PR Newswire Announces the Finalists of 'The Earnies' Awards Program, Honoring Innovation in Today's Earned Media Evolved World

NEW YORK, Jan. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- PR Newswire, the global leader of innovative marketing and communications solutions, today announced finalists and opened up public voting of The Earnies, the first community-chosen awards program dedicated to earned media campaigns executed through social media channels.

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"We are extremely pleased that we received so many impressive entries that incorporated unique tactics and displayed creative use of social media to drive campaign success," said Rachel Meranus, vice president of marketing and communications, PR Newswire.  "Our panel of judges certainly had a hard task on their hands; narrowing down the submissions to determine our shortlist of finalists and we are eager to learn the community favorites."

Community voting is open to the public for a span of two weeks, ending Tuesday, February 14th.  Voters can select their favorites in each category by visiting the [email protected] site and should follow @AgilityAtWork on Twitter for program updates and final announcement of the winners.  Winners will be announced on February 16th.

Entries were judged based on strategy, creativity, results and overall 'awesomeness' of the campaigns. Three finalists were named in each of the following categories:

Best Use of Video in Social Media:

• Status Creative – Refuting the claim that Grand Rapids, MI is a dying city
• New Media Strategies – NFL Players Association fighting the PR battle over the NFL lockout
• New Media Strategies – Celebrating 70 years of Jeep

To learn more about the "Best Use of Video in Social Media" entries and to cast your vote, click here.

Best Connection to Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook Audience

• Esurance – supporting The Trevor Project
• Child's Play Communications – creating awareness and excitement about the Mega Bloks Family Club
• Redken – increasing brand awareness through fashion, pop culture and branded content

To learn more about the "Best Connection to Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook Audience" entries and to cast your vote, click here.

We Can't Believe That Worked!

• St. Jude Children's Research Hospital – leveraging a reality TV feature spot to interact with fans in real-time
• Motion Marketing & Media –  introducing Michigan to the world through "Meet Michigan"
• Byron Fernandez – conducting a public relations & marketing job search

To learn more about the "We Can't Believe That Worked" entries and to cast your vote, click here.

The Earnies Grand Prix

• St. Jude Children's Research Hospital – raising awareness for 'Hoops For St. Jude'
• Redken –  celebrating Fall/Winter 2012 Fashion Week through Social Media
• BuzzFeed – reinvigorating BIC Razors for Men through the "Get Real" campaign

To learn more about the "Earnies Grand Prix" entries and to cast your vote, click here.

About PR Newswire:

PR Newswire is the premier global provider of multimedia platforms that enable marketers, corporate communicators, sustainability officers, public affairs and investor relations officers to leverage content to engage with all their key audiences. Having pioneered the commercial news distribution industry 57 years ago, PR Newswire today provides end-to-end solutions to produce, optimize and target content — from rich media to online video to multimedia — and then distribute content and measure results across traditional, digital, mobile and social channels. Combining the world's largest multi-channel, multi-cultural content distribution and optimization network with comprehensive workflow tools and platforms, PR Newswire enables the world's enterprises to engage opportunity everywhere it exists. PR Newswire serves tens of thousands of clients from offices in the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region, and is a UBM plc company.

Media Contacts:

Rachel Meranus
Vice President, Marketing & Communications
201-360-6776
[email protected]

Meryl Serouya
Marketing & Communications Associate
201-360-6009
[email protected]

SOURCE PR Newswire Association LLC