Public relations professionals from the Bath area have landed six golds at the region’s top PR industry awards – with purpose-driven comms consultancy Second Mountain and consumer agency Highlight winning two each.
More than 100 PR professionals gathered at the Double Tree in Bristol City Centre Hotel for the 2023 CIPR South of England and Channel Islands PRide Awards, which recognise excellence in public relations and communications.
Second Mountain, which was launched in Bath during the 2020 pandemic, earned Gold in the Best Channel Delivery category for its Good Journeys podcast, while its founder Ben Veal claimed the Independent PR Practitioner of the Year title for the third year in a row.
The #GoodJourneysPod, which the agency developed in creative partnership with Bath-based producer Adam Loretz, also received a Silver for Best Use of Content, with the awards judges praising the “creative and engaging approach [taken] to the use of the channel, clearly aligned with brand objectives”.
The awards are the latest in a series of accolades for Second Mountain, now based at Glove Factory Studios in Holt, near Bradford on Avon, and for Ben, including being named as the UK’s top independent PR practitioner at the 2023 national CIPR Excellence Awards.
Since launching in mid-2022, the Good Journeys with Second Mountain podcast has reached a global audience and grown a dedicated repeat audience.
Its honest and candid interviews with guests spanning the worlds of literature, philanthropy, advocacy, entertainment and sports has swiftly garnered a reputation for inspiring others to learn from personal journeys.
Ben took to the podium after collecting his Independent PR Practitioner award, pictured, to dedicate it to the memory of his father Andrew, who died in June.
He said the awards marked the first time in four years that the PR community had been able to gather together in person to celebrate.
“It was a fantastic night that showcased the powerful role that public relations and comms professionals play in supporting reputations, driving forward agendas, earning understanding and influencing opinion and behaviour,” he added.
“Above all, the evening celebrated the resilience of a profession that successfully weathered the stormy seas of the pandemic and emerged stronger.”
Second Mountain has worked with more than 20 clients internationally since its launch, including the Charlie Waller Trust, Organic India, People against Poverty and Digital Wonderlab.
Highlight won the first of its brace of Golds in the Best Consumer Relations Campaign category, pictured, for its Stranger Bling campaign with Papa Johns International pizza restaurant chain.
The agency’s brief was to create something new and different to reenergise demand for Papa Johns’ Halloween menu and content series in its tri-annual roll-out across 44 markets.
The category judges praised the campaign, which tapped into the success of hit TV show Stranger Things, for its “creative idea that was innovative” which “allowed a focused strategy that worked on several channels” – smashing targets across the board.
Highlight’s Best Integrated Campaign award came for work with long-time client, kids’ character Miffy, which judges said delivered “enviable outcomes, particularly the impact on sales”.
Highlight was tasked to leverage Miffy’s cult status in Asia by creating a standalone retail activation to mark the Year of the Rabbit. This included a three-month partnership with Europe’s largest Japanese food hall, Ichiba in London’s Westfield White City, creating the UK’s first Miffy food pop-up.
It also partnered with Chinatown London to create the first standalone Miffy pop-up shop on Shaftesbury Avenue.
Also landing Gold at the awards was the University of Bath, which took top spot in the Best Use of Content category for its Research with Impact campaign, while Avon and Somerset Police’s This Is Not Who We Are campaign topped the Internal Communications category.
The judges said the university’s winning entry “aptly demonstrated thorough research to underpin both the impressive content and broader communications choices, to best reach the audience”.
They also praised Avon and Somerset Police’s winning entry, describing it as “an elegant campaign, which deployed a clever use of media based on real content and hard-hitting research, prompting open debate and delivering exceptional results”.
Chair of CIPR Channel Islands Nicole Culverwell congratulated all the winners, saying: “I am always impressed by the high standard of entries, whether they came from in-house teams, agencies, or independent practitioners – there was not a single entry that did not display ingenuity, professionalism, and impact, giving our judges a real challenge to choose any winners.”
The CIPR PRide Gold winners were:
Corporate and Communications Campaign: Grayling, Gowling WLG – Tomorrow’s World
Internal Communications Campaign: Avon and Somerset Police – This Is Not Who We Are
Consumer Relations Campaign: Highlight PR – Papa Johns Stranger Bling
Public Sector Campaign: Program Agency – Safer Exeter Bystander Campaign
Not-for-Profit Campaign: Fugu – #WorldBankWorldProblems
Healthcare and/or Wellbeing Campaign: Pinch Point Communications – Someone Like Me
Integrated Campaign: Highlight PR – #MiffyLondon
Low Budget Campaign: Grayling – Cooking over Fire with LegumeChef
Travel, Leisure or Tourism Campaign: Civil Aviation Authority, Civil Aviation Authority – ATOL Protection
Best Use of Media Relations: Canny Comms – A media service: unbiased geopolitical analysis
Best Channel Delivery: Second Mountain Comms – The Good Journeys with Second Mountain podcast
Best Use of Content: University of Bath – Research with Impact
Best Event: Briscoe PR – Cuteness overload – Westlands Lambing Days
Environmental Campaign: Fugu – #WorldBankWorldProblems
Issues, Crisis or Reputation Management: Devon and Cornwall Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner – Operation Scorpion – making the South West #NoPlaceForDrugs
Best Long-term Campaign: ADPR – HH X RNLI campaign
Best Long-term Client Care: Darren Northeast PR – Best Long-Term Client Care Campaign
Outstanding Young Communicator of the Year: Jordan Hooker, Darren Northeast PR
Independent PR Practitioner of the Year: Ben Veal Chart. PR, MCIPR, Second Mountain Comms
In-House PR Team of the Year: Benefact Group
Small PR Consultancy of the Year: ADPR
PR Consultancy of the Year: Man Bites Dog
