The Big Apple Awards are the gold standard of excellence for 
PR practitioners in the New York area. 

The NEW highlight video, official press release and event photos are now available online!

View, share, download and follow along on social media with
#BigAppleAwards and #FuturePR

Thank you to everyone who celebrated with us
at the 2015 Big Apple Awards Gala

And a special thank you to our 2015 Big Apple sponsors!

Congratulations to our 2015 Big Apple
chapter award recipients, winners and
honorable mentions.  

---

 

2015 Big Apple Award Winners & Honorable Mentions

CHAPTER INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

John W. Hill Award
Winner: Barri Friedman Rafferty, Senior Partner & CEO North America, Ketchum

Philip Dorf Award 
Winner: Michael P. Rinaldo, Executive Vice President & General Manager, dna Communications 

President’s Award
Winner: Lynn Appelbaum, APR, Fellow PRSA, Professor/Director for the Advertising/PR program at 
The City College of New York (CCNY) 

2015 BIG APPLE AWARD WINNERS & HONORABLE MENTIONS

Best Use of Research, Measurement and Evaluation
P&G Always and MSLGROUP for Always #LikeAGirl: Turning an Insult into a Confidence Movement

Best of Business/Campaign Outcomes
Campari America and M Booth for Negroni Week: Tapping Bartenders’ Creativity for Sales and Charity

Best of the Best
MasterCard and Ketchum for MasterCard Bites into Apple Pay, Gets to the Core of Safe & Secure Contactless Payments

Community Relations: Business Products & Services
Winner: Celgene and dna Communications for The Value of Medical Innovation: Changing the Conversation from Cost to Value 

Honorable Mention: H&R Block and Spong for H&R Block Dollars & Sense for Teens

Honorable Mention: Humana and Coyne PR for Humana Hits the Road to Assist Uninsured Mississippians

Community Relations: Government, Associations & Non-Profit Organizations
Winner: National Canine Research Foundation and Coyne PR for In the Line of Fire: National Canine Research Council Helps Police Reduce Dog Shootings in Local Communities 

Honorable Mention: Be The Match and PadillaCRT for Be The Match Walk+Runs: Inspiring Local Communities to Step Up and Save Lives

Reputation & Brand Management: Business
Winner: PayPal and MSLGROUP for "Be The Customer" Sparks PayPal Growth Surge 

Honorable Mention: Access Health CT and Global Strategy Group for Positioning Connecticut as a National Leader in Health Care Reform

Honorable Mention: Johnson & Johnson and Matter, Inc. for Johnson & Johnson Care Inspires Care

Reputation & Brand Management: Government, Associations & Non-Profit Organizations
Winner: United Nations Women and Ogilvy Public Relations for Reigniting Women's Rights Through Men 

Honorable Mention: EdX and RF|Binder for EdX: the Not-for-Profit Bringing World-Class Education to the Masses, for Free

Reputation & Brand Management: Campaigns with Budgets of $100,000 or Less
Winner: Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation and Tartaglia Communications LLC for SPARK: Branding a New Science Competition 

Honorable Mention: Mary Kay and Coyne PR for Discover What You Love: The Future of Beauty with Mary Kay

Events & Observances (One to Seven Days): Business
Winner: Campari America and M Booth for Negroni Week: Tapping Bartenders’ Creativity for Sales and Charity 

Honorable Mention: Jack Link's and Spong for Jack Link’s National Jerky Day: A Monumental Achievement in Meat 

Honorable Mention: Valvoline and Cohn & Wolfe for Reigniting America's "Do-It-Yourself" Spirit: The Valvoline Reinvention Project 

Events & Observances (One to Seven Days): Government, Associations & Non-Profit Organizations
Winner: National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) and MWWPR for Saving the Daytime Emmy® Awards from Becoming a Daytime TV Rerun

Honorable Mention: 92nd Street Y and the United Nations Foundation and Coyne PR, Edelman, Fenton, FleishmanHillard, Havas PR North America, Sunshine Sachs, Turnder 4d, Weber Shandwick for #GivingTuesday: The Day the World Gave Back 

Events & Observances (More Than Seven Days): Business
Winner: MasterCard and Ketchum for MasterCard Bites into Apple Pay, Gets to the Core of Safe & Secure Contactless Payments

Honorable Mention: Green Festivals and Finn Partners for TAKING GREEN MAINSTREAM WITH THE GREEN FESTIVAL

Honorable Mention: High Ridge Brands/Alberto VO5 and 360PR for VO5 National Anti-Frizz Month 

Events & Observances (More Than Seven Days): Government, Associations & Non-Profit Organizations
Winner: Be The Match and PadillaCRT for It’s On You: Inspiring the African-American Community to Step Up and Save Lives 

Honorable Mention: MasterCard and Ketchum for MasterCard and Stand Up To Cancer #GetTogether for a Priceless Cause

Honorable Mention:  and Girl Scouts of the USA for Girl Scouts Adds a ‘Byte’ to Its Iconic Cookie Program

Public Service: Business
Winner: P&G Always and MSLGROUP for Always #LikeAGirl: Turning an Insult into a Confidence Movement 

Honorable Mention: Access Health CT and Global Strategy Group for Positioning Connecticut as a National Leader in Health Care Reform

Public Service: Government, Associations & Non-Profit Organizations
Winner: 3 Generations and The TASC Group for Tricked: A Documentary on Sex Trafficking and Campaign to Educate the American Public and Law Enforcement

Honorable Mention: The Michael J. Fox Foundation & AbbVie and Ruder Finn, Inc. for Partners in Parkinson's

Honorable Mention: United Nations Women and Ogilvy Public Relations for Reigniting Women's Rights Through Men

Public Affairs: Government, Associations & Non-Profit Organizations
Winner: Food Policy Action and Global Strategy Group for Our Food, Our Politics

Honorable Mention: Juice Products Association and Kellen for Serving up Science: A Scientific Research-Based Public Affairs Program for the Juice Products Association 

Marketing Consumer Products: Healthcare
Winner: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation and Burson-Marsteller & Ruder Finn, Inc. for Our Voice in SongTM

Honorable Mention: Kowa Pharmaceuticals and Makovsky for First & Goal: Tackling America’s #1 Killer

Marketing Consumer Products: Technology
Winner: Genuine Thermos Brand and Spong for Overnight Coffee Challenge Heats Up Genuine Thermos Brand

Marketing Consumer Products: Food, Beverage & Hospitality
Winner: Beyond Meat and M Booth for Getting America Ready for Re-engineered Meat

Honorable Mention: Campari America and M Booth for Negroni Week: Tapping Bartenders’ Creativity for Sales and Charity

Honorable Mention: Unilever/Good Humor and Golin for Good Humor Summer of Joy

Marketing Consumer Products: Packaged Goods
Winner: Genuine Thermos Brand and Spong for Overnight Coffee Challenge Heats Up Genuine Thermos Brand 

Honorable Mention: U by Kotex, from Kimberly-Clark Corporation and Marina Maher Communications LLC and Crowdtap, Inc. for U by Kotex Taps into a Universal Female Truth, Connects with Young Women Everywhere and Saves the Undies

Honorable Mention: Vaseline and M Booth for Bejeweled Minis: A Little Bling Gives Vaseline Beauty Cache

Marketing Consumer Products: Non-Packaged Goods
Winner: Polaris Slingshot and Skyya Communications for Polaris Slingshot: Launch of mind-blowing, 3-wheeled roadster marks the future of driving exhilaration

Honorable Mention: Pennzoil and Coyne PR for Pennzoil® Breaks Barriers

Marketing Consumer Products: Other
Winner: H&R Block and Spong for H&R Block Dollars & Sense for Teens

Honorable Mention: Riddell and Cohn & Wolfe for The Future is Now: Launching a Game-Changing Helmet

Marketing Consumer Products: Campaigns with Budgets of $100,000 or Less
Winner: Peeps and Coyne PR for From Easter Basket Essential to Christmas Stocking Surprise: the Evolving Story of PEEPS®

Honorable Mention: Philips and Emanate for Philips SlimStyle LED Light Bulb Launch

Marketing Consumer Services: Travel, Tourism & Hospitality
Winner: Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development and its Office of Tourism and FleishmanHillard for Connecticut still revolutionary Fan-Favorite Town Program

Honorable Mention: Brand USA and Ogilvy Public Relations for Selling the Story of the “Land of Dreams”

Marketing Consumer Services: Healthcare
Winner: Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation and Coyne PR for The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Sparks a Movement for Paralysis

Marketing Consumer Service: Technology
Winner: MasterCard and Ketchum for MasterCard Bites into Apple Pay, Gets to the Core of Safe & Secure Contactless Payments

Honorable Mention: Bing and Waggener Edstrom for Bing in the Classroom

Marketing Consumer Services: Financial Services
Winner:  and Bankrate, Inc. for Educating Consumers About Personal Finance

Marketing Consumer Services: Other
Winner:  and Girl Scouts of the USA for Girl Scouts Adds a ‘Byte’ to Its Iconic Cookie Program

Honorable Mention: ShopAdvisor and 360PR for ShopAdvisor Scales the App Store Heights

Marketing Business-to-Business : Professional & Financial Services
Winner: Citizens Financial Group and Ogilvy Public Relations for Telling the Story of Citizens Financial Group’s Transformation From a Regional Bank to a National Player

Marketing Business-to-Business: Products
Winner: Radware and Affect for Standing Out in an Overcrowded Space: Story Hijacking and Trend Intervention

Global Communications: Campaigns with Budgets over $100,000
Winner: Johnson & Johnson and Matter, Inc. for Johnson & Johnson Care Inspires Care

Global Communications: Campaigns with Budgets of $100,000 or less
Winner: Athlete Ally and All Out and The TASC Group for The Principle 6 Campaign to Force the International Olympic Committee to Protect LGBT Rights at Sochi and to Change the Way It Selects Host Cities

Issues Management: Government, Associations & Non-Profit Organizations
Winner: ArchCare and Reputation Architects Inc. for ArchCare: Transforming a Healthcare Ministry

Honorable Mention: United Nations Foundation and Havas PR for A Global Collaboration Wins the Day for Climate Science

Internal Communications: Business
Winner: Roche and Ruder Finn, Inc. for The RETHINK D Excellence Awards: Fostering a Culture of Innovation and Collaboration across a Global Organization

Honorable Mention: PayPal and MSLGROUP for "Be The Customer" Sparks PayPal Growth Surge

Investor Relations: Campaigns with Budgets over $100,000
Winner: Whistle Sports and SHIFT Communications for Scoring All-Star Investment Press for The Whistle Sports Network

Honorable Mention: Citizens Financial Group and Ogilvy Public Relations for Successfully Executing the Largest Financial IPO Since the Financial Crisis

Investor Relations: Campaigns with Budgets of $100,000 or less
Winner: Novartis and Ruder Finn, Inc. for Novartis Reinvigorates Corporate Reputation with Industry-Leading Portfolio Transformation

Multicultural Public Relations: Business
Winner: Merck and GCI Health for America’s Diabetes Challenge: Get To Your Goals

Multicultural Public Relations: Government, Associations & Non-Profit Organizations
Winner: Sisters Network and Eisai Inc. and Chamberlain Healthcare Public Relations for Teens 4 Pink

Integrated Communications: Consumer Products & Services
Winner: Jack Link's and Spong for From Meat Snack to Mainstream Brand

Honorable Mention: P&G Always and MSLGROUP for Always #LikeAGirl: Turning an Insult into a Confidence Movement

Honorable Mention: U by Kotex, from Kimberly-Clark Corporation and Marina Maher Communications LLC and Crowdtap, Inc. for U by Kotex Taps into a Universal Female Truth, Connects with Young Women Everywhere and Saves the Undies

Integrated Communications: Business-to-Business
Winner: The Economist and Peppercomm for Missing the Mark: Global Content Survey of Brand Marketers and their B2B Audiences 

Integrated Communications: Government, Associations & Non-Profit Organizations
Winner: Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation and Coyne PR for The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Sparks a Movement for Paralysis

Integrated Communications: Campaigns with Budgets of $100,000 or Less
Winner: Coldwell Banker Real Estate, LLC and CooperKatz & Company for What’s Your Home Worth? Coldwell Banker Real Estate Goes Local with Home Listing Report

New Media/Social Media Campaign: Consumer Products & Services
Winner: Vtech and Coyne PR for VTech: A Year in the Blogosphere

New Media/Social Media Campaign: Government, Associations & Non-Profit Organizations
Winner: United Nations Women and Ogilvy Public Relations for Reigniting Women's Rights Through Men

Honorable Mention: Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation and Coyne PR for The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Sparks a Movement for Paralysis

New Media/Social Media Campaign: Campaigns with Budgets of $100,000 or Less
Winner: Goodyear and Coyne PR for Goodyear and Ice Cube Spread the Word to Make it a ‘Good Day’

Corporate Social Responsibility: Business
Winner: Humana and Coyne PR for Humana Raises the Stakes for Corporate Philanthropy Program to Improve Community Health

Annual Reports
Winner: ArchCare and Reputation Architects Inc. for Enhancing Lives, Transforming Care: ArchCare 2013 Report to Stakeholders

Use of Internal Video
Winner:  and Weill Cornell Medical College for Salute to Scholarship – Showing the Impact of Financial Aid on Medical Students

Public Service Announcement (Print & Broadcast)
Winner: Breastcancer.org and Coyne PR for Breastcancer.org: Stepping Up and Stepping Out

Website (New or Newly Designed)
Winner: Discovery and Alcoa Foundation for Manufacture Your Future 

---

What it takes to win a Big Apple Award

The Chapter hosted a free seminar on Wednesday, February 4th from 6-8 PM offering participants a chance to hear from experts and former winners how to maximize your chances of winning.  Click here to read more!