The 2019 Top Places to Work & Agency Elite Awards highlighted the best agencies, communicators and campaigns in the business, honoring winners who set a high watermark with inclusive workplace culture and future-focused campaigns. PRNEWS hosted a gala awards luncheon Nov. 21 at New York City’s storied Yale Club, in the heart of Manhattan.
While demands on the PR pro's skillset are constantly changing, the need for agencies and other communications organizations to foster a healthy environment for employees, and clients, is not. This year’s honorees competed throughout many categories, including cause marketing/social good, integrated communications, media relations, social media and crisis management. The winning campaigns and finalists accepted their awards amongst a room buzzing with innovative ideas and strategies come to fruition.
Keynoter Deirdre Breakenridge engaged in a thought-provoking fireside chat with PRNEWS content manager Nicole Schuman. Breakenridge, CEO of Pure Performance Communications, has spent her career training organizations to connect, engage, and build genuine relationships in the workplace. She's also the author of six business books about her communications journey, including "Answers for Modern Communicators," "Social Media and Public Relations: Eight New Practices for the PR Professional," and "Putting the Public Back in Public Relations."
Asked how PR leaders are connecting with Millennials in the workplace, Breakenridge acknowledged the distinction between a connection and a "meaningful connection." The Millennials Breakenridge worked with as part of her research expressed that "Leaders are sharing a lot with us, but they aren't connecting any deeper than the initial connection. We want you to show up, we want you to be real with us, we want you to connect about social issues." The Millennials also placed an emphasis on wishing that leaders shared more vulnerability.
“Leaders are not showing up with their real selves, and because of that, there is no real trust, and so what a leader says seems disingenuous,” she reports. Showing empathy, ethics and good judgement, putting what she calls "the love of your mission" forward with passion, will go a long way to connecting with Millennial employees.
The biggest honoree of the day, Bulgaria's Site Media Consultancy, was celebrated as a Top Place to Work and a winner in several Agency Elite categories. Site took home four awards, including Top Beauty & Fashion campaign, Fastest Growing Agency and Top Innovator.
It also captured the ceremony's most prestigious honor, the Agency of the Year Award. With innovate strategies and talented people, SiteMedia Consultancy continues to achieve results for its lengthy list of clients, which continues to grow with the recent addition of iconic brands like Pfizer, Nivea and Heineken.
A complete list of winners is available at the 2019 Top Places & Agency Elite Awards website.