South Carolina's Top Public Relations Campaigns Recognized at Annual Mercury Awards

COLUMBIA, S.C., May 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The South Carolina Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (SCPRSA) hosted its annual Mercury Awards celebration on Thursday, May 3 in Columbia. Forty-eight awards for public relations campaigns and tactics were presented to communications professionals from across the state.

SCPRSA's Mercury Awards recognize public relations programs and campaigns, while the Silver Wing Awards recognize outstanding tactics used in those campaigns. Public relations practitioners across the state are eligible to enter the awards competition, which was judged this year by the PRSA chapter in Roanoke, Virginia. In addition, SCPRSA recognized several individuals for their contributions to the public relations profession.

Chapter President Alice Grey Harrison, APR of Dixon Hughes Goodman accounting firm in Greenville took home the overall Best in Show Mercury Award for the state's top public relations campaign, an internal communications campaign called Opportunity + Network. The overall Best in Show Silver Wing Award for the state's top public relations tactic went to Erwin Penland for BI-LO's Free Fuel Frenzy.

Alyssa Hasell of Collins and Lacy was recognized as SCPRSA's Rookie of the Year, presented to a younger member who shows great promise as a public relations practitioner. Debbie Nelson of DNA Creative Communications in Greenville received the George L. Johnson Community Spirit Award for her extensive pro bono work in the Upstate community. JoAnn Turnquist, President and CEO of Central Carolina Community Foundation, was recognized with the Executive Excellence Award, presented to an executive who shows exceptional support for the public relations function in their organization.

New to the competition this year were the Jupiter Awards, presented to three individuals for exceptional contributions to the use of social media as a communications tool. SCPRSA presented three awards in this category, representing each of the chapter's regions. Winners were:

• Bobby Rettew of Bobby Rettew, LLC in Greenville
• Mandi Engram of Midlands Authority for Conventions, Sports and Tourism in Columbia
• Heather Woolwine of the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston

Following are the winners by category, including the location of each agency or company. Mercury and Silver Wing Awards are the top winners in their categories. Awards of merit are runners-up in their categories.

Mercury Awards

Community Relations

• Mercury Award:  Erwin Penland (Greenville) for Bojangles' Teacher of the Year and Teacher Appreciation Month
• Mercury Award of Merit:  Rawle Murdy (Charleston) for Carnival Cruise Lines "Race to the Altar"

Brand and Reputation Management

• Mercury Award:  Erwin Penland (Greenville) for "Changing Diners' Perceptions with the Introduction of Denny's Fit Fare"
• Mercury Award of Merit:  Crawford Strategy (Greenville) for Greenville Dermatology Brand Management

Events and Observances, 7 Days or Fewer

• Mercury Award:  Obviouslee Marketing (Charleston) for the 2012 PGA Championship
• Mercury Award of Merit:  Chernoff Newman (Columbia) for 2011 Liberty Fellowship Summit

Events and Observances, More than 7 Days

• Mercury Award:  Crawford Strategy (Greenville) for Ice on Main
• Mercury Award of Merit:  Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center for "GHS Has Talent"

Public Service

• Mercury Award:  DNA Creative Communications (Greenville) for Project Rx:  A River Remedy
• Mercury Award of Merit (tie):  Chernoff Newman (Columbia) for Waste Management and LG Electronics eCycles Day
• Mercury Award of Merit (tie):  Davis Public Relations and Riggs Partners (Columbia) for "Talk About Giving" for Central Carolina Community Foundation

Marketing Consumer Products

• Mercury Award:  Erwin Penland (Greenville) for "Denny's Celebrates America's Favorite Food with 'Baconalia!' Menu
• Mercury Award of Merit:  Leapfrog PR (Charleston) for Fat & Juicy Bloody Mary Mix

Marketing Consumer Services

• Mercury Award of Merit:  Chernoff Newman (Columbia) for Santee Cooper's Free CFL Recycling Drive

Internal Communications

• Mercury Award:  Dixon Hughes Goodman (Greenville) for Opportunity + Network
• Mercury Award of Merit:  Palmetto Health Foundation (Columbia) for the 2011 Miracle Team Employee Giving Campaign

Integrated Communications

• Mercury Award:  FLOURISH Integrated Communications (Greenville) for CBT's The Nutcracker
• Mercury Award of Merit:  Bomar Marketing Solutions (Greenville) for Illuminating the Way

Silver Wing Awards

Media Relations, Consumer Products

• Award of Merit:  Erwin Penland (Greenville) for "Erwin Penland Bakes Up Success with Bojangles' Master Biscuit Maker Challenge"

Media Relations, Consumer Services

• Silver Wing Award:  Erwin Penland (Greenville) for "BI-LO Free Fuel Frenzy"

Media Relations, Associations/Government/Nonprofits

• Silver Wing Award:  Davis Public Relations (Columbia) for "Talk About Giving" for the Central Carolina Community Foundation

Newsletters – More than 8 Pages

• Silver Wing Award:  Municipal Association of South Carolina (Columbia) for "Uptown" Newsletter
• Silver Wing Award of Merit (tie):  Medical University of South Carolina (Charleston) for "The Catalyst"
• Silver Wing Award of Merit (tie):  Palmetto Health Foundation (Columbia) for "Portfolio"

Magazines, Internal Audiences Primarily

• Silver Wing Award:  South Carolina Bankers Association (Columbia) for Palmetto Banker

Magazines, External Audiences Primarily

• Silver Wing Award of Merit:  South Carolina Chamber of Commerce (Columbia) for South Carolina Business

Annual Reports – For Profit Organizations

• Silver Wing Award:  Sonoco (Hartsville) for "Ready to Grow, Sonoco's 2010 Annual Report"

Annual Reports – Nonprofit Organizations

• Silver Wing Award:  Medical University of South Carolina (Charleston) for "2010-2011 Annual Report"
• Silver Wing Award of Merit (tie):  DNA Creative Communications (Greenville) for "2010 ReWa Annual Report"
• Silver Wing Award of Merit (tie):  Williams Group PR (Beaufort) for Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce Annual Report

Publications – Single Issue Newsletters or Booklets

• Silver Wing Award of Merit:  Municipal Association of South Carolina (Columbia) for "Raising Hometown Voices to a New Level of Influence – An Advocacy Guide for South Carolina Hometowns"

Television Public Service Announcements

• Silver Wing Award of Merit:  Fisher Communications Inc. (Columbia) for DUI 2011 TV Campaign

Social Media

• Silver Wing Award:  Bomar Marketing Solutions (Greenville) for "Illuminating the Way"

Blogs

• Silver Wing Award:  Crawford Strategy (Greenville) for Greenville Dermatology Blog
• Silver Wing Award of Merit:  The South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce (Columbia) for Palmetto Workforce Connections

Blogger Campaign

• Silver Wing Award of Merit:  Bomar Marketing Solutions (Greenville) for Illuminating the Way

Creative Tactics

• Silver Wing Award of Merit (tie):  Chernoff Newman (Columbia) for Chernoff Newman Holiday Gift Guide
• Silver Wing Award of Merit (tie):  Medical University of South Carolina (Charleston) for The MUSC Safety Dance

Feature Writing

• Silver Wing Award of Merit (tie):  Erwin Penland (Greenville) for "Area Development" Byline Article for Upstate SC Alliance
• Silver Wing Award of Merit (tie):  Municipal Association of South Carolina (Columbia) for "Training Essential to Well-Run Cities"

Editorials and Op-Ed Columns

• Silver Wing Award:  Davis Public Relations (Columbia) for "Talk About Giving Op-Ed" for Central Carolina Community Foundation
• Silver Wing Award of Merit:  FLOURISH Integrated Communications (Greenville) for The Community Nutcracker Op-Ed

Advertorials

• Silver Wing Award:  Municipal Association of South Carolina (Columbia) for "Cities Mean Business" Magazine

External Websites

• Silver Wing Award:  Municipal Association of South Carolina (Columbia) for www.masc.sc
• Silver Wing Award of Merit:  South Carolina Chamber of Commerce (Columbia) for www.SCChamber.net

Internal Websites, Intranets and Extranets

• Silver Wing Award of Merit:  Dixon Hughes Goodman (Greenville) for The SPHERE

Multimedia Communications – External Programs and Presentations

• Silver Wing Award of Merit:  Chernoff Newman (Columbia) for "Your Bottom Line with Bill Dunkelberg"

Posters

• Silver Wing Award:  Dixon Hughes Goodman (Greenville) for Opportunity + Network

About the South Carolina Public Relations Society of America

South Carolina PRSA was founded in 1967 and is one of more than 200 chapters of the Public Relations Society of America, the world's largest professional association for public relations practitioners. For more information, visit www.SCPRSA.org.

Contact:
Alice Grey Harrison, APR
SCPRSA Chapter President
864.288.5544
[email protected]

SOURCE South Carolina Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (SCPRSA)