The winners of the PRmoment Awards 2023

Taylor Herring helped easyJet holidays launch a 28-day ‘Escape the UK’ package, that was cheaper than the cost of living at home. Their rigorously stat-checked campaign saw the creation of a genuine holiday package – which sold out within 48 hours. It delivered widespread coverage, a much-needed talking point that wasn’t all doom and gloom, and an uplift to their client’s commercial website visits.

The judges said "Excellent, rounded campaign that achieved significant cut-through"

Days after Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng dropped their catastrophic mini-budget, which sent the pound tumbling and mortgages rocketing, the Cow and Construct teams discussed a response.

Households and businesses were both fearful and furious. Could we create a game that had an educational benefit on coping with the economic fallout? We could, but we’d need help from an external expert for the game to be genuinely useful, which would take time and money. Instead, we decided to show the accessibility and versatility of Construct’s software to be satirical. As a small business in the B2B sector, we wanted to make a statement that channelled the public and business mood with a swipe that reflected the news agenda.

The judges said: "Lovely timely campaign on a shoestring budget, showing real creativity and driving some good business results."

Emma started life as a bed-in-a-box company, delivering quality mattresses in unfeasibly small packages direct to your door; a novel experience that has seen it quite literally expand across the globe.

Through the appliance of science, this contortionist of the bedding world has since gone on to become an expert in sleep employing some of the biggest brains in the business to create award-winning beds, mattresses, pillows, blankets and duvets designed for the perfect night’s shut-eye.

Emma is so confident in its ability that it now claims “Emma helps the world to awaken their best with the very best sleep”. And it is with that bold claim Fanclub's challenge was set to showcase Emma's range of products and platform how Emma helps people to awaken their best through its sleep (science) expertise.

The judges said "A creative idea well executed that achieved the objectives set. It's good to see some strong measurable results."

The Women’s Aid insight that instances of violence in existing domestic abuse relationships rise during major sporting events is not new. It’s a story that’s been heard before and one that’s been told before - through numerous successful and impactful campaigns. But that doesn’t mean it’s a story we should stop telling. If anything, it’s crucial that Women’s Aid only continues to build on the momentum around this narrative, and use innovative means to propel it further, and into new territories.

The creative execution ensured a known narrative was expressed in a new way. The media relations operation expertly repurposed data, successfully challenging media to revisit a topic they had ‘covered before’. The integrated channel strategy ensured that this wasn’t just a campaign that was seen but optimised to encourage action and support. Old insight; same ambitions, but new creative, integration and approach ensured new heights were reached.

The judges said "An incredibly powerful and chilling campaign that I remember well. Thought-provoking, you just cannot have an emotional response to it. Great to see it got drove the impact it deserved."

“One’s lovin’ it” – Ready10’s creative response for McDonald’s sponsorship of the Platinum Jubilee Pageant – was a multi-channel campaign that cut through at one of the most cluttered PR times of the year. And it was that rarest of things: a PR idea that was picked up and pushed through the line across every channel from TV, to outdoor, to CRM, social, and in-store.

We watched as “One’s lovin’ it” built from humble beginnings into a multi-channel behemoth with eight agencies jumping on board to amplify it, making it one of the most impactful integrated marketing campaigns in the brand’s history.

The judges said "This one's lovin' it - particularly the focus on business / commercial outcomes. Very strong."

We needed to make suicide and suicide prevention a national conversation again. We created an exhibition on London’s South Bank of 50 smiling faces which, initially, had no reference to CALM.

On launch day we revealed – live on This Morning – that each was the last photo of someone who later took their own life. There were over 800 pieces of coverage delivering over 1 billion Opportunities to See through editorial coverage alone. The activity reached over 90% of the UK population and 60% of people asked understood the message to be that “The signs of suicide aren’t always obvious”.

The judges said "A truly impressive campaign that stopped people in their tracks, created discussion and engagement about what suicide truly looks like. I also delivered accidentally great commercial results too."

Intimina is a Swedish brand offering the first (and only) range of products dedicated to all aspects of women’s intimate health. Its mission: is to provide a comprehensive collection of products and information for women at every life stage, from the first period to beyond menopause. Introducing Period Crunch, the first menstrual-themed breakfast cereal, created to spark conversations about periods in the home.

The judges said "A strong campaign that really understood the need to get the conversation going and keep it going. Some great global results and tick for Piers Morgan outrage!"

For Anthony Nolan, W Communications transformed the complicated subject matter of blood cancer and stem cell donation into a bold, influencer-powered, creative campaign targeting this notoriously difficult audience.

Our ‘Opportunities to Save’ campaign increased average annual donation sign-ups of 16-18-year-olds by 25 per cent and saw up to 66 per cent of the population of people living with blood cancer given another chance at life.

The judges said "Purposeful mission set out from the beginning, clear target audience definition with clever planning on how and where to reach them, loads of creativity."

Enter “Lidl Bear”.

The ad tells the story of a little girl whose favourite Lidl Christmas jumper gets shrunk in the wash. So, she tries it on to her favourite teddy and it fits perfectly. The teddy gets spotted in Lidl, people assume it’s Lidl’s newest brand mascot and the teddy gets sucked into a world of glamourous parties and the like.

The judges said "Fantastic story telling and great from start to finish. Strategic guidelines flow through to an amazing and emotional creative idea, followed up by results that demonstrate coverage return but most importantly consumer action."

Taylor Herring helped easyJet holidays launch a 28 day ‘Escape the UK’ package, that was cheaper than the cost of living at home. Their rigorously stat-checked campaign saw the creation of a genuine holiday package – which sold out within 48 hours.

It delivered widespread coverage, a much-needed talking point that wasn’t all doom and gloom, and an uplift to their client’s commercial website visits.

The judges said "While it's a great piece of creative with stand-out results, what sets this apart is the deftness with which it navigated the public mood. It takes a delicate, serious subject and cannily turns it to a feel-good campaign delivering commercial advantage."

We wanted to drive conversation amongst the general public of sexual pleasure, health, and relationships in older people and establish Relate as the leading authoritative voice in this space. We needed to further breakdown taboos around sex in later life and raise awareness of rising rates in STIs in over 65s.

The judges said "Creative and fun way to make people talk and to raise awareness of what can be a difficult topic."

To cement Virgin Atlantic’s position as the most inclusive airline, we listened to our people, ripped up the (Vivienne Westwood designed) uniform rule book and re-wrote its gender identity policy offering its people the option to choose the uniform they identified most with and introduced pronoun badges, gender neutral ticketing systems and inclusivity training for its people.

We announced it to the world with an inclusive, stylised fashion forward ‘runway on a runway’ content campaign, fronted by LGBTQ+ ally Michelle Visage, influencers, trans and non-binary pilots and crew, punchy media relations and a sprinkling of Virgin flair.

The judges said: "Well, this is a lovely campaign with a heart-warming impact."

We needed to make suicide and suicide prevention a national conversation again. We created an exhibition on London’s South Bank of 50 smiling faces which, initially, had no reference to CALM. On launch day we revealed – live on This Morning – that each was the last photo of someone who later took their own life.

There were over 800 pieces of coverage delivering over 1 billion Opportunities to See through editorial coverage alone. The activity reached over 90% of the UK population and 60% of people asked understood the message to be that “The signs of suicide aren’t always obvious”.

The judges said "This campaign was so emotional, it struck a nerve with so many people. I remember the day it launched. Simple but so effective and emotive."

Pepsi approached Pangolin to bring to life the brand’s new global positioning - Thirsty For More - through a disruptive football campaign that hijacked the “big sporting event” in 2022 (wonder what event that could be? 😉).

The result was an 8-week PR campaign that made Pepsi part of fan culture by leaning into the passions that we know football fans - and players - love to bring together: fashion, music, one-of-a-kind products and unexpected collaborations.

The judges said "Great creative extension to an ad that was as interesting as the ad itself."

Taylor Herring helped easyJet holidays launch a 28 day ‘Escape the UK’ package, that was cheaper than the cost of living at home. Their rigorously stat-checked campaign saw the creation of a genuine holiday package – which sold out within 48 hours. It delivered wide-spread coverage, a much needed talking point that wasn’t all doom and gloom, and an uplift to their client’s commercial website visits.

The judges said "Strong campaign that required close interaction with client teams to deliver."

If a cowpat is struck by lightning, a chemical reaction locks in methane and ammonia. By recreating that at scale to treat manure, agri-tech company N2 Applied has developed an on-farm machine that enables farmers to create their own sustainable fertiliser, which stands to break the world’s reliance on chemical fertilisers.

BOLDT launched this technology and has built credibility with politicians, farmers and food producers through media relations and political engagement. It is now being purchased and is central to a major Government food security review.

The judges said: "Fantastic campaign driving awareness and adoption of a technology that has huge potential."

#Merky FC: a partnership between adidas and Stormzy’s #Merky Foundation will see real change in representation off the pitch in the football industry.

The campaign achieved over 200 pieces of editorial coverage, including 30 pieces across national broadcast, print and online titles.

As a result, there were over 35,000 visits to the #Merky FC website in the first week of the campaign. There have been over 2,000 applications for the roles.

Almost half (46%) of the campaign’s Black and Mixed Heritage audiences were aware of the launch.

The judges said:"Creative campaign delivering impressive results."

We needed to make suicide and suicide prevention a national conversation again. We created an exhibition on London’s South Bank of 50 smiling faces which, initially, had no reference to CALM. On launch day we revealed – live on This Morning – that each was the last photo of someone who later took their own life.

There were over 800 pieces of coverage delivering over 1 billion Opportunities to See through editorial coverage alone. The activity reached over 90% of the UK population and 60% of people asked understood the message to be that “The signs of suicide aren’t always obvious”.

The judges said "Heart-breaking and impactful campaign with a very well thought out PR strategy at the heart of it."

2022 saw a national effort to lower Britain’s energy use in the face of a supply crunch. Barclays launched a market-leading new product, which will ultimately drive a measurable reduction in carbon emissions by UK homes and assist Britain’s net zero transition.

Barclays’ communications team convinced the business to increase investment in the project 20x and launched the Greener Home Reward: £2,000 cashback for mortgage customers to make their homes more sustainable. We used behavioural science to overcome the key barrier to action, created a national conversation on retrofitting, and positioned Barclays as an innovative lender.

The judges said "Really strong results, great use of campaign elements to create a 360 campaign."

Amidst a cost of living crisis, Experian explained why it’s important for the younger generation to control their finances and engage with their credit score. Its research proved 16 –25-year-olds had little interest in this topic, so Experian engaged them by tapping into the passion points of football and exercise and united cult football hero, Adebayo Akinfenwa with Young Money expert, Iona Bain.

The judges said "Strong insights and great choice of spokespeople. Loved seeing the direct impact of the integrated campaign, particularly the click-throughs to Experian following the BBC interview."

‘The fear of missing out’ or FOMO, is a jokey phrase used so much in conversation it now appears in the Oxford English dictionary. However, for the deaf community, it’s no laughing matter. The frustration of missing out on conversations and human connections for this community is their daily reality.

Cadbury Fingers’ new ATL campaign called ‘Sign with Fingers Big and Small’, in partnership with the National Deaf Children’s Society, encouraged the nation to learn some British Sign Language to help include the deaf community in more precious shared moments. Our job was to amplify it through earned media.

The judges said "LOVE this campaign, so creative and so needed. Well done."

To promote Aldi as offering quality British products at great value and to attract new audiences, Aldi devised a search for upcoming British suppliers to apply to be stocked at the supermarket – and what better way to gain national traction than to take this to the small screen?

Working together with production company South Shore and Aldi’s internal communications team together they created Aldi’s Next Big Thing, which launched on Thursday 20th October and ran for 6 weeks every Thursday at 8 pm on Channel 4.

The result? 7.5 million viewers, 1,124 articles, and a series of sell-out British products.

The judges said "Great coup to get a whole show commissioned about a brand and its products."

Given Intimina’s expertise in intimate health, it was keen to develop a purpose-led approach to normalise conversations that may otherwise be taboo or suppressed.

The brief was to identify and amplify a topic around women’s intimate health that is presently on the margins of mainstream discussion.

This entry tells the story of a campaign devised to ‘win the Christmas chocolate war’ featuring the most divisive chocolate in the Celebrations tub, the coconut-filled Bounty.

The results put other mega-budget Xmas ad campaigns in the shade, generating over 6,000 pieces of news and features worldwide and creating a national talking point during the key Christmas seasonal sales period.

The judges said: "Fantastic and fun campaign, superbly executed with demonstrable results - and a very well-written entry too."

The Women’s Aid insight that instances of violence in existing domestic abuse relationships rise during major sporting events is not new. It’s a story that’s been heard before and one that’s been told before - through numerous successful and impactful campaigns. But that doesn’t mean it’s a story we should stop telling. If anything, it’s crucial that Women’s Aid only continues to build on the momentum around this narrative, and use innovative means to propel it further, and into new territories.

The creative execution ensured a known narrative was expressed in a new way. The media relations operation expertly repurposed data, successfully challenging media to revisit a topic they had ‘covered before’. The integrated channel strategy ensured that this wasn’t just a campaign that was seen but optimised to encourage action and support. Old insight; same ambitions, but new creative, integration and approach ensured new heights were reached.

The judges said: "A really authentic and powerful campaign. Amongst the noise of the cup, incredible to get the salience and cut through to such an important & sadly prevalent issue."

To promote Aldi as offering quality British products at great value and to attract new audiences, Aldi devised a search for upcoming British suppliers to apply to be stocked at the supermarket – and what better way to gain national traction than to take this to the small screen?

Working with production company South Shore and Aldi’s internal communications team, together we created Aldi’s Next Big Thing, which launched on Thursday 20th October and ran for 6 weeks every Thursday at 8 pm on Channel 4.

The result? 7.5 million viewers, 1,124 articles, and a series of sell-out British products.

The judges said: "Great to see a brand & PR Team building on their 2021 work, which shows a shared insight and understanding of business, market landscape & their consumer."

Taylor Herring helped easyJet holidays launch a 28-day ‘Escape the UK’ package, that was cheaper than the cost of living at home. Their rigorously stat-checked campaign saw the creation of a genuine holiday package – which sold out within 48 hours. It delivered widespread coverage, a much-needed talking point that wasn’t all doom and gloom, and an uplift to their client’s commercial website visits.

The judges said "An epic way of capturing the UK mood!"

Emma started life as a bed-in-a-box company, delivering quality mattresses in unfeasibly small packages direct to your door; a novel experience that has seen it quite literally expand across the globe.

Through the appliance of science, this contortionist of the bedding world has since gone on to become an expert in sleep employing some of the biggest brains in the business to create award-winning beds, mattresses, pillows, blankets and duvets designed for the perfect night’s shut-eye.

Emma is so confident in its ability that it now claims “Emma helps the world to awaken their best with the very best sleep”. And it is with that bold claim Fanclub's challenge was set to showcase Emma's range of products and platform and how Emma helps people to awaken their best through its sleep (science) expertise.

The judges said: "The simplest ideas go all the way!"

This entry tells the story of a campaign devised to ‘win the Christmas chocolate war’ featuring the most divisive chocolate in the Celebrations tub, the coconut-filled Bounty. The work was described by PR Week as ‘a masterpiece of earned media creativity’ and the results put other mega budget Xmas ad campaigns in the shade, generating over 6,000 pieces of news and features worldwide and creating a national talking point during the key Christmas seasonal sales period.

The judges said "Innovative campaign - with a playful, integrated strategy across PR, instore and social. The results speak for themselves in the high impact debate that they have created through influencers, media, the audience - and even the prime minister."

We needed to make suicide and suicide prevention a national conversation again. We created an exhibition on London’s South Bank of 50 smiling faces which, initially, had no reference to CALM. On launch day we revealed – live on This Morning – that each was the last photo of someone who later took their own life.

There were over 800 pieces of coverage delivering over 1 billion Opportunities to See through editorial coverage alone. The activity reached over 90% of the UK population and 60% of people asked understood the message to be that “The signs of suicide aren’t always obvious”.

The judges said: "Beautiful campaign, so powerful and touching - this stayed with me."

We needed to make suicide and suicide prevention a national conversation again. We created an exhibition on London’s South Bank of 50 smiling faces which, initially, had no reference to CALM. On launch day we revealed – live on This Morning – that each was the last photo of someone who later took their own life.

There were over 800 pieces of coverage delivering over 1 billion Opportunities to See through editorial coverage alone. The activity reached over 90% of the UK population and 60% of people asked understood the message to be that “The signs of suicide aren’t always obvious”.

The judges said: "Gut punching creative, outstanding media strategy, strong impact results."

After seeing the devastation inflicted on universities by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Universities UK International – a sector body representing 140 UK universities – helped develop twinning partnerships between UK and Ukrainian institutions, to provide vital sector support.

We developed a rallying cry, the #TwinForHope campaign, to tell and celebrate the story of the initiative, inspire more universities to join, attract funding and improve the UK public’s perceptions of UK universities along the way. This multi-channel PR and communications campaign exceeded all of its objectives, delivering 100 partnerships, £5m of funding, and a 36% uplift in positive public perceptions towards UK universities.

The judges said "Highly visual, complexity managed well across a huge number of university groups, strong toolkit approach. Clear results via funding secured. Impressive level of evaluation."

70% of UK 13 to 24-year-olds* have seen harmful content on social media in the past three months, but few report it and most scroll on by. This desensitisation leads to the acceptance that social media platforms are places ‘where negative stuff just happens’. And the cycle of harm continues.

As the regulator for UK-based video-sharing platforms, Ofcom has the mandate to police the platforms, but regulation in isolation is not enough, so we launched a social-first campaign with TikTok sensation Lewis Leigh – Only Nans – to encourage young people to report harmful content when they see it online.

The judges said "All round loved it. Rigour in insight, brilliant creative that aligned squarely with the strategy, and really well executed."

On June 14th 2017 the UK experienced one of the biggest tragedies in recent years. 72 innocent people died in a fire that shouldn’t have happened. 5 years later no one has been arrested.

At a time when communities were coming together across the country, we held a street party in the shadow of Grenfell Tower. A table was laid with 72 plates and chairs, but no guests. Each place setting carried the name of a victim of the tragedy. The harrowing image of an empty street party table will forever live in the memory of those who see it.

The judges said "Simple, powerful, emotional - brilliant."

By digitally reworking iconic artworks to depict societal problems in 2022, we inspired a Gen Z audience to take action and enter Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow Competition, a global initiative that challenges people to come up with technology-based solutions to pressing social and environmental issues.

The campaign achieved 127 articles with an estimated reach of 20.7 million just in time for COP27. More importantly, Samsung was able to galvanise young people to engage with key global issues via a suite of compelling pictures that said so much more than words....

The judges said: "Tricky brief which took a very creative approach."

CCgoup is a B2B technology PR, AR and marketing consultancy specialising in mobile & telecoms, fintech, enterprise tech, deep tech and cybersecurity. CEO Richard Fogg and COO Paul Nolan led an MBO in 2012 and reinvigorated the 30-year-old agency.

The judges said "Great to see strong results linked to clear objectives. An impressive year where client success drove business growth which supported people investment. Lots to be proud of here for this agency."

Fundamental to its approach is that the agency’s DEI work will never be ‘finished’ and it is always looking for ways to innovate and evolve its approach. In the last few years, it has seen the impact of its approach on the team including diversity, well-being, culture and creativity. This is in addition to the work it does externally through a pro bono scheme and volunteering work.

The judges said: "Excellent leadership that identifies challenges facing the organisation and tackles it head-on. Congratulations on taking on major issues such as pay gaps and staff engagement during the pandemic, the results speak for themselves!"

Over 15% of the world’s population has a sight, hearing or cognitive disability preventing them from fully understanding our clients’ communications. That’s over 1 billion people representing $8 trillion of buying power – a significant slice of the population to exclude if we don’t consider their needs.

An audit of agency websites, social content and media coverage, showed no one was discussing accessibility within the communications industry. Accessible by Design is Current Global's answer. It serves an important social purpose and is making a real difference in the inclusivity of content and how people with disabilities experience brands.

The judges said: "Incredibly thoughtful and inclusive campaign that begins with the agency - brilliantly done! Strong insights too that are people-focused and show the business benefits of being inclusive too."

As an agency, our objective is to build a club of communications professionals that unites the best talent to create positive impacts for people and the planet.

The judges said "Fanclub consistently punches way above its weight plus it has a strong grip on its values which is not always seen in the industry today. Its awards are outstanding and richly deserved."

Hope&Glory’s purpose is simple (if ambitious): to be The Most Admired UK PR Agency. They want to be a great place to work that also creates great work. Offering outstanding client results without being a sweatshop and remarkably happy teams without being a country club!

"We have a team that seeks to create work that earns attention: delivering impactful consumer brand campaigns. That has always been our raison d’etre and there was no letting up in 2022."

From attaining B Corp status, to implementing its ‘work from anywhere’ policy, to winning multiple ESG Awards - 2022 was a strong year for Third City.

"It’s our belief that the future of business lies in balancing profit with purpose, and so, as we move into 2023, we continue to place as much emphasis on supporting our people and wider community as we do our clients through our pro bono work, innovative training and culture programmes, and our commitment to improving the industry."

The judges said "Strong demonstration of environmental-purpose driven campaigns, pro bono work, training and culture programmes."

This is not just any In-House PR Team - this is the M&S Food In-House PR Team...

Unlike many retailers, all national M&S Food PR is run in-house by a skilled team of 11.

The judges said "Strong, hands-on in-house team that is at the coalface of doing the work. Loved how the voice of employees was built into the work."

Battenhall is a communications agency for the social media age. It celebrated its tenth year with record-breaking growth of over £2m, and developed new services and ways of working that address the challenges brands face.

International expansion saw it win new clients in FMCG and sports, and hire staff in Asia, North America and Latin America – all driven by its specialists that put innovation first. It doubled down on D&I through a recruitment drive and internship scheme, created a new content team that streamlined our work, and continued to give its employees total flexible working.

The judges said: "You know what you do well, you tell us what you do well and you should be recognised for what you do well."

Hope&Glory’s purpose is simple (if ambitious): to be The Most Admired UK PR Agency. It wants to be a great place to work that also creates great work – creating outstanding client results without being a sweatshop; remarkably happy teams without being a country club.

Hope&Glory have a team that seeks to create work that earns attention: delivering impactful consumer brand campaigns.

The judges said: "Outstanding work that any agency would be envious of."

Not many agencies grow +40% in two years after twenty two years in business, but that’s what Brands2Life did in 2022.

The judges said "Impressive growth figures and I love how supporting employees with their wellness is the number one objective."

Not many agencies grow +40% in two years after twenty two years in business, but that’s what Brands2Life did in 2022.

The judges said "Amazing year for this agency. So many positives but the focus on its people really stands out."

Reinventing how we work, learn and enjoy agency life.

The judges said "Impressive results in a short space of time. I particularly like that this agency includes an older person amongst its workforce."

In 2021 we launched new cybersecurity and marketing services divisions, won work from some prestigious tech brands and grew fees by 31%. How do you follow that? We’d planned for a year of modest growth to enable us to double-down on our team and refresh our strategic plan.

The judges said "Great achievements, and I really like how you've tied them back to your objectives. Absolutely brilliant approach to DEI too."

Not many agencies grow +40% in two years after twenty two years in business, but that’s what Brands2Life did in 2022.

The judges said "An amazingly successful year - well done!"