French/West/Vaughan Honored as North America Consumer Agency of the Year
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— Agency also Wins Branded Journalism Campaign of the Year —
RALEIGH, N.C. (May 4, 2016) – Following a year-long, exhaustive interview and review process of 400 of the best PR firms in the United States and Canada, French/West/Vaughan (FWV) was named North American Consumer Agency of the Year at last night’s SABRE Awards in NYC.
This is the fourth time FWV has been recognized as a “Consumer Agency of the Year” winner among the major PR trade publications. The win caps a remarkable 12 month stretch for the agency as it racked up more than 50 honors for work on behalf of Bassett Furniture, Hood River Distillers, the Greater Raleigh Convention & Visitors Bureau, Melitta Coffee, NATHAN Sports, NC State University, Riders by Lee, TyraTech, the Veteran Golfers Association, Wrangler, and numerous other agency clients.
“As we approach our 20th anniversary, these wins serve as a reminder that for all the innovation, some things remain the same,” said Rick French, Chairman & CEO. “Great work comes from great client relationships, working together to craft compelling stories and points of meaningful interaction between brands and their audiences.”
FWV’s client of nearly two decades, Wrangler, was also the top pick for the SABRE Awards’ “Branded Journalism” category and a Best in Show finalist for the rodeo and country music lifestyle hub Wrangler Network. Wrangler Network was also a finalist for the 2016 PRWeek Awards, which were held earlier this year.
According to Holmes Report Founder & CEO Paul Holmes, “Some of the things cutting edge firms of today are doing — the expansion into paid media, for example — French/West/Vaughan was doing 15 years ago, when the then-Richard French & Associates acquired local creative shop West & Vaughan, a deal followed by acquisitions spanning licensing, multimedia content creation, and last year entertainment and Hispanic marketing.”
“A terrific example of what this means to clients is the firm’s 2015 work for Wrangler: faced with mainstream media lack of interest in professional rodeo, FWV helped principal sponsor Wrangler create its own media platform, the Wrangler Network, which has attracted 2.5 million unique viewers to the sport, and even attracted ad support,” he continued. Since its launch, Wrangler Network continues to draw audiences, with its unique viewership numbers now above 3 million.
Produced by the Holmes Report, the SABRE Awards is the world’s largest PR industry award competition with more than 5,000 entries globally, recognizing superior achievement in branding, reputation and engagement.
About French/West/Vaughan
French/West/Vaughan (FWV) is one of the nation’s leading public relations, public affairs, advertising and digital media agencies, with offices in Raleigh, New York City, Los Angeles and Tampa. National, international and local clients represented by the agency include Wrangler, Justin Brands, ABB, Hood River Distillers, Melitta, International Gemological Institute (IGI) and Moe’s Southwest Grill restaurants. FWV is a partner in IPREX, the $200 million network of communication agencies, with 1,500 staff and 100 offices worldwide. For more information, please visit www.fwv-us.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest or Instagram.