Agency is the competition's top award winner
RALEIGH, N.C. (June 18, 2009) - French/West/Vaughan (FWV), one of the nation's largest independent public relations, public affairs and brand communications agencies, once again topped the annual Sir Walter Raleigh Awards, hosted by the Raleigh Public Relations Society (RPRS). The agency took home eight awards for work conducted on behalf of multiple clients - including a "Best in Division" honor - from the June 16 awards banquet.
FWV received top honors for work on behalf of the Riders® by Lee® apparel brand. The agency won a Gold Award in the Miscellaneous Special Events category for the creation of a unique cell phone invitation designed to intrigue editors and encourage them to attend the Riders by Lee "SmartClothes" media event in New York City. The creativity of using real cell phones for the invitations helped secure the largest RSVP list and more product requests than ever before in the brand's long history, and earned the program the "Best in Division" award in the Total Communications/Community Relations Campaign division.
FWV also won Gold Awards for work on the following programs:
- - "Speedo Makes a Splash for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics" (Promotional Campaign for a Product, Program, Topic or Issue category): FWV developed and executed a comprehensive marketing communications campaign including media relations and buzz-building events to introduce the new Speedo LZR Racer swimsuit to national fashion, lifestyle, technology and business media outlets leading up to the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.
- - "Second-Smallest County in N.C. Fights the Navy" (Political Issue/Candidate Program category): FWV embarked on a campaign with client Camden County to prevent the U.S. Navy from locating an outlying landing field (OLF) in Camden County. Though the county is extremely rural with no TV coverage, one weekly newspaper and a local radio station, FWV raised significant awareness of the issue, with media coverage generating more than 104.6 million impressions. Additionally, unanimous support against an OLF was secured from N.C. congressional members Burr, Hagan, Jones and Butterfield, the N.C. General Assembly and N.C. Governor Beverly Perdue.
Additionally, FWV was recognized with a Silver Award for a campaign conducted on behalf of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) in the Crisis Communications category. The agency executed the "Vote ‘Yes' for ProRodeo by Voting ‘No' to Cowboys Inc." campaign encouraging all PRCA members to turn out for a proxy vote to prevent an outside organization from taking control of the PRCA. Featuring a direct mail written collateral piece combined with a political-style video, the campaign resulted in the number of proxy votes received by the PRCA outnumbering those received by the threatening organization by more than four to one.
FWV received Honorable Mention Awards for work on the following programs:
- - "Wrangler® Takes Media for a Ride to Leverage Dale Earnhardt Jr. Sponsorship" (Promotional Campaign for a Product, Program, Topic or Issue Planning category): FWV executed an event during which select media outlets were invited to take a ride with NASCAR superstar Dale Earnhardt Jr. in an effort to secure positive earned media coverage reinforcing the Wrangler® brand's continued relationship with the racing legend.
- - "P.S. We've Got You Covered Media Kit" (Media Kit category): FWV worked with longtime client Poyner Spruill to spotlight the move of the firm's largest office to a revitalized downtown Raleigh. A creative media kit delivered to media contacts throughout the state highlighted the firm's "We've got you covered" campaign by featuring p.s. branded umbrellas and personalized inserts.
- - "Campbell Law School on the Move" (Organizational Identity/Promotion category): Working in cooperation with the Campbell University's School of Law, FWV increased the overall visibility, positive awareness and reputation of Campbell Law across multiple key audiences, with specific emphasis placed on the school's upcoming move from rural Buies Creek, N.C. to Raleigh - the largest state capital without a law school.
RPRS, founded in 1959, hosts the Sir Walter Raleigh Awards competition annually. The local competition showcases exemplary work by public relations and communications professionals throughout North Carolina, and recognizes and honors all practitioners who have achieved excellence in the field, from small, independent organizations to full-service agencies. The competition is judged by an independent panel of out-of-state judges.
About French/West/Vaughan
French/West/Vaughan (FWV) is the Southeast's largest independent public relations, public affairs and brand communications agency. FWV was named a 2006 finalist for PR Week magazine's "Midsize PR Agency of the Year" award, and was named the Holmes Report's 2004 National Consumer Agency of the Year. National and international clients represented by the agency include the Global Water Foundation, the Coca-Cola Company, Wrangler, the Justin Boot Company, Canada Post, the International Gemological Institute, Nehst Studios, OTB Records and Nfinity Shoes - the official shoe of cheerleading. Regional public relations clients include North Carolina State University, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association and Tweetsie Railroad, among many others. The agency is headquartered in Raleigh and has offices in both New York City and Tampa. The agency's advertising arm, FWV Distilled, was established in 2007 and provides award-winning advertising, graphic design and media planning and placement services for a wide range of clients. For more information, please visit www.fwv-us.com.
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