Red Agency, Weber Shandwick And Ogilvy Win Big At PRIA Awards

Wednesday night saw the next round of the 2015 Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA) Golden Target Awards State Finals in Sydney.
The New South Wales State Awards for Excellence ceremony took place in the stunning surrounds of the Pullman Quay Grand, in Sydney’s picturesque Circular Quay. The sold-out event of more than 160 leading PR professionals celebrated the best-of-the-best PR campaigns and industry professionals in New South Wales.
Big winners on the night included:
Weber Shandwick, who were shortlisted eight times, across six different categories with seven awards prizes in total – one win, three highly commended, and three commended, with two Weber Shandwick staff, Heather-Ann Cody and Hannah Rayment, both commended in the Top sPRinters category (those with under five years’ experience);
Ogilvy, shortlisted seven times, across six different categories with six awardees in total – one win The Release of Peter Greste, one highly commended and four commended elsewhere;
VIVA! Communications, shortlisted and awarded three times in the Health Organisations category (biggest category with 11 finalists), with a win for Our Plea for Life, and two highly commended awardees elsewhere; Melanie Wellington,
N2N Communications, won the Top sPRinters gong for NSW;
Micro-consultancy was won by Lisa Burling, LBPR; medium consultancy gong went to Sauce Communications;
with a highlight of the night being Erik Denison, Sydney Convicts Rugby Club, for his win for Tackling Homophobia in Sport, in the small budget/pro bono category.
Red Agency, shortlisted eight times, across six different categories with six awardees in total – two wins for the EASY Tour: HIV Testing Week, with three commended awards elsewhere, held the loudest roar to the very end of the night when the Sydney arm took – what is believed to be the first time in the recent history of the awards in this category – back-to-back gongs in consecutive years for the Consultancy of the Year award.
James Wright, managing director, Red Agency, said, “It is pretty humbling to be awarded Consultancy of the Year back-to-back. It has been an incredible few years for us and it is testament to the dedication, expertise and passion that the team bring every day. They are an inspiration to me. At Red Agency we continue to challenge what is possible in the PR, experiential and social space, and that requires the trust of our clients and so we thank them for giving us the chance to do the type of work we do. I guess the goal is for three in a row now!”
This industry night-of-nights for PR in NSW displayed astounding campaigns delivered across all sectors, judged by over 70 senior PR professionals from across Australia. Judges stated that, yet again, entries featured examples of cutting-edge creativity and innovation throughout, which helped tell some amazingly inspirational stories. Some of the recognised awardees winners shed a few tears of joy on stage and clients, staff, and peers shared the celebratory feeling during a great night of recognition.
“There were a huge number of entries this year. So many high-quality entries are surely a good sign of the health of our growing industry, and – I believe – of the relevance of the PRIA in pushing for the highest standards for our profession,” said PRIA NSW president, John Vineburg.
Category | Title of Entry | Company | Trophy Name | Result |
Big Budget | A Taste of Harmony 2015 | Haystac Public Affairs | Haystac Community | Commended |
Business to Business | Commonwealth Bank Agri Insights | Hardman Communications and Commonwealth Bank of Australia | Hardman Communications | WINNER |
Business to Business | Expectations vs. Reality of Retirement in Australia | Ogilvy Public Relations Australia and Mercer | Ogilvy Public Relations Australia and Mercer | Highly Commended |
Business to Business | Mondelez International Mobile Futures | Red Agency | Natasha Carroll | Commended |
Business to Business | Digital Roadies Take Centre Stage | Weber Shandwick Australia | Ava Lawler | Commended |
Community Relations | Train tunnels, trucks and the toolkit to build trust – Sydney Metro Northwest | Thiess John Holland Dragados and Transport for NSW | Thiess John Holland Dragados and Transport for NSW | WINNER |
Consumer Marketing | Rebuilding Trust in Malaysia Airlines in Australia and New Zealand | Crossman Communications | Jackie Crossman | Highly Commended |
Consumer Marketing | Buderim’s Hottest Ginger | Agent 99 Public Relations | Agent 99 Public Relations | Highly Commended |
Consumer Marketing | Stay with Pride | N2N Communications | N2N & AirBnB | Commended |
Consumer Marketing | UTS City Campus Master Plan Campaign | Marketing Elements (ME) and University of Technology Sydney (UTS) | Cecelia Haddad & Robert Button | Shortlisted |
Consumer Marketing | AncestryDNA – Australia, where do you think you come from? | Howorth | Howorth & Ancestry.com | Shortlisted |
Consumer Marketing | Samsung LifeLIVE | Edelman | Edelman | Shortlisted |
Consumer Marketing | Optus Switched Campaign with Dolph Lundgren | Fuel Communications | Amanda Galmes | Shortlisted |
Content Marketing | Unilever Food Solutions: Back of House | PPR | Michael Pooley | Highly Commended |
Content Marketing | Showcasing Savannah in Sydney: Turning postcard footage into visitor bookings | Destination NSW | Tanya Bowes & Communications Team | Shortlisted |
Digital and Social | ibis PLAY | Weber Shandwick | Ava Lawler | WINNER |
Digital and Social | Adobe Australia and New Zealand | Edelman | Edelman | Highly Commended |
Digital and Social | FSC Friday – Take the pledge and share it | Howarth & Social at Ogilvy | Howarth & Social at Ogilvy | Commended |
Digital and Social | GEReports: A light bulb moment for one of the world’s oldest brands | Edelman | Edelman | Shortlisted |
Experiential | EASY Tour: HIV Testing Week | Red Agency | James Wright & Samara Kitchener | WINNER |
Experiential | House of Suntory Exclusive Takeover Series | Icon International | Sarah Corry | Highly Commended |
Experiential | The Bar that Jack Built | Red Agency/Red Guerrilla | Red Guerrilla | Commended |
Government Sponsored | EASY Tour: HIV Testing Week | Red Agency | James Wright & Samara Kitchener | WINNER |
Government Sponsored | Seasonal Workers Communications Campaign | Fairwork Ombudsman | Carly De Assuncao | Highly Commended |
Government Sponsored | Showcasing Savannah in Sydney: Turning postcard footage into visitor bookings | Destination NSW | Tanya Bowes & Communications Team | Shortlisted |
Category | Title of Entry | Company | Entrant | Result |
Government Sponsored | “get to kNOw Asbestos this November“ | Insight Communications | Clare Collins & Alice Collins | Shortlisted |
Health Organisations | Our Plea for Life | VIVA! Communications | Kirsten Bruce | WINNER |
Health Organisations | Supporting the world’s largest and most rigorous investigation into anorexia nervosa | VIVA! Communications | Kirsten Bruce | Highly Commended |
Health Organisations | Lungs4Life – Driving adult protection against pneumococcal pneumonia | VIVA! Communications | Kirsten Bruce | Highly Commended |
Health Organisations | Ending HIV: Giant Condom Campaign Activation | ACON | ACON Engagement Strategies Team | Highly Commended |
Health Organisations | Meningococcal Australia: Know.Check.Act Campaign | SenateSHJ | Nerida Thorburn and Jodie Wrigley | Highly Commended |
Health Organisations | Giving Rare Cancers Patients a little more time | Buchan | David Leahy | Commended |
Health Organisations | Winter is Coming | NPS MedicineWise | Media & PR Team, Corporate Affairs and Governance | Commended |
Health Organisations | Choose Your Rural Adventure | Content Doctor | Kate Dorrell | Commended |
Health Organisations | PR Launch of Genzyme’s Lemtrada | Edelman | Edelman | Commended |
Health Organisations | Sign My Name | Red Agency | James Wright/The Red Agency Team | Commended |
Health Organisations | EASY tour: HIV Testing Week | Red Agency | James Wright & Samara Kitchener | Shortlisted |
Integrated Marketing and Communications Strategies | Not out of the Woods | Senate SHJ | SenateSHJ in partnership with bioCSL | WINNER |
Integrated Marketing and Communications Strategies | ING DIRECT ‘ Say no to ATM fees‘ | ING DIRECT | Corporate Affairs Team | Highly Commended |
Integrated Marketing and Communications Strategies | Digital Roadies Take Centre Stage | Weber Shandwick Sydney | Ava Lawler | Highly Commended |
Integrated Marketing and Communications Strategies | Nespresso: Milk Expertise | Weber Shandwick | Ava Lawler | Highly Commended |
Integrated Marketing and Communications Strategies | Orchestrate Amazing: The Launch of Microsoft Azure Data Centre in Australia | Microsoft Australia & Ogilvy PR Australia | Microsoft Australia & Ogilvy PR Australia | Commended |
Integrated Marketing and Communications Strategies | Tourism Northern Territory’s ‘Mates of the Territory’ celebrity ambassador program | Kite Communications | Robyn Sefiani | Commended |
International/ Change Management | Bayer Australia and New Zealand – Ambition 2015 | Bayer Australia Limited | Kirsten Impey, Communications | WINNER |
International/ Change Management | Ahead of the Game | Thiess John Holland Dragados | TJHD Communications Team | Highly Commended |
Issues Management and Crisis Communication | The Release of Peter Greste | Ogilvy Public Relations Australia | Ogilvy Public Relations Australia & Al Jazeera English | WINNER |
Issues Management and Crisis Communication | Rebuilding Trust in Malaysia Airlines in Australia & New Zealand | Crossman Communication | Jackie Crossman | Commended |
Public Affairs | Australia’s Future Submarine Project | Weber Shandwick Australia | Ava Lawler | Highly Commended |
Public Affairs | The Release of Peter Greste | Ogilvy Public Relations | Ogilvy Public Relations Australia & Al Jazeera English | Commended |
Category | Title of Entry | Company | Entrant | Result | ||
Public Affairs | Helping #saveaHUSlives – Government funding secured for life-saving treatment for ultra-rare blood disease | VIVA! Communications | Kirsten Bruce | Commended | ||
Public Affairs | Joined Up Innovation | Microsoft Australia and Ogilvy PR Australia | Microsoft Australia & Ogilvy PR Australia | Commended | ||
Public Affairs | Australian higher education reforms and veterinary profession | Australian Veterinary Association | Public Affairs Team | Shortlisted | ||
Public Affairs | Saving Life 2015: A pre-election campaign | Cancer Council NSW | Cancer Council NSW | Shortlisted | ||
Small Budget/Pro Bono | Tackling Homophobia in Sport | Sydney Convicts Rugby Club | Erik Denison | WINNER | ||
Small Budget/Pro Bono | Kiss Goodbye to MS Campaign 2015 | Cube and MS Research Australia | Anne-Marie Sparrow | Highly Commended | ||
Small Budget/Pro Bono | Introducing Sydney to the fine arts of the streets with #chalkurbanart | IMPACT Communications Australia | IMPACT Communications Australia | Commended | ||
Small Budget/Pro Bono | “Whats up with Mum?” – Explaining MS to kids | LBPR PTY LTD | Lisa Burling, Managing Director | Commended | ||
Start-Up | Launching an ‘Australian first’ challenger brand: RateSetter | Sefiani and Kite Communications | Robyn Sefiani | Commended | ||
Sustainability/Corporate Social Responsibility | Samsung ADAPPT- Adappt for success: Encouraging young Aussies to design the change they want to see in the world. | Edelman | Edelman | Highly Commended | ||
Sustainability/Corporate Social Responsibility | Sailing through adversity: Biogen and Oceans of Hope ANZ | Palin Communications | Martin Palin | Commended | ||
Sustainability/Corporate Social Responsibility | McHappy Day NSW ACT 2014 #OurFamilyPromise | PPR | PPR & McDonald’s NSW/ACT | Commended | ||
Technology Product | Orchestrate Amazing: The launch of Microsoft Azure Data Centres in Australia | Microsoft Australia and Ogilvy PR Australia | Microsoft Australia & Ogilvy PR Australia | Shortlisted | ||
Measurement and Analytics | Foodbank Australia: Hunger in the Classroom | Red Agency | Natasha Carroll | Shortlisted | ||
Top sPRinters 2015 | Melanie Wellington | Weber N2N Communications | Melanie Wellington | WINNER | ||
Top sPRinters 2015 | Amity Harrold | PPR | Amity Harrold | Commended | ||
Top sPRinters 2015 | Chloe Turner | PPR | Chloe Turner | Commended | ||
Top sPRinters 2015 | Heather-Ann Cody | Weber Shandwick | Heather-Ann Cody | Commended | ||
Top sPRinters 2015 | Hannah Rayment | Weber Shandwick | Hannah Rayment | Commended | ||
In-House PR Team of the Year | Elevating Media Trips | The Travel Corporation | Rae White, PR Director | Commended | ||
In-House PR Team of the Year | Media and PR Team | NPS MedicineWise | Media & PR Team | Commended | ||
Micro-Consultancy of the Year | LBPR Pty Ltd | LBPR Pty Ltd | Lisa Burling – Managing Director | WINNER | ||
Medium Consultancy of the Year | Sauce Communications | Sauce Communications | Liane Sayer-Roberts | WINNER | ||
Medium Consultancy of the Year | Kite Communications | Kite Communications | Robyn Sefiani | Commended | ||
Category | Title of Entry | Company | Entrant | Result |
Medium Consultancy of the Year | S2i | S2i | Jenny Lourey | Shortlisted |
Medium Consultancy of the Year | Agent 99 Public Relations | Agent 99 Public Relations | Sharon ZeevPoole | Shortlisted |
Large Consultancy of the Year | Red Agency | Red Agency | James Wright | WINNER |
Large Consultancy of the Year | PPR | PPR | Richard Lazar | Highly Commended |
Large Consultancy of the Year | N2N Communications | N2N Communications | Vanessa Liell | Commended |
Large Consultancy of the Year | Edelman | Edelman | Edelman | Shortlisted |
Large Consultancy of the Year | Weber Shandwick | Weber Shandwick | Ava Lawler | Shortlisted
|
Winners from last night now have the opportunity to be recognised at the 2015 GTA National Finals, held during the PRIA National Conference, on Monday 26 October, at Hotel Grand Chancellor, Hobart, Tasmania.
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