Professional Awards – Striker and Ringer
Striker Award for industry newcomer of the year – Meghan Orencole, Account Executive, Agency 451
Ringer Award for mid-level practitioner of the year – Julie Staadecker, Director,
SHIFT Communications
John J. Molloy Crystal Bell lifetime achievement award – Dr. Robert Brown,
Professor of Communications, Salem State University
Platinum Super Bell
Wayfair, for its High Tech Publicity Campaign: Wayfair PR Attracts Top Talent to Join Wayfair’s House of Tech
Product/Service Launch Campaigns
Business-to-Business
- Silver – March Communications, for First Face, Now Voice: March Brings Affectiva’s AI Vision to the Public
- Bronze – Hollywood Agency, for Reality Check: Kaon Shows That AR/VR Are Big for Business
- Merit – Rainier Communications, for Foresight Automotive: “Visionary” Message Transcends CES Clamor
Consumer
- Silver – LEWIS on behalf of Jabra, for Jabra Fast-Tracks the Evolution of Wireless Sound
- Bronze – Cone, for Chicco’s TurnAfter2 Campaign
- Merit – SHIFT Communications on behalf of Char-Broil, for Char-Broil Takes the Lead with SmartChef
Healthcare
- Silver – LPP/OVC on behalf of Philips, for No Snoozing at CES: Making Headlines for Philips SmartSleep
High Tech
- Bronze – Racepoint Global, for Huawei Mate 10 Series Global Launch
Hospitality, Travel, Entertainment
- Bronze – Adam Ritchie Brand Direction with The Lights Out and Aeronaut Brewing Co. for T.R.I.P. Through the Multiverse: PR Turns the Beer Aisle into a Record Store
Product/Service Publicity Campaigns
Business-to-Business
- Silver – Mintz+ Hoke with Arcadis, for Arcadis Sustainable Cities transportation study campaign
- Silver – SHIFT Communications, for Limelight Gets Some Game: Sparking Consumer Debates to Drive Business Opportunities
- Bronze- Matter on behalf of Progress, for Progress B2B Campaign
- Merit – Hollywood Agency, for Just Ask Alexa: Vesper Raises Visibility to Lure Big-Name Customers
Healthcare
- Gold – InkHouse & Quell, for Moving Beyond Opioids: How Technological Innovations Can Impact Chronic Pain (Platinum Super Bell Finalist)
- Silver – Racepoint Global for Kate Farms: Providing Access to Better Nutrition for Patients to Medical Nutrition
- Bronze- LPP/OVC on behalf of Philips, for Leading the Radiology Industry through Technology and Innovation
- Merit – LPP/OVC on behalf of Philips, for Telling the Comprehensive Philips Story at HIMSS 2017
High Tech
- Gold – Wayfair, for Wayfair PR Attracts Top Talent to Join Wayfair’s House of Tech (Platinum Super Bell Finalist)
- Merit – InkHouse, for $20 Billion Dollars Can’t Be Wrong — CEOs Back-of-the-Envelope Math Powers
Hospitality, Travel, Entertainment
- Silver – Adam Ritchie Brand Direction with The Lights Out and Aeronaut Brewing Co., for T.R.I.P. Through the Multiverse: PR Turns the Beer Aisle into a Record Store
Communications Campaigns
Brand Building or Re-Branding
- Silver – 360PR+ with Nasoya, for Thinking Outside the (Tofu) Block
- Silver – RDW Group with RI DCYF, for FamilyStrong RI
- Bronze – Duffy & Shanley, for Launching The Guild in Pawtucket, RI
- Merit – LEWIS on behalf of ECOVACS, for Sweeping the competition in a new market
- Merit – Tier One Partners, for Collibra Takes on the Goliaths to Revolutionize Data Governance
Cause Marketing
- Gold – SHIFT Communications on behalf of EverQuote, for The Road to End Distracted Driving (Platinum Super Bell Finalist)
- Bronze – Boston University’s PRLab, for PRLab PRoBono 2017
- Merit – C+C on behalf of Columbia Gas of Massachusetts, for Columbia Gas of Massachusetts Operation Warm
Content Marketing
- Gold – 360PR+ with Tommee Tippee, for Tommee TIppee’s Scary Pump Rooms (Platinum Super Bell Finalist)
- Silver – WellPet with 360PR+, for Wellness Natural Pet Food Take Your Dog to Work Day Takeover
Corporate Social Responsibility
- Gold – Wayfair, for Wayfair Activates Employees to Design and Furnish “Home Away from Home” for Combat-Injured Veterans
Crisis Communications
- Bronze – Fresenius Medical Care North America, for Crisis Communications/PR Approach to Hurricane Season at Fresenius Medical Care North America
Guerrilla Marketing
- Silver – Wayfair, for #SkyHighStay: Wayfair & TripAdvisor Transform the World-Famous London Eye into a Luxurious Retreat in the Sky
- Bronze – Adam Ritchie Brand Direction with The Lights Out and Aeronaut Brewing Co., for T.R.I.P. Through the Multiverse: PR Turns the Beer Aisle into a Record Store
Investor Relations
- Silver – LaVoieHealthScience, for IR/Financial Communications for Phase 3 Data Release
- Bronze – Duffy & Shanley on behalf of College Ave Student Loans, for Making the Grade in Student Loans
Integrated Marketing Communications
- Gold – 360PR+ with Tommee Tippee, for Tommee Tippee’s Scary Pump Rooms
- Silver – 360PR+ and Peapod, for An Artfully Executed Campaign Delivers Sales for Peapod in Brooklyn
- Bronze – BackBay Communications, for What’s Old is New Again
- Merit – Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents (MAIA), for Live Boldly. Prepare Accordingly.
- Merit – RDW Group with RI DMV, for RI DMV RIMS Launch Campaign
Nonprofit Communications
- Silver – Mower on behalf of MassRobotics, for MassRobotics and Mower: Creating the Hub of Robotics
- Bronze – Cone, for Pan-Mass Challenge 2017 – Records are Meant to be Broken
On-a-Shoestring
- Gold – Mower on behalf of MassRobotics, for MassRobotics and Mower: Creating the Hub of Robotics (Platinum Super Bell Finalist)
- Merit – SHIFT Communications, for Data Driven Pitching Reigns Supreme: Putting Blink Home Security on the Map
Social Media
- Gold – Rasky Partners, for The Weight Band: A Rockin’ Social & Digital Media Campaign
- Silver – 360PR+ with Tommee Tippee, for Tommee Tippee’s Scary Pump Rooms
Superior Research & Planning
- Gold – 360PR+ on behalf of Liberty Mutual Insurance, for Liberty Mutual Insurance & Students Against Destructive Decisions “Driving Safety Program”
Media Placements – Single Items
Bylined Article
- Silver – March Communications, for Contributed Content: Paving the Road for Affectiva’s Entry into the Automotive Industry
- Bronze – SHIFT Communications on behalf of Benefitfocus, for Influencing business in a politically-charged climate
Digital/Print – Trade
- Silver – March Communications, How Nurturing a Relationship Led to a Major Trade Media Win
- Bronze – Hollywood Agency, XTRATUF Coverage in Footwear News and Yahoo! Style
- Merit – Version 2.0 Communications, The “Benefits” of the Spotlight: Highlighting Care@Work’s Superstar Customers
Digital/Print – National
- Gold – Duffy & Shanley, for Deepwater Wind National Placement in Fortune
- Silver – March Communications, for Shining a Spotlight on Male Infertility with Men’s Health Magazine
- Bronze – Cone, for Parents are flipping car seats too soon, TurnAfter2 wants to change that
- Bronze – SHIFT Communications and Foxwoods Resort Casino, for Upping the Ante: USA Today Crowns Foxwoods Resort Casino a Winner
- Merit – Cone, for 200-mile bike ride aims for $48 million fundraising goal in name of cancer research
Digital/Print – Regional
- Gold – SHIFT Communications, for Local Publication, Big Story: How Digital Reasoning Used Local Media to Fuel the National Fight Against Child Trafficking
- Silver – 360PR+ and Stonyfield Organic Yogurt, for 360PR+ Secures Sweet Local Placement for Stonyfield Organic Yogurt Sugar Reduction
- Bronze – 360PR+ with Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs, for Leveraging a New, Local Family Farm Partner to bring the Pete and Gerry’s Story to Life with 360PR+
- Merit – Cronin, for McDonald’s® Experience of the Future Launch
Digital/Print – Series
- Gold – Cone, for Bride Gives Father-Daughter Dance to Duo Who Won’t Have Their Own
- Silver – Hollywood Agency, for Drop the Mic: Vesper Raises Visibility Ahead of Its Series B
- Bronze – Hollywood Agency, for Making National Awareness Reality for Kaon Interactive
Response to Breaking News
- Silver – Text100, for Schneider Electric 2017 Hurricane Campaign
- Bronze – LPP, for Don’t Fear the Reaper Madness. Arbor Adds Context to the Conversation
- Merit – BackBay Communications, for Karen Clark & Company Takes the Press by Storm
Television – Local/Regional
- Gold – Agency 451, for First Check® Diagnostics, LLC
- Silver – Hollywood Agency, for Novara Restaurant Has “The Right Stuff”
- Silver – John Guilfoil Public Relations, for Randolph Police Officer Recognized for Selfless Efforts Beyond the Call of Duty
- Bronze – Duffy & Shanley, for AT&T- Boston Marathon
- Merit – Cronin, for McDonald’s® Experience of the Future Launch
Television– National
- Silver – 360PR+ with Gamer Sensei, for 360PR+ Levels Up Gamer Sensei to the National Stage With Morning Show Segment
- Bronze – March Communications, for CNBC’s Squawk Box: Virtual Reality Heads Home with Marxent and Toll Brothers
- Merit – Adam Ritchie Brand Direction with Evenflo, for Turning a National Investigative Report into a Ringing Product Endorsement
- Merit – Duffy & Shanley, for BJ’s: CEO: Employees should be with family on Thanksgiving
Content Marketing – Single Items
Digital/Printed Collateral
- Bronze – InkHouse & New England Foundation, for the Arts Creative Economy Report
- Bronze – May Institute, for May Center School for Autism and Developmental Disabilities, Wilmington, Mass. brochure
- Merit – March Communications, for Content Underpins Comptel’s Transformative Journey
- Merit – MassHousing, for Housing For A New Era – MassHousing 2017 Annual Report
Digital Video
- Gold – Solomon McCown on behalf of Massachusetts Department of Children and Families, for Massachusetts Department of Children and Families Foster Massachusetts
- Silver – Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, for Science Illustrated: How CAR T-Cells Work
- Bronze – 360PR+ on behalf of Liberty Mutual Insurance, for Liberty Mutual Insurance & NASCAR: Clint Bowyer’s “Rules of the Road”
- Merit – Duffy & Shanley, for Digital Video- Dunkin’ Donuts Special Olympics Week
Graphic Identity
- Bronze – Harvard Medical School, for “Meet the Dean” Event Series Logo
Owned Media
- Gold – WellPet with 360PR+, for Wellness Natural Pet Food Take Your Dog to Work Day Takeover
- Silver – InkHouse, for LivingQuell Blog
- Bronze – PAN Communications, for A Swipe Right on Application Security: Checkmarx Discovers Vulnerability in Tinder
- Merit – MassHousing, for MassHousing’s 10 Steps To Buying A New Home
PR Agency Citizenship/Pro Bono
- Merit – Matter, for Helping Hands Matter
Influencer Relations
- Gold – 360PR+ on behalf of Nasoya, for 360PR+ and Nasoya Tap Vegan Influencer Chef Chloe Coscarelli To Bring Tofu into the Spotlight
- Silver – Duffy & Shanley, for Foster Grant Sun and Item 8 Influencer Relations Campaign
- Bronze – Agency 451, for NxStage® Medical, Inc.
- Merit – Cronin, for McDonald’s Signature Crafted Sandwiches and YouTube Star, Daym Drops
Events
Media Event
- Bronze – March Communications, for Defining an Industry Category in the Media with Affectiva’s Experiential Emotion AI Event
- Merit – Slotkin Communications on behalf of Next Step Bionics & Prosthetics , for Next Step Bionics & Prosthetics fits first bilateral amputee with two LUKE arms
One-Time Special Event
- Gold – WellPet with 360PR+, for Wellness Natural Pet Food Take Your Dog to Work Day Takeover
- Silver – Duffy & Shanley, for Special Event: Dunkin’ Donuts Iced Coffee Day
- Bronze – March Communications with Affectiva, for Leveraging Affectiva’s Experiential Emotion AI Event to Define an Industry Category
- Bronze – PAN Communications with Forbes, for “Forbes Under 30 Summit”: Forbes Comes Back to Boston for the Second Under 30 Summit
- Merit – Cone, for Eastern Bank Launches Join Us For Good
- Merit – Dunkin’ Donuts and RF|Binder, for Brewing Up Buzz with Dunkin’ Donuts’ DDark Roasted Brew
Special Event – Series
- Gold – RF|Binder on behalf of the Joy in Childhood Foundation, for Bringing a “Day of Joy” to Boston and to Cities Nationwide
- Silver – Duffy & Shanley, for Dunkin’ Donuts: Joy To PVD
- Merit – Six Things, for BKBeastmode: A national fitness competition bringing Brooklyn Boulders’ brand values and training methodology to life