Ogilvy PR Named Agency of the Year

Ogilvy PR has been named 2009 Large Agency of the Year at one of the industry’s top award shows, the PRNews Platinum PR Awards.  This award evaluates agencies against four key criteria: business development, people, network initiatives and cohesion, and external thought leadership.

The agency was recognised for its strong performance in a tough economy, impressive new business wins across multiple markets and innovative and award-winning work for clients. This accolade follows on the heels of an impressive year of recognitions for the firm including being named Large Agency of the Year by The Holmes Report and PRWeek’s Editor’s Choice “Agency to Watch”.

In addition to the global Award, Howorth’s campaign for Livewire received highly commended.  Howorth was engaged under a part-paid, part-pro bono contract to officially launch and drive awareness for Livewire, a new online and social network for young Australians aged between 10 and 21 currently living with a serious illness, chronic health condition or disability.

Pulse Communications also received highly commended for Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House.  Pulse succeeded in generating national awareness and excitement around OPH and shifted Australians perceptions.  Pulse secured over 160 pieces of positive media coverage between February and May.

Howorth and Telstra unearth the Australian productivity gap

Challenge

To create a versatile thought leadership platform relevant for finance and information executives.  To create a robust platform for Telstra to communicate its ‘productivity’ value proposition and expertise to the corporate sector.

Insight

The key benefit of Telstra’s ICT solutions is achieving more with less resources, so Howorth identified an opportunity for the client to become a thought leader on the topic of productivity.

Creative idea

To bring the topic to life, Howorth recommended Telstra commission independent research to investigate how productivity is viewed by decision makers in Australian business and government organisations. The report, The Telstra Productivity Indicator, identified the phenomena of the ‘productivity gap’, where senior managers place high value on productivity but don’t have tools to effectively measure or manage it. The report was complemented by a white paper commissioned by  ACIL Tasman, looking at the role of ICT in delivering productivity benefits.

Campaign

The research was launched to media via a series of high level media briefings supported by third party case studies demonstrating productivity initiatives.  The Howorth team also reached out to social media to ensure Telstra was associated with the productivity conversation.

Outcome

Telstra took public ownership of the productivity debate and the term “productivity gap’ become part of the media vernacular during the first news cycle.  The innovative idea also became the foundation for all of Telstra’s employee and customer communication.  Impressively, Howorth achieved 75% of the annual coverage target in just four weeks

http://www.howorth.com.au/

Beyond the looking glass: building a case for compliance

The Australasian Compliance Institute (ACI), the peak professional body for compliance, was beginning from the ground up in establishing a strong mainstream media presence, via a public relations campaign, with the view to becoming the thought leader in compliance.

Howorth worked with the ACI to develop a thought leadership platform underpinned by media relations activities – against the insight that in the current economy, it’s not increased regulation, but effective implementation of regulation, that’s important.

Talking points for the resulting public relations campaign were developed around the notion that while instinct by governments may be to increase regulation to restore confidence and stability, this is not necessarily the answer. Rather, it is the responsibility of both government and business to drive economic recovery by demanding professional behaviour that delivers more than black-letter law requirements – this is what compliance is all about.

Howorth has worked to capitalise on this insight to raise awareness of the importance of a trained and experienced compliance/risk professional within an organisation – a role that had previously been little known and understood. In turn, the public relations campaign raised the profile of the ACI as the peak professional body representing these professionals.

By tapping into topical issues, including regulatory reform in the financial services sector, governance in sporting clubs and levels of executive pay, Howorth has communicated the ACI’s point of view through ongoing media relations activities.

The public relations campaign has resulted in prominent Tier 1 media coverage in publications including The Australian Financial Review, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian and Business Spectator.