Editor's message

March 05, 2009

More 2009 Awards

I am honored to present to you this special book commemorating the PRWeek Awards 2009. Within, you will find in-depth descriptions of the award-winning campaigns, individuals, and companies that were chosen by their peers and honored at our annual awards dinner.

The winning campaigns wisely deployed strategies that both played off timely elements in the economy and culture, as well as those that best utilized the available technologies driving media and information consumption today. All the finalists were able to tackle issues and address opportunities in a way that elevates the industry.

Ketchum and IKEA's campaign, “Man Lives in IKEA: Citizen Marketer Becomes IKEA Brand Evangelist,” demonstrated a good grasp of pop culture and online media trends, letting comedian Mark Malkoff live in the Paramus, NJ, IKEA for six days. Malkoff was allowed to conduct his own media outreach – in addition to the PR team's extensive work – and his content was not previewed or censored. The effort won Campaign of the Year, Corporate Branding Campaign of the Year, and Best Use of Online Media. Judges loved that the results were achieved with a budget of $13,500.

Edelman walked away with the Large PR Agency of the Year and the Agency of the Year titles, thanks to great growth, profit figures, and the retention of all of its top 50 clients. It is the second year in a row Edelman has taken home the Large PR Agency honor. Dig Communications, a 37-person firm founded in 2004, was named Small Agency of the Year and won an Honorable Mention in the Agency of the Year category.

In this year's debut categories, NYU's MS Degree in Public Relations & Corporate Communication won PR Education Program of the Year, while LaunchSquad won the Boutique Agency of the Year, awarded to firms with revenues less than $5 million.

Ogilvy continued its impressive showing in the personality categories, with longtime CEO Marcia Silverman winning the PR Professional of the Year honor. Judges cited her steady leadership, dedication to overseas markets, and industry and philanthropic work outside of the agency.

These are just a few of the many great campaigns, professionals, and innovations celebrated this year. As the economy continues to present challenges, it is a testament to the creativity and ingenuity of the industry that such dramatic results can be achieved, even with the most limited of budgets. We thank all who entered the Awards, applaud those who were named as finalists, congratulate those who were Honorable Mentions, and laud those who took home a PRWeek Award in one of our 33 categories.