On June 14, the Publicity Club of New England held its 37th annual Bell Ringer Awards for achievement in the communications and public relations field. And for the second year running, SM& was honored with six awards, for a broad range of work in the following categories:
| • Print Feature or Commentary Placement - National: Local Initiatives Support Coalition (LISC), a national intermediary that helps connect low-income communities to the economic mainstream. This heroic but low-profile organization sought high profile media coverage timed around its 25 th anniversary gala in Washington , D.C. that conveyed its message clearly. SM& targeted distinguished Washington Post columnist David Broder, introduced him to LISC's CEO, and led the reporter on a tour of one of LISC's projects in the capital. The result was a laudatory column that ran the Sunday before the gala and was reprinted in regional and local newspapers across the country. |
| • Sales/Marketing Motivation Presentation: Citizen's Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA), the nonprofit umbrella organization for affordable housing and community development activities throughout Massachusetts . After launching its successful "home@last" campaign in the Metro West region in 2004, CHAPA wanted to expand and tailor the campaign for Essex County . SM& created a video called "The Faces and Places of Affordable Housing," which garnered so much attention from local decision-makers and media that CHAPA is planning to extend the campaign to other regions of the state. |
| • News Conference: Simon Property Group, the owner of 14 leading malls in Massachusetts , including the South Shore Plaza , Burlington Mall and the Northshore Mall. As Simon prepared to welcome department store Nordstrom to the region by opening stores at three properties, SM& was charged with stewarding a highly sensitive press conference. Because both companies are publicly traded, all information had to be held secret until the announcement. SM& rose to the challenge by creating momentum beforehand and arranging 16 interviews in 90 minutes with Simon's president & COO and Nordstrom's CEO, and securing blanket coverage in every Boston, New Hampshire and Providence media outlet. |
| • Consumer Affairs Campaign: Energy Bucks, a unique partnership between the state's investor-owned utilities and the Low-Income Energy Affordability Network (LEAN). Now in its third year, this consumer affairs campaign continued to penetrate a hard-to-reach audience with vastly increased media exposure that helped achieve the goal of getting more low-income families to sign up for energy cost saving programs. SM& used a multiplatform campaign that included grassroots outreach, an enhanced website, a new partnership with the Department of Housing and Community Development, unique events with local groups and elected officials, and media coverage in every targeted community. |
| • Special Events - Series Campaign: Visiting Nurse Association of Boston (VNAB), the oldest and largest provider of comprehensive and compassionate home healthcare and hospice services in Greater Boston. The year 2006 marked VNAB's 120 th anniversary, and to capitalize on this milestone as a tremendous fundraising opportunity, the organization hired SM&, which created 120 Years, 120 Heroes in Home Healthcare to raise visibility through a donor-cultivation campaign that showcased VNAB supporters. Through combined donor events, community relations and media relations, the campaign built anticipation for the anniversary gala, resulting in a sold-out event, a number of new supporters and its fundraising goals exceeded. |
| • Special Events - Series Campaign: Solomon McCown & Company, for our "SM& Presents" panel series. SM& promotes its role as a thought leader in the Boston region by hosting forums that bring together leading professionals and the media to examine issues of the day from the strategic communications viewpoint. Our panels in 2005 examined the childhood obesity debate ("Food Fight") and how "Good Business Means Sometimes Having to Say I'm Sorry," and we welcomed more than 150 attendees, earned placements in major newspapers and built alliances with and among businesses and organizations in the region. |
In the end, we define our success by the success of our clients, but we are grateful to the Publicity Club of New England for recognizing our work.
