Going for gold: all the PRISM winners

The ‘Oscars’ of the public relations world took place on Sunday night. Fifty-five consultancies, corporates and in-house PR departments vied for gold, silver and bronze awards having submitted over 200 campaigns in their quest to take home the honours.

Ogilvy Public Relations in Johannesburg won the 2013 overall PRISM Gold Award for its ‘Add Hope: Journey of Hope’ campaign on behalf of KFC/Yum South Africa (YUM! Restaurants International).

In 2012, KFC South Africa took an existing menu mechanic on the road in the form of solo-adventurer Riaan Manser’s bicycle journey of 4 100km from Cape Town to Johannesburg – on half the calories that his body would need. This allowed the brand to evolve its three-year Add Hope initiative from being an in-store mechanic aimed at overcoming “giving fatigue” into an integrated public relations and social effort that stressed the plight of hungry children and at the same time met an unspoken consumer need to play a part in tackling an overwhelming social need. Critically, KFC will be able to fill 15-million tummies in 2013 due to the Journey of Hope.

This public relations-led campaign saw traditional, digital and social media work seamlessly with above-the-line and activations. The pure guts of the Journey of Hope and Riaan Manser’s genuine efforts in taking on this arduous challenge on a limited calorie intake, to live as the hungry do, spoke volumes. One man and one brand proved that one R2 can make a difference in filling a hungry tummy; and if multiplied by many, that a hungry nation can be fed daily.

“This campaign showed an excellent understanding of the client’s problems and opportunities,” said Marilyn Watson, chief judge of the PRISMS. “There was sustained execution of the campaign, with brilliant results!”

“Every year during PRISM season, we are very keen to see what the public relations and communication industry has produced,” she said. “We are often amazed at the creativity, insight and return on investment that consultants and practitioners have delivered to their clients. The 2013 results far surpass this.”

Through securing R7-million in media coverage in two months, Ogilvy PR achieved a return on investment of 1:34. National, regional and community media amplification was delivered through 67 broadcast stories, 29 print features and articles and 24 online stories. Six earned five-minute mini documentaries were flighted twice weekly on national television; and 1 831 new online conversations were generated with over 4.3 million opportunities created to see the conversation.

Best Small Public Relations Consultancy

 Fast-growing agency Retroviral Digital Communications won the Gold Award for ‘Best Small Public Relations Consultancy’. Since its launch, Retroviral has carved a niche as a communication agency that not only strives to support its clients’ business objectives, but also generates online word of mouth spread for brands. The company is the recipient of several PRISM Awards. Last year it won two Gold Awards at the PRISMs – for its ‘Last Dictator Standing’ campaign it implemented for Nandos and for the ‘#Shoes on Feet’ campaign it delivered for the Put Foot Rally Foundation. It also won a Silver and Bronze Award.

Best Up-and-Coming Public Relations Professional

Britanny Preece from Cerebra walked away with the Gold Award for the ‘Best Up-and-Coming Public Relations Professional’. An account manager at Cerebra, Britanny’s love for public relations stems from its ability to change perceptions and build brand personas and reputations. These passions have seen her hold positions at two leading communication agencies and successfully manage big brands including Nike, BMW, MINI and Amadeus.

Gold Award Winners

 Silver Award Winners

 Bronze Award Winners