014 already proving to be another successful year. Through such strong showings, we trust that not only the Group, but also our client campaigns will gain the international recognition that they deserve.”

To extend award-winning success in the Asia-Pacific region, the Stevie Awards recently announced the 2014 Asia-Pacific Stevie® Awards, the first business awards program to recognize achievement in business throughout the entire Asia-Pacific region. Find out how to enter here.

About Richard Tsang

Richard Tsang, Founder and Chairman of SPRG, is an investor relations/PR veteran with over 25 years of experience. He founded SPRG in 1995 and it is now one of the largest PR networks in Asia and the largest PR consultancy in Hong Kong.

Richard holds over 40 board, committee, and advisory positions in business organisations, religious associations, NGOs, and academic institutions. He serves as Chairman of Global Development Group, APAC Region, of PROI Worldwide.

Accolades that Richard has earned include the 2003 “Young Entrepreneur Award” by DHL/SCMP Hong Kong Business Awards; “Excellence in Achievement of World Chinese Youth Entrepreneurs”, presented by Yazhou Zhoukan and World Federation of Chinese Entrepreneurs Organisation in 2009; and “Outstanding Individual Achievement” at the 2012 Asia-Pacific SABRE Awards.

About Strategic Public Relations Group

As one of the largest PR networks in Asia—and the largest PR consultancy in Hong Kong—SPRG is a specialist in public relations, investor relations, and financial communications, and a trusted corporate and marketing communications leader. For further information, go to www.sprg.asia/

Kevin Read, Managing Director of Bell Pottinger Business & Brand in London, U.K., will Chair the Corporate Communications Awards and PR Awards Final Judging Committee in The 2013 International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards competition. (Judging for the 2013 IBAs is now underway and we invite you to apply to be a preliminary-round judge. If you qualify, you will be able to judge over the Internet at your convenience.) Here we talked with Kevin about his thoughts on the world of international communications.

As managing director of an international public relations company, what advice do you have for corporations on how PR can solve international communications challenges?
One of the great strengths of PR consultants, especially those involved with international work, is that they can simplify the way that global corporations seek to express themselves. Equally, they are past masters of finding solutions that will illustrate the core points of a business’s products and services.

Many corporations—even significant global brands—need PR consultants to help them distil and deliver crucial messages to their target audience. Highly experienced PR professional are culturally sensitive to the ways in which a message needs to be delivered.  They are acutely aware of the modern need to balance the emotional with the rational, and the visual with the verbal.

What item of news recently caught your eye and why?
I have been fascinated by the recent business news about the appointment of a Canadian as the new Governor of the Bank of England, one of the most traditional and conservative positions in the world. The media—with a little help from the Chancellor of the Exchequer—chose to portray Mark Carney both as the best man in the world for the job and as a new broom for a dusty old institution that has maybe felt too comfortable behind its giant stone walls. As Mr. Carney settles in to the job, it will be fascinating to measure any gains from improved communications with the outside world against the risks of market reactions to more regular interaction.

Do you have a favorite app that you use for business purposes?
One of the great pleasures of working on international PR campaigns is not only visiting many fascinating and vibrant cities but also having the opportunity to sample the cuisine of different cultures. The free and highly reliable OpenTable app has on many occasions—and usually at the last minute—provided me with fantastic recommendations and allowed a very smooth and easy booking process; and the ability to flick back from time to time to see where you last ate in a particular city is a great plus for the next time you visit.

If you could choose another profession, what would it be?
Most of my career in public relations has focused on trying to resolve urgent yet complex communications challenges in different fields.  I’ve frequently had to spend long hours studying a wide range of different topics in order to get up to speed as an expert in each of these fields. I would therefore very much enjoy the opportunity to work within academia where perhaps I could instead focus on just one issue and spend time looking into it in greater depth.  I would like to make a tiny contribution to the world’s total knowledge of one particular subject.

As someone at the top of your profession, what keeps you inspired or makes you hit the ground running in the morning?
There are two things about public relations which I still thoroughly enjoy: the first is coming into the office in the morning and a having a brand new brief land on my desk in an area about which I know very little, then spending the rest of the day trying to unravel the intricacies of something totally new; the second is that I still relish the process of pitching—the ideas, the structure, the performance, and, of course, winning … although it does on rare occasions involve losing.

About Kevin Read:
Kevin is a former political speechwriter and management lecturer. His main focus is on resolving complex, international communications problems, shaping fresh, modern strategies, and implementing integrated solutions that are typically spearheaded by PR.

He has more than 15 years’ senior consultancy experience and specializes in strategic planning and providing senior level business counsel. He has worked extensively for leading global brands (HSBC, British Gas, Unilever), a wide array of industry bodies (nuclear, food, telecommunications, cosmetics, beverages), government departments, NGOs, and professional services firms. 

About Bell Pottinger Private:
Bell Pottinger Private is an international, full-service communications business. The company has business experience in 60 countries, advising world leaders in politics and business, supporting communications executives in every industrial and commercial sector, and managing reputations and brands in every communications medium.  For more information go to www.bell-pottinger.co.uk.

Burson-Marsteller in Sydney, Australia received the Gold Stevie® Award for Best PR Campaign of the Year in Community Relations in the PR awards categories of The 2012 International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards competition. (The entry deadline for the 2013 IBAs is 15 May. If you haven't yet done so, you can request your entry kit here.) Here we look at the surprising way a health message was communicated.

Seven million Australians are estimated to be at serious risk of lung disease, a growing health issue that causes 350,000 hospitalizations in that country annually. The Australian Lung Foundation (ALF) had been trying to educate the public about this problem since 1990, but had been finding it a major challenge.

In 2011, Burson-Marsteller (B-M) encouraged the ALF to try a completely different approach. The result was the “Show Us Your Lungs” campaign, which engaged more Australians, through more mediums, than any ALF campaign before it.

Background
After five years of working with the ALF, B-M wanted to re-invigorate the annual ALF campaign to encourage Australians to take action against the symptoms of lung disease, but felt that a fresh approach was needed to achieve the necessary cut-through in public attention.

The concept that B-M developed embodied a cheeky call to action—“Show Us Your Lungs!”—With a serious message that would resonate with all audiences, but especially health professionals, patient groups, and consumers.

To ensure support from campaign stakeholders, B-M presented the initial strategy and creative concepts to approximately 40 key medical opinion leaders and corporate funding bodies.  It was accepted with resounding applause.

The project was implemented and run between July – October, 2011.

Background Research
In order to highlight the risks to the public of ignoring their lungs, research was undertaken in the form of a survey into general consumer attitudes towards lung health.

Celebrity Stakeholders
High profile Australians were partnered with to communicate key campaign messages, including Australia’s best-known GP, Dr. John D’Arcy, TV vet Dr. Harry Cooper, and actor John Jarratt, star of the popular Australian show Wolf Creek.

Teaser Campaign
B-M directed a quirky teaser video and full-length community service announcement, featuring John Jarratt and a couple of “flashers” in trench coats, who “flashed” people on the street, only to reveal healthy and unhealthy lungs painted on their bodies. These videos spearheaded the digital element of the campaign and were hosted on the ALF YouTube channel.

Using the findings of the initial survey to communicate how many Australians are at risk of lung disease, B-M developed a multi-media news release, which included media materials, research findings, and visual and audio content from the spokespeople. In addition to celebrities, the spokespeople included lung-disease patients and leading medical experts.

Flashing in Public
A public “flashing” event was held to launch the campaign on October 10, 2011. Actors in trench coats “flashed” commuters, revealing their body-painted lungs. This event had the dual purpose of engaging directly with the public to deliver campaign messages, and providing media visuals to support the national and state-based media outreach.

Collateral Material
A range of promotional campaign material was produced that encouraged people to take the ALF’s lung health checklist, visit online resources, and/or seek medical advice.

Outcomes

1. The campaign reached nearly a quarter of all Australians with an estimated reach of 5.5 million. This included 540 pieces of coverage across television, radio, print, and online outlets, including over 3,600 views of the YouTube videos.
2. Traffic to the ALF website doubled during the campaign launch, and there was a huge spike in social media activity.
3. The ALF received feedback from health care providers that there was a significant increase in enquiries about lung health over the duration of the campaign.

About Burson Marsteller Sydney:
Burson-Marsteller Sydney is a leading public relations and public affairs firm that has provided strategic communication services to some of Australia's largest and most reputable companies since 1980.  The agency has the benefit of a global, resource-rich network, while retaining a local, flexible, and nimble offering in Australia, making it a partner of choice to both large and small businesses.

Yulu Public Relations Inc. in Vancouver, Canada, received the Gold Stevie® Award for Best Public Service PR Campaign in the PR awards categories of The 2012 International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards competition. (10 April is the early-bird entry deadline for the 2013 IBAs, take advantage of discounted entry fees for those entries submitted by 10 April, request your entry kit here. Interested in more PR categories? The Stevie Awards now manages the IPRA Golden World Awards, which will be accepting entries through 20 May.) Here we look at Yulu Communications award-winning work for the charity F*ck Cancer.

The communications awards winner, Yulu Public Relations Inc., was recognized by the IBAs for their media relations work with local charity F*ck Cancer’s international campaign titled “The Cancer Talk.”  On winning the award, Yulu’s co-founder Melissa Orozco commented: “When I lived in New York, PR agencies would battle tooth and nail for a Stevie award, so when we received the news that we had won gold, we were ecstatic.” She added: “Our work with F*ck Cancer has been extremely rewarding—and most of all, fun!”

Mission: To Start Talking
F*ck Cancer's objective is to put an end to late-stage cancer diagnosis by educating youth about early cancer detection. The ongoing mission has an ambitious, strong, and clear call-to-action: Empower Generation-Y (aka Millennials) to make a difference in fighting and educating people about cancer. The conversation begins at home with today's youth talking to their parents about early detection. Part of F*ck Cancer's mission through “The Cancer Talk” is to teach them how to get that conversation started.

Stigma
In mid-2011, F*ck Cancer recruited Yulu PR to assist in promoting the organization’s mission to eliminate the stigma and barrier experienced when millennials attempted to talk with their parents about checking regularly for cancer. F*ck Cancer had already spent two years building and executing engaging campaigns aimed at educating youth on ways to broach the subject of cancer with their parents, but the conversation was still an uncomfortable one. The mission with this campaign was to find a way to get the conversation started in a new, more effective way.

Pay It Forward
Inspired by an experience many of us have been through—that awkward "sex talk" our parents had with us growing up—F*ck Cancer launched a campaign called “The Cancer Talk." The message we should be sharing with today's youth is: "Your parents took the time to have the ‘sex talk’ with you because they love you and want to keep you safe. Now it's your turn to pay it forward and have the 'cancer talk' with them, because you love them and want to keep them safe.”

Celebrity Ambassadors
To execute this campaign, Yulu and F*ck Cancer collaboratively established relationships with influential media and celebrities and had them share the story of when their parents had the “sex talk” with them. Many of the campaign's ambassadors were selected specifically for their popularity and influence among millennials. The stories these celebrity ambassadors recorded were personal and funny, and each video ended with the star bringing the attention back to the main message: "Pay it forward and have the 'cancer talk' with your parents!" These celebrity “Cancer Talk” videos can be viewed here.

Sixteen celebrity endorsement videos were created for the campaign. The video featuring One Tree Hill's Sophia Bush spread to more than 54 million people in under three weeks thanks to the power of YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Bush's celebrity fan site.

Massive Success
Yulu’s main role in this stage of the campaign was to share these celebrities’ videos with influential media. To capitalize on the massive success generated by the digital media campaign, Yulu facilitated a national media tour for F*ck Cancer's CEO Yael Cohen. Yulu secured interviews and coverage with leading media outlets including CNN, The Wall Street Journal, VOGUE, Forbes, ELLE, TeenVOGUE, Fitness Magazine, Fast Company, Glamour, Vanity Fair, Marie Claire, and many more.

From the top-ten media hits alone (out of approximately 400 traceable articles and videos, and not including Twitter and Facebook impressions), the campaign was viewed, read, and listened to by an audience of more than 49,564,141 people.

Since the campaign launched in the summer of 2011, Yael has been recognized by The Globe and Mail in Canada as one of twelve people changing philanthropy, alongside Bill Gates and Bono; and she has been listed on Fast Company's Top-100 Creative Business People, all thanks to the organization's unique approach to starting this vital conversation.

About Melissa Orozco:
Melissa Orozco is the principal and co-founder of Vancouver-based PR agency Yulu Public Relations Inc. She co-founded Yulu PR in 2011 after nearly a decade of PR experience, including a five-year stint working at top PR agencies in New York City. F*ck Cancer was Yulu's first client. The firm has since grown from one to eight employees. A natural storyteller, Melissa developed a knack for media relations early in her career, and has garnered coverage for her clients in most major publications and outlets including CNN, The New York Times, The TODAY Show, and VOGUE.

About Yulu Communicatons:
Yulu Public Relations Inc. is a full-service public relations and digital media agency that works with brands to cultivate their stories and share them in a meaningful way. Its clients range from non-profits to real estate and lifestyle brands that are being featured in Forbes, Fast Company, Self, The New York Times, The LA Times, on CNN, Anderson, CTV, CBC and Global.

About F*ck Cancer:
F*ck Cancer is a Vancouver-based charity that seeks to put an end to late-stage cancer diagnosis by educating Generation Y (AKA Millennials) about early cancer detection though creative, engaging campaigns. 90 per cent of cancers are curable if caught in stage one. F*ck Cancer’s mission is to share this message with today’s youth; creating a generation of early cancer detection ambassadors. For more information, go to http://cancertalk.letsfcancer.com/.

Beata Rozek is the Head of CSR at Tesco Poland, and Chair for final judging of the corporate communications awards, investor relations awards, and PR awards categories final judging committee in The 2012 International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards competition. (The final entry deadline for the 2012 IBAs has been extended to July 18. Get your entry kit today.) Here Beata shares three tips of creating award winning CSR programs.

What are the 3 most important things you have learned in corporate communications and corporate social responsibility?

1. Put your money where your mouth is
   The best results are achieved through long-term investment.
2. Connect to your core business
   CSR should be the logical outcome of a company’s sustainability development policy. Those that are closely connected to the core business work best in CSR as they are both more authentic to outsiders and more honest towards shareholders.
3. Be passionate about your work
   For either corporate communications or CSR projects to be successful, you have to believe in it. If you don’t have that spark inside, you won’t be able to light the fire in others.

What item of news recently caught your eye and why?
I’m an avid soccer fan, and for the last month I’ve been watching Euro 2012. As Poland was one of the co-host countries, together with Ukraine, the entire population lived and breathed the European Football Championship, and we were all proud of how well it turned out. Initially, we’d been a little worried about the organization of these big international events, but it all went without a hitch and ended up having a great positive impact on our country’s image. Not only was Poland lauded by the international press, by happy fans, and by tourists, but also we Poles started to see ourselves differently, as a country and a people that can do it. This was in no small part thanks to the tremendous efforts of volunteer services provided by the host cities. It was great to see so many well-trained volunteers.

What is your favorite app?
Of course our own new Tesco app, developed within our new CSR project “Healthy Appetite.”  It will be an app helping users to keep a reasonable diet program and advising on healthful eating. Other than that, every morning my partner and I like to check the weather forecasts in all the places we’ve ever been to and plan to visit. We love to travel, and this way we can update our travel-related dreams daily and give ourselves an energy boost. (Weatherbug Mobile is a free app available for iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry.)

If you could choose another profession, what would it be?
Thanks to my parents’ business I have a background in the HoReCa (Hotel/Restaurant/Café) sector of the food industry, so if I couldn’t be who I am and do what I now do and love best, then I’d like to run a little café. I’d make it into a meeting place, because I like meeting people and believe people like to hang out with other people. I’d like to run a place that would be like a second home to them.

What quality or qualities do you most value in your business associates? Honesty, resourcefulness, diligence, and enthusiasm. I like it when my associates simply have fun with their work. I relate best to people whose work is a joy because I can feel that joy both in my relations with them and in the effect it has on our work.

As someone at the top of your profession, what keeps you inspired or makes you hit the ground running in the morning?
Meeting people who have benefited from my work face-to-face, and talking to people who have profited from what we do in our Tesco Poland CSR projects. The final events in the last Tesco for Schools program gave me a great energy boost and motivation. Talking with the children, the parents, and the teachers unleashed enough positive emotions to last me for months to come. And, of course, I am inspired by the people I work with, the people who care.

About Beata Rozek:
Beata Rozek is Head of CSR at Tesco Poland and is a communications expert with a rich background in public relations and corporate social responsibility in the FMCG and retail sectors. Previous employers include Ahold Polska and Danone’s water division (Żywiec Zdrój), where she helped in the startup of several pioneer CSR projects in the Polish market. Beata is responsible for creating Tesco’s CSR strategy and implementing key CSR projects in Poland. Thanks to her contribution to Tesco for Schools, the program was recognized by the Responsible Business Forum, a CSR authority in Poland that awarded Tesco’s initiative with its “Good Practice” award. The program also received a Value Award from Tesco Group’s CEO for the efficient promotion of Tesco’s image as an environmentally friendly company, and for creating a benchmark for Tesco’s CSR programs in other countries. Beata also set up Tesco Poland’s corporate foundation, “Tesco for Children”, and serves as Chairman of the foundation’s Board.

About Tesco:
Tesco Poland is the leading supermarket brand on the Polish market. There are 420 Tesco outlets, including both hypermarkets and local Tesco stores. Tesco employs over 28,000 employees and is actively engaged in regional development by investing in local produce and supporting local suppliers. The company puts great emphasis on building positive relationships with local communities.  For more information go to www.tesco.pl.

The 2012 IBAs feature a wide selection of categories to recognize the achievements of PR professionals and we thought it would be helpful if we highlighted five additional awards categories that should be of interest to PR individuals. (The final extended entry deadline for The 2012 International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards competition, is 18 July. You can request your entry kit here.)

In addition to submitting entries specifically labeled as PR awards, there are several communications awards categories including:

1. Annual Report Awards Categories
   These categories recognize excellence in annual reports, brochures, marketing and sales kits, house organs (corporate magazines), and other publications issued since 1 January 2011.
2. App Awards Categories
   These categories recognize excellence in apps for handheld and tablet devices, and for PCs, issued or updated since 1 January 2011.
3. Live Event Awards Categories
   These categories recognize excellence in live events staged since 1 January 2011.
4. Video Awards Categories
   These categories recognize excellence in videos produced for a business- or work-related purpose that were first released or otherwise made public since 1 January 2011.
5. Website Awards Categories
   These categories recognize excellence in web sites and blogs. There is no eligibility timeframe for these categories - it doesn't matter when the site or blog was first published.

Leave us a comment and let us know which categories your organization plans to submit entries to in the 2012 IBAs.

The final entry deadline for The 2012 International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards competition, is quickly approaching on 27 June. All individuals and organizations worldwide – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small – may submit nominations to the IBAs. If you haven't yet done so, you can request your entry kit here.

To make the most out of your PR awards entries, we suggest the following tips:

1. Review the business awards categories.
There are several PR award categories being celebrated at the 2012 IBAs including:

• Public Relations Agency of the Year
• Communications Department of the Year
• Communications Team of the Year
• Communications, Investor Relations, or PR Executive of the Year
• Communications or PR Campaign/Program of the Year

We have many other communication awards categories that may be of interest to communications professionals including:

• Annual report awards
• App awards
• Live event awards
• Video awards
• Website awards

2. Review the entry submission criteria.
Make sure your IBA entries include all required submission information.

3. Download our 10 Tips for Winning PR Awards in the Stevie® Awards tipsheet for 2012. 
Our tipsheet contains great tips and tools for making the most out of your entries. 

4. Contact us!
If you have any questions about the 2012 IBAs, email us at help@stevieawards.com or call us at + 1 703-547-8389.

Looking for more ways to connect with the Stevies? Join us on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn for the latest IBA updates.

The entry deadline for The 2012 International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards competition is 16 May. If you haven't already done so, you can request your entry kit here. (All individuals and organizations worldwide may submit nominations to the IBAs.)

We thought it would be helpful for communications professionals if we highlighted four reasons to submit entries to the 2012 IBA PR awards categories.

1. Global recognition and free publicity.
   Gold Stevie® Award winners will have the opportunity to make a 30-second acceptance speech before an audience of executives from across the world. The cereomony will also be streamed worldwide over the Internet.
2. Earn industry status.
   Submitting IBA entries is a great way to benchmark your achievements against competitors in your industry.
3. Impress potential clients.
   Your work will not only be reviewed and honored by peers and competitors, but also by potential clients.  Show off your organization's achievements in the 2012 IBAs.
4. Low entry fees. 
   The publicity that comes with winning a Stevie® Award is well worth the low entry fees.

The 8^th Annual International Business Awards were presented in October 2011 in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates. PR award honorees included APRA Porter Novelli, ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller, IndoPacific Edelman, Inzalo Communication, MWW Group, and Weber Shandwick, among others. Winners of the competition will be celebrated at the ninth annual awards banquet on Monday, 15 October at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Seoul, South Korea. 

Entries submitted after 16 May, through the final entry deadline of 27 June, will be assessed a late fee in addition to any entry fee.

Want more communications awards? There are a number of other IBA categories that should be of interest to communications professionals, including many of the annual report awards and other literature categories, website awards categories, app awards categories, video awards categories, and live event awards categories.

There are 24 PR awards categories in The 2012 International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards competition, to help you showcase successes. (All organizations and individuals worldwide may submit nominations to the IBAs. The entry deadline is 16 May; request your entry kit here.)

Our new 2012 IBA communications awards categories are:

• Internal Communications
  Campaigns/programs undertaken to inform or educate an internal audience, such as employees or members.
• Investor Relations
  Campaigns/programs undertaken to communicate information to a company's investors and the investment community and/or to manage the company's relationship with investors.

Our other communicator awards categories include:

• Public Relations Agency of the Year
  a. in Asia, Australia and New Zealand
  b. in Asia (China, Japan and Korea)
  c. in Europe
  d. in the Middle East and Africa
  e. in Canada and the U.S.A.
  f. In Mexico, Central and South America
• Communications Department of the Year
• Communications Team of the Year
• Communications, Investor Relations, or PR Executive of the Year
• Communications or PR Campaign/Program of the Year
  a. Community Relations: campaigns/programs that aim to improve relations with communities in which the sponsoring organization has an interest, need or opportunity.
  b. Crisis Communications: campaigns/programs undertaken to deal with an unplanned event and requiring immediate response.
  c. Global Issues: campaigns/programs that demonstrate effective global communications implemented in at least two countries, one of which must be the United States.
  d. Issues Management: campaigns/programs undertaken to deal with issues that could extraordinarily affect ongoing business strategy.
  e. Low Budget (under $10,000 / € 7500): campaigns/programs that cost no more than $10,000 / € 7500 (or equivalent in other currencies) to plan and implement.
  f. Marketing – Business to Business: campaigns/programs designed to introduce new products or promote existing products or services to a business audience.
  g. Marketing – Consumer Products: campaigns/programs designed to introduce new products or promote existing products to a consumer audience.
  h. Marketing – Consumer Services: campaigns/programs designed to introduce new services or promote existing services to a consumer audience.
  i. Multicultural: campaigns/programs specifically targeted to a cultural group.
  j. Reputation/Brand Management: campaigns/programs designed to enhance, promote or improve the reputation of an organization with its publics or key elements of its publics.
  k. Public Affairs: campaigns/programs specifically designed to influence public policy and/or affect legislation, regulations, political activities or candidacies.
  l. Public Service: campaigns/programs that advance public understanding of societal issues, problems or concerns.
  m. Social Media Focused: campaigns/programs designed to be implemented primarily through online social media.    

Your public relations awards entries should include the following information:

• An essay of up to 500 words describing the nominee's achievements since January 1 2011
• A biography of the nominee or the leader of the nominated company, department or team of up to 100 words
• Optional (but highly recommended), a collection of supporting files and web addresses that you may upload to our server to support your entry and provide more background information to the judges

The 8th Annual International Business Awards were presented in October 2011 in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates. PR award honorees included Informatica Corporation, M3 Communications Group, Inc., MWW Group, RSA Canada, Turk Telekom, Tesco Poland, and Weber Shandwick, among others. 2012 honorees will be celebrated at the 9th annual awards banquet on Monday, 15 October in Seoul, South Korea.

Other IBA categories that should be of interest to communications professionals, include many of the annual report awards and other literature categories, website awards categories, app awards categories, video awards categories, and live event awards categories.

How will our corporate awards categories help you highlight your organization?

Coca-Cola HBC Romania, Bucharest, Romania was presented with the Stevie Award for Public Affairs Communications or PR Campaign of the Year, in the PR awards categories at The 2010 International Business Awards banquet in Istanbul on September 27.

When Romania became a member of the European Community in 2007, EU legislation required that Romania increase its waste recovery to 60% by 2013.

The main challenges for the country to reach this target were the lack of an integrated waste-management system with appropriate legislation—and the need to educate the population on separate collection.

Coca-Cola HBC Romania, part of the Coca-Cola Hellenic Group, took a leading role in Romania’s efforts to build an integrated system to recover packaging and to provide an awareness campaign for the general population. Separate collection and recycling represent the main sustainability directions of the company.

Objectives
Coca-Cola HBC Romania’s Community Programs team, led by Laura Sgarcitu, an experienced Public Affairs & Communications Specialist, had three objectives: to promote a legislative framework to support a waste management system; to make a significant contribution to attaining the national target set by the EU; and to promote the importance of separate collection and recycling at a national level.

A 2008 study carried out by the Institute of Marketing and Surveys in Romania (IMAS) had revealed that only half the Romanian population collected separately. In 2009, the Community Programs team at Coca-Cola HBC developed a platform on separate collection, the two major components of which were a lobbying program aimed at outlining a legislative framework for separate collection in Romania, and an educational campaign targeting the public.

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