PCI Client Programs Win Six Publicity Club of Chicago Golden Trumpet Awards

PCI team members and clients received six awards at the 2022 Publicity Club of Chicago Golden Trumpet Awards ceremony honoring top PR programs for “achievement in the planning, creativity and execution of public relations and communications initiatives.” Winning Trumpet Awards are for PCI clients in various sectors, including nonprofit, government and healthcare.  

Learn more about each of the winning programs:  

Golden Trumpet Award Winner: Getting McHenry County Youth Back in the Game  

Category: External Response 

Service: Digital Advertising  

McHenry County desired to increase COVID-19 vaccine participation among youth aged 12-18 and those of Hispanic descent. To do so, the County worked with PCI to strategize and launch a digital advertising campaign centered around parents of the preteens and teenagers and individuals who may identify as being of Hispanic heritage to increase awareness of vaccination availability and drive target audiences to the sign-up page on the County’s website. The program served as a strong awareness campaign that not only resulted in Facebook metrics that surpassed industry benchmarks, but vaccinations also increased within McHenry County.  

Golden Trumpet Award Winner: Helping Communities Fight Clothing Insecurity: Cradles to Crayons Chicago 

Category: Community Relations  

Service: Media Relations 

Throughout 2021, Cradles to Crayons Chicago (C2C) hosted several initiatives to encourage families to donate their gently used clothing items. A communication partner with C2C Chicago since 2018, PCI supported C2C in achieving goals of heightening visibility for various initiatives and increase understanding of clothing insecurity in Chicagoland by developing targeted media and digital strategies to saturate the local market. Challenged by COVID-19 closures, this essential organization used communications to increase volunteerism to ensure services would continue for those in need. The program helped Cradles to Crayons secure over 100 media placements and includ3ed the organization’s key messaging and relevant website links.  

Silver Trumpet Award Winner: Celebrating 50 years of Nonprofit Support: Cornerstones 

Category: Social Media 

Service: Social Media Strategy & Content Creation 

For decades, Cornerstones has helped neighbors in need in Virginia to overcome challenging times in a high-cost-of-living area. In 2021, the organization celebrated its 50th anniversary and wanted to raise awareness of its mission and increase donations among regular donors and new audiences through their social media channels leading up to the hybrid in-person/virtual event on September 30, 2021. PCI and Cornerstones utilized Cornerstones’ social media channels to raise awareness of the work the organization does to support its community. The program resulted in increased engagement rates on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn as well as 15 percent more website traffic than in the previous four months.  

 Silver Trumpet Award Winner: Committing to Community Engagement: Village of Glenview 

Category: Community Relations  

Service: Strategic Planning & Integrated Communications 

The Village of Glenview recognized the importance of two-way communication with the community to build trust and collaboration.  The winning program is built an effective community engagement plan that demonstrates the commitment of Village leadership to serve the community with transparency, financial responsibility and innovation. The Village of Glenview and PCI worked together to develop a community engagement plan that resulted in increased resident engagement on social media, the Village’s website and their email newsletter. The program also resulted in local media placements announcing the Village’s new strategic direction.  

Silver Trumpet Award Winner: Diabetes Education Through Influencer Marketing: The Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists 

Category: Social Media 

Service: Influencer Marketing 

An estimated one in 10 Americans – more people than ever before — have diabetes. The condition and its health-related complications can be serious and deadly if not managed properly. Diabetes care and education specialists (DCES) can help people living with diabetes develop a personalized plan for staying healthy, providing the tools and support to make that plan part of their lives. To increase awareness of the role of DCES and encourage people living with diabetes to seek a referrals, the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists (ADCES) and PCI engaged micro and macro influencers with niche audiences to post about the benefits of seeing a DCES and/or their personal experience working with one. The campaign also sought to leverage word-of-mouth referrals as one of the most effective forms of communication. 

 The program led to partnerships with six macro and micro-influencers and resulted in increased traffic to the campaign landing page and social media engagement metrics that exceeded industry benchmarks.  

Silver Trumpet Award Winner: HIV Decriminalization Media Outreach: AIDS Foundation of Chicago  

Category: Public Affairs  

Service: Media Relations 

A partner with the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) for more than 25 years, PCI provides media and advocacy strategy and events support. Among its high-impact work, AFC focuses on creating awareness of the stigma surrounding HIV-positive individuals and works to create health equity and justice for people living with and impacted by HIV and AIDS. PCI collaborates with AFC to elevate its voice and amplify the voice of the HIV/AIDS community. As part of the ongoing media relations strategy, PCI and AFC launched a media campaign to raise awareness and generate support for a new Illinois bill that would decriminalize HIV. The program resulted in over 100 media placements and helped elevate the AIDS Foundation of Chicago to a national platform as AFC spokespersons appeared in several national publications, most notably National Public Radio.  

Learn more about our award-winning programs – email us at lets_talk@pcipr.