WE DO WHAT WE DO TO GET RESULTS FOR CLIENTS.
BUT A FEW ACCOLADES NEVER HURT, EITHER.

The Bell Ringer Awards, sponsored by the Publicity Club of New England, serve to recognize and honor excellence and achievement in the communications and public relations professions. This year, we are excited that our work has been recognized, not once, but twice.

The Governor’s Highway Safety Bureau: Driving Home a Message to Teens

A campaign created on behalf of The Governor’s Highway Safety Bureau (GHSB) took home a Bell for a public affairs campaign. This campaign undertook to stem the tide of Massachusetts teen fatalities due to speeding, drinking and driving, and driving without a safety belt. At its center was an innovative radio PSA contest that leveraged private partnerships, including one with Jordan’s Furniture, who donated extensive radio ad time to air the winning PSA.

Using creative strategies and influential techniques, the GHSB educated and empowered teen drivers. Between 1995 and 2000, 76 percent of teens in fatal crashes were unbelted. In 2002, not one Massachusetts teen fatality, 16-19, was unbelted. According to the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV), there were 38 teen fatalities in 2002, down from 60 in 2001.

The innovative plan led to unprecedented media coverage of the entire campaign, with over 300 earned media placements, including 41 stories about the radio ad contest alone, resulting in more than 51 million gross media impressions.

Daniel Pearl Foundation: From Tragedy, a Legacy of Meaning

The response to breaking news by Solomon McCown leaders Helene Solomon and Ashley McCown in their work for the Daniel Pearl Foundation also received a Bell this year.

Daniel Pearl’s family engaged Helene and Ashley to help address the flood of media and public inquiries following the murder of their son at the hands of Pakistani kidnappers and to launch a foundation in Danny’s name that would honor him and continue his ideals.

During the course of the engagement, a simmering crisis quickly erupted when a propaganda video created by Danny’s captors and depicting his horrifying decapitation turned up on the Internet. Soon the Pearls received word from CBS that they planned to air video excerpts.

Helene and Ashley’s response strategy, which included a forceful written statement, carefully timed, and a policy of no further comment, plus a handpicked selection of reporters, ensured that the Pearl’s strong position was consistently part of the ongoing debate sparked by the CBS airing, a debate that raged for weeks in virtually all major media outlets.

CBS’s decision to air the tape was also publicly condemned by the White House U.S. State Department and the Justice Department. One month after CBS aired the video, the Daniel Pearl Foundation held its first fundraiser, raising in excess of $150,000.

These programs were created by the principals and senior staff of Solomon McCown & Company while we were members of a prior agency co-founded and managed by Helene Solomon.

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