Insights, commentary and news

CLEVELAND -- May 2, 2017 -- Marcus Thomas LLC has received a 2017 Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Bronze Anvil Award for its work producing the 2015 Akron Children's Hospital Annual report and an Award of Commendation for its 2016 influencer program for U.S. Cotton/Swisspers.

2015 marked several important milestones for Akron Children’s Hospital, one of the largest freestanding children’s hospitals in the country, located in Akron, Ohio. Within the year, the hospital celebrated both its 125th anniversary and the opening of a multimillion-dollar pavilion. Through their annual report, Marcus Thomas helped Akron Children’s Hospital frame these achievements in keeping with their overall brand: A place where kids rule. The digital annual report can be seen here: annualreport.akronchildrens.org

Marcus Thomas created for Swisspers a campaign that separated itself from the giants of the beauty world in a meaningful way. The 2017 Sleep Naked program integrated several elements – influencer content, sampling initiatives, social contest and paid media – that worked together to drive more than 22 million impressions and distribute 38,000 samples, making makeup removal sexy and relevant within the beauty community. People were once again talking about this tiny brand for less than the cost of one full-page beauty ad.

For more than 45 years, the Bronze Anvil Awards have celebrated the “best of the best” in public relations tactics — the individual items or components that contribute to the success of an overall program or campaign. These tactics — whether a media relations program, website, annual report, podcast, blog or use of social media — are the hardworking parts of any successful public relations program. This year’s list comprises 43 Bronze Anvil winners and 94 Bronze Anvil Award of Commendation winners.

With 30,000 professional members, PRSA is the nation’s largest professional organization serving the communications community and works to make communications professionals smarter, better prepared and more connected through all stages of their career. PRSA achieves this by offering its members thought leadership, innovative lifelong learning opportunities to help them develop new skills, enhance their credibility and connect with a strong network of professionals.