Special Edition: Inside the PR campaigns that won the 2012 PR Daily Awards

How did our judges settle on the winners of the 2012 Ragan/Factiva PR Daily Awards? In more than one category, the decision came down to a hair’s breadth of difference between several competitors.

When you read our accounts of the amazing resourcefulness and remarkable imagination of these campaigns, you’ll be surprised that we’re asking our judges to repeat the task of choosing just one winner in each category in 2013.

To all our entrants: Your willingness to undergo a searching examination of your best PR ideas evoked kudos from the experts who reviewed the several hundred entries.

Thanks to everyone who took part in the awards—and thanks for being part of the PR Daily community. Now sit back and read why these winners finished at the head of a tight pack.

Lifetime Achievement Award
Winner: Huma Gruaz, Alpaytac Public Relations/Marketing Communications

Honorable Mentions
Hilary Topper, HJMT Communications LLC
Michael W. Kempner, MWW Group

Best Annual Report (Online)
Winner: LifeBridge Health

Honorable Mentions
Duane Morris
Waggener Edstrom Worldwide Inc. Portland

Best Annual Report (Print)
Winner: OCC

Honorable Mentions
Akron Children's Hospital
Legacy
NYU Langone Medical Center

Best Blog
Winner: Southwest Airlines

Honorable Mentions
U.S. Department of Labor
Scholastic Inc.
Walt Disney Parks & Resorts

Best Branding Campaign
Winner: Horn Group

Honorable Mentions
Proof Integrated Communications and PPG
Dodge Communications Inc. and California Healthcare Medical Billing
HB Agency and OTE Corporation
Travel Alberta

Best Cause-Related Marketing
Winner: Strategic Objectives and The Body Shop Canada

Honorable Mentions
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
Spectrum
Marketing Elements Pty Ltd and White Ribbon
MWW Group and Museum of Mathematics

Best Client of the Year
Winner: San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino and Diamond Public Relations

Honorable Mentions
Cognito and Verivo Software
K/F Communications and Chomp Inc.
SHIFT Communications LLC and Openet

Best Community Relations Campaign
Winner: Allidura Consumer and The Coca-Cola Company

Honorable Mentions
Chase Card Services and The Glover Park Group
HanesBrands, Inc. and O’Malley Hansen Communications
Silver Spring Networks, Finn Partners and Blue Practice
Porter Novelli and the TORCH Program

Best Content Marketing/Brand Journalism
Winner: Shepherd Center

Honorable Mentions
CQG
GE Capital
Waggener Edstrom Worldwide Inc. Bellevue and Microsoft

Best Corporate PR Team
Winner: Virgin Atlantic Airlines

Honorable Mentions
Aflac
Boehringer Ingelheim
Syngenta

Best Corporate Social Responsibility
Winner: Cantor Fitzgerald and BGC Partners

Honorable Mentions
ABI Marketing Public Relations and Crown Holdings Inc.
Coca-Cola Turkey
Crosby~Volmer International Communications and Hilton Worldwide
Diageo
Shepherd Center

Best Crisis Management
Winner: AMF Media Group

Honorable Mentions
Burson-Marsteller and NEI
Consolidated Edison Co. of New York Inc.
Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide and Mexico Tourism Board
Jones Lang Lasalle

Best Electronic Newsletter
Winner: U.S. Department of Labor

Honorable Mentions
Akron Children's Hospital
Essentia Health
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

Best Email Pitch
Winner: VSCpr and MoviePal

Honorable Mentions
Cisco Systems Inc. and Text 100 San Francisco
Lola Red PR and European Wax Center
MWW Group and Nikon
Vantage Communications and Flingo

Best Event Marketing
Winner: American Airlines and Weber Shandwick

Honorable Mentions
Cooper Hong Inc. and Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity ReStore
Fineman Public Relations and Foster Farms
Henson Consulting Inc. and The Pampered Chef
Ketchum Inc. and DoubleTree by Hilton

Best Executed Social Media Contest
Winner: Affect

Honorable Mentions
Diageo PLC
MWW Group and Nikon
San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino and Diamond Public Relations
Virgin Atlantic Airways

Best External Publication (print or online)
Winner: Cherokee Nation Businesses

Honorable Mentions
Akron Children's Hospital and Fine Point Public Relations and Advertising
Life Care Centers of America
LifeBridge Health
UCB Inc.

Best Facebook Page
Winner: Springfield Clinic

Honorable Mentions
EmpowHER Media
Michigan Economic Development Corporation
RF|Binder Partners Inc. and Malaysia Kitchen

Best Fitness/Health Campaign
Winner: Kaiser Permanente

Honorable Mentions
Mayo Clinic
National Restaurant Association
Shepherd Center

Best Green Initiative
Winner: ABI Marketing Public Relations and Crown Holdings, Inc.

Honorable Mentions
Allidura Consumer and The Coca-Cola Company
American Airlines and Weber Shandwick
HanesBrands Inc. and O'Malley Hansen Communications
Virgin Atlantic Airways

Best Infographic
Winner: Porter Novelli

Honorable Mentions
Kronos, Inc
MilkPEP and Weber Shandwick
Walker Sands Communication and Alterian

Best Listening and Media Monitoring Program
Winner: Burson-Marsteller and NEI

Honorable Mentions
Southwest Airlines

Best Mobile Strategy and/or Campaign
Winner: Akron Children’s Hospital

Honorable Mentions
Mullen and CENTURY 21
Porter Novelli and SOYJOY

Best Online Newsroom
Winner: Michigan Economic Development Corporation

Honorable Mentions
Southwest Airlines

Best Op-Ed
Winner: Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation

Honorable Mentions
Directions Marketing and SCA Tissue
HJMT Public Relations and Advanced Urology Centers of New York
U.S. Department of Labor

Best Podcast
Winner: Dixon Schwabl, Greater Rochester Enterprise

Honorable Mentions
Southwest Airlines

Best PR Presentation to a Financial Analyst
Winner: Lockheed Martin Ms2

Best PR Research
Winner: Determinus and the Strategies to Overcome and Prevent Obesity Alliance

Honorable Mentions
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid/PRIME Research/Porter Novelli

PR Rookie of the Year
Winner: Angela M. Byrne, Cognito

Honorable Mentions
Sophie Fischman, Cognito
Jesse Lawder, Department of Labor
Shelly May, Profiles Inc.

Best PR Video
Winner: Proof Integrated Communications and NRG

Honorable Mentions
Anaheim Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau and Purry Communications
Proof Integrated Communications and Personal Care Products Council
Michigan Economic Development Corporation

Best PR White Paper
Winners: Barnes & Noble College Marketing
Porter Novelli

Honorable Mentions
Crosby~Volmer International Communications and CoreLogic
PR Newswire Association LLC
Quintiles

Best Product Launch
Winner: Konnect Public Relations and Rhythm Superfoods

Honorable Mentions
Indigo Books & Music Inc.
Strategic Objectives Inc. and Unilever Canada
Unilever N. America,Degree Women®, and Weber Shandwick
Walker Sands Communication and SceneTap
Western Union Financial Services Inc.

Best Public Service Announcement
Winner: American Academy of Ophthalmology

Honorable Mentions
Legacy

Best Publicity Campaign
Winner: RF|Binder, Inc. and BAND-AID

Honorable Mentions
Proof Integrated Communications and NRG
Jackson Spalding and The Coca-Cola Company
Ketchum Inc. and DoubleTree by Hilton
Sara Lee Corporation and O'Malley Hansen Communications
Waggener Edstrom Worldwide Inc. Bellevue and Microsoft Mobile
Monotype Imaging Inc.

Best Social Media Campaign
Winner: MSLGROUP and the Singapore Tourism Board

Honorable Mentions
Burson-Marsteller and NEI
GE Healthcare
GYMR Public Relations
MLB Fan Cave
Mullen and Hanes Hosiery

Best Speech
Winner: Olmstead Williams Communications

Honorable Mentions
U.S. Department of Labor
LIMRA
NETGEAR and Weber Shandwick

Best Traditional News Release
Winner: Weber Shandwick and MilkPEP

Honorable Mentions
Domino's Pizza Inc.
Henson Consulting Inc. and Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises
PR Newswire Association LLC and SparkPR

Best ‘Traditional Still Works’ PR Campaign
Winner: Weber Shandwick and American Airlines

Honorable Mentions
AMF Media Group
Mullen and Grain Foods Foundation
Nyhus Communications and Washington United for Marriage Coalition
SHIFT Communications and Zeo

Best Tweet of the Year
Winner: Weber Shandwick and MilkPEP

Honorable Mentions
Lola Red PR and MyForce
Vantage Communications and YKK AP

Best Use of QR Codes in a PR/Marketing Campaign
Winner: City of Sandy Springs

Honorable Mentions
The Halo Group

Best Use of SEO
Winner: Cooper Hong Inc.

Honorable Mentions
Howell Marketing Strategies

Best Use of Social Media in a Crisis
Winner: Consolidated Edison of New York

Honorable Mentions
Burson-Marsteller and NEI
General Motors and Fleishman-Hillard

Best Use of Twitter
Winner: Burson-Marsteller and NEI

Honorable Mentions
RF|Binder Partners Inc. and Akerman Senterfitt
Virgin Atlantic Airways

Best Viral/Word of Mouth
Winner: RF|Binder Inc. and Talenti Gelato

Honorable Mentions
C-SECTION and Sprite
Doremus
Travel Alberta

Best Website Launch
Winner: Western Union Financial

Honorable Mentions
Akron Children's Hospital
Burson-Marsteller, Proof Integrated Communications and Ford Motor Company
Home Front Communications and Association of American Railroads
Mullen and Tommee Tippee

Grand Prize PR Campaign of the Year
Winner: Ketchum Inc. and DoubleTree by Hilton

Honorable Mentions
American Airlines and Weber Shandwick
Horn Group
Allidura Consumer and The Coca-Cola Company
MLB Fan Cave
Nyhus Communications and Washington United for Marriage Coalition
Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide and Mexico Tourism Board