3X1 and Holyrood Partnership were the big winners as the Scottish public relations industry gathered at the Marriott in Glasgow to celebrate the best campaigns of the year. Weber Shandwick picked up two gold awards. Winners included:

Corporate and Business Communications Campaign

Gold winner

• The BIG Partnership
  Tomorrow’s City Centre, Today
  Well thought through, well planned and well executed, this eye-catching campaign certainly captured the attention of the media and achieved the desired result, on a relatively small budget. Careful consideration was given to messages, audiences, and timing, and there was clear evidence of both strong outputs and outcomes. No detail was left to chance and it paid off.

  Silver winner

• Weber Shandwick
  Creating a buzz about collaboration

Finalists

• Golley Slater
  Driving delivery of excellent customer service for Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games
• Grayling
  Grant Thornton: Digital First
• Perceptive Communicators
  Clyde Gateway – Scotland’s Newest Business District
• VisitScotland
  Engaging Scotland’s tourism industry with a year like no other

Internal Communications Campaign

Gold winner

• West Dunbartonshire Council
  Be The Best
  An inspiring overnight transformation by the team at West Dunbartonshire Council, literally taking staff by surprise! A creative focus, alongside strong internal messages, encouraged and empowered staff to ‘Be the Best’.

  Silver winner

• Edinburgh Napier University
  Strategy 2020: Building Success

Finalist

• Wheatley Group
  W.E. are Wheatley: Celebrating diversity in Wheatley Group

Consumer Relations Campaign

Gold winner

• Wire Media
  Tennent’s Lager and Wire Media: Pint-Sized PR Stories
  An excellent campaign by Wire Media and Tennent’s Lager. The campaign had a clear focus from the outset, which allowed for strong planning and achieved excellent consumer reach. The judges were impressed by the incredibly focused approach, and by the end results which were way more than pint-sized!

Silver winner

• 3×1 Public Relations and Quality Meat Scotland
  Love Scotch Lamb

Finalists

• Holyrood PR
  Wholly Trinity – The Sell Out Success
• Stripe Communications
  IRN-BRU ‘Born to Support’
• Wire Media
  Lotto Thanks – Celebrating Scotland’s Summer of Sport
• Wire Media
  Whyte & Mackay – Taking Whisky to new heights

Public Sector Campaign

Gold winner

• Consolidated PR and Children’s Hearings Scotland
  Volunteer for Children’s Panel. It’s Life Changing.
  The objectives for this campaign were well and truly achieved, and then some! This entry demonstrated both excellent outputs and outcomes well beyond what had been hoped for. The campaign was creative, well thought through and well implemented, with strong evidence of stakeholder engagement. Impressively, all of this was achieved on a relatively modest budget.

Silver winner

• Skills Development Scotland (SDS)
  Scottish Apprenticeship Week 2015

Finalists

• Grayling and Network Rail
  Borders Railway: New tracks, new journeys, new beginnings
• Perceptive Communicators
  Clyde Gateway – Scotland’s Newest Business Destination
• Weber Shandwick Scotland and Scottish Government Marketing
  Eat Better Feel Better: Improving Scotland’s Diet
• West Dunbartonshire Council
  Do The Right Thing Litter Campaign

Community Relations Campaign

Gold winner

• Pagoda Porter Novelli
  Knockshinnoch Wind Farm: Generating community support
  A well-planned, well-executed and effective campaign that harnessed community opinion and delivered the result that mattered. On a topic which can evoke strong feelings and opinions, Pagoda Porter Novelli worked at a grassroots level to ensure the local voice was heard.

Silver winner

• West Dunbartonshire Council
  Do The Right Thing Litter Campaign

Finalists

• Grayling
  Teeing Up the Locals
• Weber Shandwick Scotland and Scottish Government Marketing
  Eat Better Feel Better: Improving Scotland’s Diet
• Wheatley Group
  Commonwealth Games Furniture – a gift from the Games

Public Affairs Campaign

Gold winner

• Pagoda Porter Novelli
  Knockshinnoch wind farm: Generating support
  This campaign really engaged local people in the benefits of wind energy and dealt with any fears quickly and factually. It was grounded in good research, was strategic, and included very effective tactics. Ultimately, it achieved the outcome the client needed – an outcome that has had tangible benefits for the local community.

Silver winner

• Orbit Communications
  Millions for Mental Health in Scotland

Finalists

• Indigo
  Presumed Liability for Vulnerable Road Users
• Prostate Cancer UK
  Men United v Prostate Cancer: 5 Inequalities, 5 Solutions
• Weber Shandwick
  ScotlandVotes.com
• Weber Shandwick
  Tackling Tattie Targets

Not-for-Profit Campaign

Gold winner

• British Heart Foundation Scotland
  Creating a Nation of Lifesavers
  A worthy winner in a very strong category. This was a truly brilliant campaign that achieved excellent buy in from media and politicians, and was very clear from the beginning on its objectives and target audiences. The campaign has achieved much more than a nation of lifesavers – it has created a wonderful legacy that is sure to continue, given the response to date.

Silver winner

• Orbit Communications
  Millions for Mental Health in Scotland

Finalists

• Cran Communications
  Cran Communications & SCCR – #StopTalkListen campaign
• Orbit Communications
  The Annie Dow Heroism Award
• Tricker PR
  Whisky Heroes – Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival

Healthcare Campaign

Gold winner

• Weber Shandwick
  Now hear me: it’s my right to speak
  This campaign was founded on good research and planning, with a strategic approach and effective, creative tactics that were clearly well thought through. Outputs were impressive – not least the well-watched videos – along with strong evidence of outcomes. All-in-all, a highly effective campaign which is making a difference to people’s lives in Scotland.

Silver winner

• Prostate Cancer UK
  Men United v Prostate Cancer: 5 Inequalities, 5 Solutions

Finalists

• Consolidated PR and The Scottish Government
  Don’t Get Scared, Get Checked
• NHS 24
  Be Health-Wise This Winter

Integrated Campaign

Gold winner

• Weber Shandwick Scotland and Scottish Government Marketing
  Eat Better Feel Better: Improving Scotland’s Diet
  Strong research created an impressive informed strategy with multiple touch points. By engaging ‘real mums’ – real people – through communities, creating events and working with supermarkets, this campaign achieved excellent positive outcomes. Great media response too! A worthy winner.

Silver winner

• Scottish Government
  Winter is coming! – Scotland’s Winter Festivals

Finalists

• Grayling and Network Rail
  Borders Railway: New tracks, new journeys, new beginnings
• Muckle Media
  Gett
• Seafish and Citypress
  Omega-3 the Superfishoil Championing omega-3 awareness and seafood consumption
• Smarts
  Fit in ’14

Low Budget Campaign

Gold winner

• Smarts
  We love our gingers
  This creative campaign is a prime example of effective and engaging PR and communications and is proof that big budgets aren’t always needed to achieve big results. On a very modest budget, a brand was brought to life with great personality and humour. The campaign achieved both great outputs and outcomes, with tangible increases in sales during a challenging time of year.

Silver winner

• Golley Slater
  Launching Historic Scotland’s Engine Shed project

Finalists

• Orbit Communications
  Millions for Mental Health in Scotland
• Stripe Communications
  A clever little PR Campaign
• The BIG Partnership
  Air Space Trampoline Park Launch
• Wire Media
  Ginger Discount: Aberdeen Union Square’s Red Hot Promotion

Arts, Culture or Sport Campaign

Gold winner

• Grayling
  The 2014 Ryder Cup: The Best Ryder Cup Ever
  Based on sound strategy and employing well-considered tactics, this team worked smart to create an engaging campaign that helped to elevate this huge event from the realm of elite sport and into the homes and hearts of Scottish people. This creative and insightful campaign achieved much more than press coverage – it helped to create a powerful lasting legacy for this iconic event.

Silver winner

• Wire Media
  Lotto Thanks – Celebrating Scotland’s Summer of Sport

Best Use of Media Relations

Gold winner

• VisitScotland
  Scotland: The Land That Inspired Outlander
  Carefully planned to ensure maximum impact, this engaging and creative campaign utilised excellent, targeted media relations skills across multiple platforms to achieve optimum results. Impressive coverage results aside, this campaign went beyond physical outputs and demonstrated success in achieving tangible outcomes; opening a compelling discourse about Scotland as an attractive tourist destination and, ultimately, delivering increased visitor numbers to Scotland’s shores.

Silver winner

• 3×1 Public Relations
  Frying High! The National Fish & Chip Awards

Finalists

• Beattie Communications
  Redefine | BDL Hotels – Groom Academy
• Stripe Communications and Scottish Government Marketing
  Bags of Coverage
• Weber Shandwick Scotland and Energy Saving Trust
  Check, Switch, Insulate – Big Energy Saving Week
• Wire Media
  Tennent’s Lager and Wire Media: Pint-Sized PR Stories

Best Use of Social Media

Gold winner

• Smarts
  We love our gingers
  This smart, creative and well-considered campaign shines out not just because of its fun, personality-filled social media content but because it truly delivered. The results speak for themselves: increased share of voice, tangible sales increases and massive talkability – all within a very modest budget. Bravo.

Silver winner

• Consolidated PR, Story and The Scottish Government
  Sharing Wishes, Saving Lives

Finalists

• Citypress
  Citypress & Fish is the Dish: Omega-3 Awareness Campaign
• Falkirk Council
  Earn While You Learn
• Shelter Scotland
  Social Media Santa for Scotland’s homeless children
• Weber Shandwick
  Nessie – Our National Treasure!

Best Use of Photography or Design

Gold winner

• Stripe Communications
  Capturing Lovers of Light
  The judges absolutely loved this inspiring, simply beautiful campaign which achieved amazing results and coverage. Stripe Communications had a clear strategy and devised an excellent plan to capture lovers of light. The response to this campaign – across media globally, through brand awareness and page impressions – reflected the excellent thinking behind the communications. Inspirational!

Silver winner

• Holyrood PR
  Making a Visual Impact – A Bank of Images

Finalists

• Falkirk Council
  Time to Adopt – A Guide for Grown Ups
• Muckle Media
  Scotland’s Decision: Scotland September 18
• Muckle Media
  V&A Dundee: Design in Motion
• Weber Shandwick
  Awakening a Sleeping Giant

Best Publication

Gold winner

• SGN and Scarlett Abbott
  SGNmail
  This was a favourite for the judges in a highly-contested category. The SGNmail had a clear focus around a narrow deep target audience – employees – from the outset. The publication was well researched and invested in, used great tactics to engage staff and achieved a great balance of an excellent response from staff whilst being engaging and meaningful.

Silver winner

• Seafish Industry Authority
  Quay Issues

Finalists

• Indigo in partnership with Fife Council Economic Development
  Fife Business Matters
• Think Publishing for the Royal Photographic Society
  The RPS Journal
• West Dunbartonshire Council
  Talk Newspaper

Best Event

Gold winner

• Golley Slater
  Launching Historic Scotland’s Engine Shed project
  This was a well thought through campaign around the Engine Shed. The event achieved a superb response from media, coupled with excellent community engagement and partnership, and captured the imagination of locals with 700 visiting! The judges were impressed by how the event ensured ongoing engagement with both councils and schools. This was a great event supported by a clearly focused communications campaign by Golley Slater and Historic Scotland.

Silver winner

• ScottishPower Renewables
  Opening West of Duddon Sands Offshore Windfarm

Finalists

• Grayling
  The 2014 Ryder Cup Trophy Tour
• Scottish Enterprise
  Commonwealth Games Business Conference
• Seafish
  The National Fish & Chip Awards

Outstanding Young Communicator

Gold winner

• Ross Stebbing ACIPR
  Holyrood PR
  Ross is a confident, enthusiastic professional with a well-rounded skill set. His tenacious, creative approach to client work has seen him deliver an impressive range of national and international coverage. He is extremely driven and ambitious with a proactive approach to not only his own career development but that of his junior colleagues.

Finalist

• Julia Bryce MCIPR
  Frasermedia

Outstanding Independent Practitioner

Gold winner

• Lisa Palompo Dixon MCIPR
  Palompo PR
  An excellent example of boutique PR, Palompo is like a breath of fresh PR air. From pop up surgeries to buffet menus, it is clear that Lisa is passionate about what she does – and her clients clearly love working with her. Palompo PR oozes with pride and energy, it knows what its clients like, and how to make PR work well for them. The buffet menu provides clients with choice and helps them select what they need, rather than being told what they are getting. Lisa has focused on growing her boutique brand with well selected clients feeling loved and nourished. Add to this her pop up PR surgeries which are generating business and brand awareness, Palompo PR is savvy, creative and is clearly ‘growing’ places.

Public Sector Team of the Year

Gold winner

• West Dunbartonshire Council
  West Dunbartonshire Council has a clear strategy and set of objectives. The judges were impressed that their activities were properly quantified and evaluated against their objectives. Their anti-litter campaign showed an innovative approach to communicating key messages.

Outstanding In-House Public Relations Team

Gold winner

• Seafish
  This was a great entry from a team rebuidling relationships with clear evidence of how PR helps an organisation rebuild its reputation. The judges were highly impressed by the campaign example, especially the metrics, which showed real success beyond media coverage.

Silver winner

• VisitScotland

Finalists

• Scotland TranServ
• Wheatley Group

Outstanding Small Public Relations Consultancy

Gold winner

• Holyrood PR
  Holyrood PR made a strategic decision to reposition their business over the past three years, a decade after incorporation, and have shown significant success in doing so. The judges were impressed by the collaborative approach to creating a new agency vision that drove Holyrood away from traditional media, towards digital. By creating customised media hubs for their clients on a new website, Holyrood successfully demonstrated tangible evidence of agency differentiation. Finally, Holyrood is a great example of an employer committed to the CIPR’s CPD scheme, along with not only training its team but also encouraging them to capture and share that training via blogging on the website.

Silver winner

• Frasermedia

Finalists

• Morrison Media Strategies
• Muckle Media
• Perceptive Communicators
• Volpa

Outstanding Public Relations Consultancy

Gold winner

• 3×1 Public Relations
  3×1 Public Relations presented a strong all-round entry, which made them a worthy winner in a very competitive category. The judges were impressed by the clear business objectives, strategy and measures that they applied, the demonstration of a progressive and committed approach to training and development, and their ability to evidence their outstanding work for clients in Scotland and further afield with hard measures, examples and client feedback. A worthy winner.

Silver winner

• Weber Shandwick Scotland

Finalists

• Bread
• Citypress
• Grayling Scotland
• Stripe Communications