The Lookout Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) recently recognized several local organizations for communications excellence. The Chapter developed the Crown Awards last year to acknowledge exemplary work in the greater Chattanooga area during the unparalleled circumstances of the pandemic.
2021 Crown Awards were bestowed on the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce, River City Company and Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Chattanooga.
The Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce was recognized for its Chattanooga Calling digital marketing campaign. Last year, the Chamber launched ChattanoogaCalling.com as a comprehensive resource for talent in our region, but saw an opportunity to attract talent from larger metros. Digital ads targeted young professionals entering the workforce, and mid-career professionals with families in major cities. The campaign achieved the highest conversion rates the Chamber, or the national PR agency it partnered with, have ever seen.
River City Company garnered praise for its Chattanooga Express Card giving local businesses a boost in the wake of the pandemic. The Cards incentivize individuals to patronize downtown businesses by offering bonus dollars on the purchase of gift cards usable at most downtown restaurants and businesses.
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Chattanooga received recognition for creative promoting and fundraising for its Adopt-a-Meal program providing evening meals so families can concentrate on their hospitalized child. The program suffered when volunteers couldn’t come in to cook meals due to COVID restrictions, so instead Ronald McDonald team members asked for restaurant gift cards, meal donations from restaurants and donated groceries so staff could cook. When a large annual event was cancelled, sponsors agreed their dollars could instead be used to help feed families.
Nominations were judged by a panel of professionals from across the Southeast including:
- Wes Boling, Nokian Tyres
- Brad Carmony, U.S. Xpress
- Gail Rymer, HL Strategy/Gail Rymer Strategic Communications (Knoxville)
- Loán Lake, Moishe House (Charlotte)
- Towanda Long, Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Company (Charlotte)
- Cynthia Shah-Khan, Retail Business Services (Charlotte)
Judges based their selections on campaigns’ creativity, planning, execution, and impact.
PRSA Lookout is the leading Chattanooga-area communications professional organization with members across a variety of industries from southeast Tennessee and northwest Georgia. Based in New York City, PRSA is the world’s largest professional organization for public relations practitioners, with more than 33,000 professional and student members across 400 chapters.