Ketchum and IBM Win Best Public Relations Campaign of 2011

NEW YORK, May 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Global public relations firm Ketchum and IBM took home the Platinum Award for the best public relations campaign of 2011, "IBM at 100 – Focusing Our Place in the Past, Present and Future," at Tuesday night's Americas SABRE Awards ceremony, held in New York. In addition to winning the evening's top honor, Ketchum's client work won more awards than that of any other firm, with six Gold SABRE Awards. Ketchum also was recognized with two Silver SABRE Awards, including PR Product of the Year for its Mindfire idea engine, a crowdsourcing community of hundreds of students from 40 universities spanning nine countries.

"These honors are a testament to the partnerships we've built with our clients who enable us to develop strong creative, unique programs and do great work," said Raymond L. Kotcher, senior partner and CEO. "Each day we challenge ourselves to continue to deliver demonstrable results and exceed our clients' expectations."

Ketchum and its clients won Platinum and Gold SABRE Awards in the following categories:

Platinum SABRE Award

"IBM at 100 – Focusing Our Place in the Past, Present and Future"
IBM with Ketchum

Six Gold SABRE Awards

CORPORATE IMAGE
"IBM at 100 – Focusing Our Place in the Past, Present and Future"
IBM with Ketchum

MARKETING TO YOUTH
"Our Birthday, Your Bash"
7-Eleven with FreshWorks and Ketchum

CONSUMER PRODUCTS
"Ken May Be Plastic, But His Love Is Real"
Mattel with Ketchum and HL Group

TRAVEL AND TOURISM
"DoubleTree by Hilton's Cookie CAREavan Across America"
DoubleTree by Hilton with Ketchum

ASSOCIATIONS
"Since When Did Agriculture Become a Dirty Word?"
U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance with Ketchum, Zocalo Group and maslansky luntz + partners

Rounding out its six Gold SABRE wins, Access Communications, a unit of Ketchum, won a Gold SABRE award for one of its clients in the Technology – Software and Services category.

Two Silver SABRE Awards

PUBLICITY STUNT
"Kodak Frees Your Facebook Photos"
Kodak with Ketchum

PR PRODUCT OF THE YEAR
"Mindfire – Reimagining the Way Agencies Imagine"
Ketchum

In addition, Zocalo Group, a unit of Ketchum, received an honorable mention for Digital and Social Agency of the Year.

In Europe, Ketchum Pleon has been named a finalist for 15 Diamond and Gold EMEA SABRE Awards, which will be presented at a gala dinner in Brussels on May 31. Earlier in the year, Ketchum was named PR Agency of the Year by PRWeek and also won four PRWeek Awards for its work on behalf of its clients. The agency also recently was honored with the International Consultancy of the Year designation by PRWeek U.K. and was named International Consultancy of the Year by PRmoment at the inaugural Golden Hedgehog Awards.

About the SABRE Awards
SABRE awards are bestowed annually and are presented for Superior Achievement in Branding and Reputation. Diamond SABREs recognize the increased contribution public relations is making in the C-suite, Gold SABREs recognize the best programs in specific brand-building and reputation management categories, and Silver SABREs focus on superior content creation. The Holmes Group exists to provide competitive insight and intelligence to public relations professionals. Products include consulting services, customized research, industry white papers, a weekly newsletter, The Holmes Report, and a comprehensive website. The Holmes Report is created for public relations professionals and offers industry news articles on new developments in the field and the trends and issues facing public relations professionals today and tomorrow. 

About Ketchum
Ketchum is a leading global communications firm with operations in more than 70 countries across six continents. Named 2012 PR Agency of the Year (PRWeek) and the winner of an unprecedented three consecutive PRWeek Campaign of the Year Awards, Ketchum partners with clients to deliver strategic programming, game-changing creative and measurable results that build brands and reputations. For more information on Ketchum, a unit of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE:OMC), visit www.ketchum.com.

About Diversified Agency Services
Diversified Agency Services (DAS), a division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE:OMC) (www.omnicomgroup.com), manages Omnicom's holdings in a variety of marketing communications disciplines. DAS includes over 200 companies, which operate through a combination of networks and regional organizations, serving international and local clients through more than 700 offices in 71 countries.

About Omnicom Group Inc.
Omnicom Group Inc. (www.omnicomgroup.com) is a leading global marketing and corporate communications company. Omnicom's branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, digital and interactive marketing, direct and promotional marketing, public relations and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 100 countries.

SOURCE Ketchum