We are now in the fourth year of The Pressies and hope the increased emphasis on PR, social and experiential in our industry will continue to ensure their success. We created the awards to celebrate campaigns with PR, Social and experiential elements at their core, at all budget levels. The Pressies continue to bring to light all the great work we are doing and enable us to judge it on our terms.
If this year has taught us nothing else it has shown us the profound effect social media and PR can have in and around our community. We have seen how we are using it to talk to, engage with and influence each generation. Covid’s appearance meant most of the nation’s advertisers had to suddenly pivot from traditional platforms to focus on the online landscape. As a result we will have numerous pieces of marketing brilliance that we look forward to judging at this year’s Pressies. Make sure your story is told! And good luck!
Entries close: Tuesday 19th October, 2021
48hr late penalty deadline: Thursday 21st October, 2021
2021 Categories
A. Best Use of Media Relations
This category recognises entries that deliver outstanding earned media coverage. The entry will demonstrate thinking beyond the standard media release; it will show how powerful storytelling and strong content delivered exceptional results in a competitive and cluttered market. Judges will need to understand the challenge and context, and will be looking for a clear strategy, the ‘hook’ and effective execution that resulted in outstanding media coverage.
B. Best Sponsorship or Media Partnership
This category rewards remarkable integrated PR, Experiential and/or Social campaigns that use media partnerships or sponsorships of events, content or charities to drive awareness and/or engagement. The sponsorship or partnership should be a core component of the campaign, and demonstrate how it was critical to success of the overall campaign.
C. Best Public Affairs or Stakeholder Management Campaign
This category recognises outstanding public affairs or stakeholder management campaigns. Focusing on government relations, media communications, issues management, social responsibility or a combination. Your campaign must influence public policy, build and maintain a strong reputation and/or manage stakeholders. Judges will be looking for clever use of insights and research, along with evidence of how and why stakeholders were successfully influenced.
D. Best Use of Social Media
This category recognises entries that deliver outstanding social media campaigns. We want to know how you brought all the pieces together to drive exceptional results. Judges will be looking for evidence of what the business challenge was and how you approached it with insights and social media strategy. Judges will look for creativity, innovation, sound communication and, of course, data and metrics, showing how your campaign measured up against objectives.
E. Best Influencer Marketing Campaign
This category recognises entries that deliver outstanding influencer marketing campaigns. We want to know how you utilised social media influencers for the good of your brand and drove results, not just ‘likes’. Judges will be looking for evidence of what the business challenge was and how you approached it using insights - right from content creative, channel planning and influencer selection. Judges will look for influencer + brand alignment, creativity, innovation, sound communication and, of course, data and metrics, showing how your campaign measured up against objectives.
F. Best Experiential or Event Campaign
This category recognises entries that deliver outstanding experiential campaigns via live events, pop-ups, expos, product launches or large and small-scale publicity stunts and experiential campaigns. The campaign will be physical in its core but can have virtual elements around it. Judges will be looking for evidence that the experience was the central component of the campaign, rather than campaigns with an experiential/event component. They will also need to understand how the campaign integrated into the wider marketing strategy and how it was leveraged to deliver outstanding campaign results.
G. Best Sampling or Retail Activations
This category recognises entries that deliver outstanding sampling or retail-based activations via in-store sampling, mall sampling, product demonstrations, out-of-home sampling, event sampling and/or office sampling. Sampling must be the key aspect of this campaign, but judges will also be looking how the campaign integrates and leverages other media channels for amplification. They will also need to see clear evidence of how the sampling or activation delivered business results.
H. Best Community Management Impact
This category will celebrate the success of exceptional community management that has had impact on a brand, organisation or community. Community management has increasingly become a powerful engagement tool for consumers. Judges will be looking for an effective strategy that reflects the company’s personality, position and business objectives. Campaigns will need to show that they have delivered engagement, sentiment change or a positive impact on objectives for the business or community organisation. Judges will look for entries that define the role of CM and an effective and robust implementation plan that shows a profound effect on the campaign.
I. Most Innovative Campaign
This category recognises campaigns led by PR, Experiential or Social that paved new ground, use emerging technologies, methods or ideas that achieve the campaign’s objectives and deliver outstanding results. The judges will be looking for disruptive thinking, revolutionary ideas and forward-thinking techniques that are implemented in new or unexpected ways.
J. Best Integrated Campaign
In this category we are looking for an epic campaign that was implemented across a multitude of channels including PR, Experiential and/or Social. This category is not about simply listing multiple channels and executions. Judges are looking for evidence that the campaign was seamlessly, and cleverly, integrated across a multitude of PRES channels. Entrants will need to show that each channel or activity was deliberately selected to enhance the idea and that the core strategic and creative thinking was adapted appropriately for each channel, that components were designed to coordinate with each other, and that each component played a significant role in delivering the results.
K. Best Strategic Thinking
This category recognises campaigns that demonstrate extraordinary insights and strategic thinking. The winning campaign will need to demonstrate the thinking process, highlight a clear strategic direction and how this directly contributed to the results. Judges will be looking for evidence of research, insight, quality of thinking and development of strategy.
L. Bravest Client
This category recognises entries that required true bravery and backing from a client who was prepared to take risks and do things differently. This bravery will have manifested itself in one of the following areas: media relations, a sponsorship or partnership, an outstanding experiential campaign, a public relations activation, an influencer marketing campaign or a social media campaign.
Judges will be looking for evidence of how client bravery bought these campaigns to life. What client decisions were key? What risks were taken and why? What made the client brave in this instance? They will need to understand the client/agency working dynamic and how decisions the client made in partnership with the agency, delivered outstanding campaign results.
GRAND PRIX
All Gold winners will be eligible for the Grand Prix. This award is given to the campaign that achieved the best results and is considered to be the best example of PRES by the panel of Executive Judges.
Note: This category cannot be entered into but will be awarded by the Executive Judging Panel.
Entries close: Tuesday 19th October, 2021
48hr late penalty deadline: Friday 22nd October, 2021
