Creating a Winning Award Entry Public Relations Association of Louisiana Baton Rouge Chapter June 28, 2011 Robin Mayhall, APR Corporate Communications Writer Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana
About Me • Baton Rouge native • Journalism degree with PR concentration fromthe University of Texas at Austin • PRSA member since 1991 • Austin Chapter, 1991-2001 • BR Chapter, 2001-present • Joined PRAL after I moved back to Baton Rouge in 2001 • Accredited in Public Relations in 1998 • Named a SPRF Senior Practitioner in 2004 • Named 2008 Practitioner of the Year by PRAL-BR • Have been with Blue Cross since August 2003 as one of three writersin Corporate Communications
Some Recent Blue Cross Lantern Awards • 2010 • Lantern Award– Interactive Media: Blue Cross Social Media Launch • Five Awards of Excellence • 2009 • One Award of Excellence and one Award of Merit • 2008 • Six Lantern Awards • Annual Reports • Organizational Identity/Logo Design • Signage • Writing for Public Relations (two) • Web Site Development/Internet • Three Awards of Excellence • Four Certificates of Achievement • 2007 • Lantern Award –Annual Reports • Two Awards of Excellence • Two Certificates of Achievement
About the Lantern Awards • Sponsored by Southern Public Relations Federation • Regional competition • Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida panhandle • Recognizes excellence in public relations • Best of Show, Judges’ Awards, Lantern, Award of Excellence, Award of Merit • Public Relations Programs/Campaigns – 11 categories • Public Relations Projects – 14 categories • Work completed between May 1, 2010, and April 30, 2011 • Winners announced at SPRF conference, Oct. 2-4, 2011
Plan Ahead • Crucial first step! • Identify possible competitions you’re interested in • Be aware of deadline dates • Budget: • Entry fees • Copies, mounting, supplies, shipping • Tickets and travel to awards ceremony/event • Duplicate awards • Save samples, media clips, thank-you notes and kudos from management • And last but NOT least…
Set Goals and Evaluate • For Lantern Awards and many similar competitions, measurable goals and results are very important. • Before you launch new projects: • Draft a communications plan • Set measurable goals • Think ahead about ways to evaluate your results.
Set Goals and Evaluate, cont. • Blue Cross annual reports consistently win awards, especially those related to design. • But it is always hard to evaluate results (management does not allow us to survey recipients). • For several years, we’ve been able to relate the results of our annual advertising effectiveness survey to the success of the annual report. • We align goals for the annual report to overall advertising/marketing goals, making it the “cornerstone” of our marketing communications for the year.
What to Enter • Look at your budget and select your strongest projects/campaigns. • Identify projects or campaigns that showcase your best work and show evidence of the PR process (Research, Planning, Implementation, Evaluation). • Choose the appropriate category in which to enter each project. • Review list of categories at www.sprflanterns.org. • Not sure which category your work fits into? Ask! • Judges sometimes move entries to another category if they deem appropriate • No categories exist yet for Social Media – enter in Web, Interactive Media or Potpourri • Assign staff members to prepare various entries. • Set an internal deadline in advance of the entry deadline to give plenty of time to pull everything together.
How to Enter • Use online submission process at www.SPRFLanterns.org. • Recommend composing in Word doc first, then paste into blanks • Can come back and edit before final submission • Complete a binder with supporting materials. • Print copy of online submission to include in binder. • Ship completed binder and payment. • Can pay online via Paypal or send check • Send to address on sprflanterns.org website • Postmark deadline: July 8, 2011
Judging Process • Entries are judged by professionals outside of our region. • Each entry is judged on its own merit (not in comparison with other entries). • Points assigned in each category determine winners. • “Top” award is the Lantern Award • Judges can also give Award of Excellence or Certificate of Merit • NOTE: Judges are instructed to look for evidence of the four-step PR process (Research, Analyze, Communicate, Evaluate). • Judges also award a Best of Show and a Judges’ Award (entries are compared against each other for these awards).
Writing the Award Entry • Read all instructions thoroughly before you start. • Review your judges’ notes from the previous year. • Gather needed background material, such as: • Project samples • Survey results/reports • Media clips/coverage reports • Comments and thank-yous • Entries from other awards that you can re-purpose for the current competition • Write a first draft, following the instructions closely.
Writing a Lantern Award Entry • Four sections of the entry: • Research (500 words) • Planning (250 words) • Implementation (500 words) • Evaluation (250 words) • Many of you will recognize this formula as “RACE,” or Research-Analyze-Communicate-Evaluate. • Each of the four sections has a maximum word count, but don’t worry about it too much when writing your rough draft.
Writing a Communications Plan • Useful first step — even for small projects. • At Blue Cross we write at least the basic outline of a plan whenever we are asked to produce a special event, brand a product, launch a new program, etc. • Going through this process helps make sure all bases are covered. • If you enter the project in the Lantern Awards later, include the written plan— judges like to see one.
Writing a Lantern Award Entry, cont. • ResearchAlso known as a situation analysis, this is a statement of the current situation, recent history and internal and external factors that have led to a need for the public relations project or plan. • Also briefly name or introduce the project • Include your target audience(s) in this section • Research is the key to the first and fourth steps of the four-step process and the award entry. • Research and evaluation should be tied together from the beginning of your campaign planning. • Research and evaluation are usually given less time, money and effort than goal-setting and the actual communications tactics. • Many communicators mistakenly believe that research is inherently too expensive and difficult for small organizations, nonprofits, etc. • Many communicators equate “research” with doing a scientific survey. • In fact, there is a wide range of valid research techniques availableto us — many of which are “free” (except for the time investment).
Types of Research: A Quick Refresher • Formal vs. informal research • Formal research uses the scientific method to ensure that the results can be extrapolated to a larger population — for example, a scientifically designed telephone survey. • Objective and systematic data – “hard” data • Generally uses random sampling • Highly structured • Can be repeated reliably • Can be used to confirm informal research • Informal research means that the results cannot be used to draw scientifically based conclusions. • Soft data • Open-ended, unstructured • Can use to begin the research process • Exploratory, probing research • Use to identify what formal research needs to take place It’s important to note that “informal”does not mean “unreliable” or “invalid”!
Types of Research: A Quick Refresher • Primary vs. secondary research • These terms refer to the source of the research information. • Primary research means that you and your coworkers conduct the research or examine the evidence personally, firsthand. • New or original data • You design and carry out research that’s specific to your current needs • Secondary research means that you investigate secondhand evidence — e.g., the results of someone else’s studies or the report of someone else’s primary research. • Secondhand, sometimes older data • Uses what’s already available Again, both types are perfectly valid.
Types of Research: A Quick Refresher • A brief list of research types • Mail or telephone survey • Focus groups • Roleplaying • Communications audit • Website survey • Public relations audit • Man-on-the-street polls • Advisory panels • Readership study • Database search
Writing a Lantern Award Entry, cont. • PlanningThis is the “analysis” phase, in which you can relate the situation to specific goals and objectives for your project. • Remember that objectives should be specific and measurable • ImplementationDescribe the project in more detail in this section, including your tactics and timeline. • Briefly outline your communications plan • Describe how various tactics relate to the target audiences and objectives described in previous sections
Writing a Lantern Award Entry, cont. • EvaluationIf you thought ahead both while executing the project and while preparing your entry, this section should almost write itself. • Include anecdotal evaluation: letters/emails of praise, thanks from customers, kudos from management, etc. • Include media hits if appropriate • Most important: evaluate how your project succeeded in meeting the goals set forth in the Research section • Remember: if you didn’t meet every goal, be honest and use this as a learning opportunity
Evaluation, cont. • Media clips are a valid measurement. • Take them a step farther by giving your client, boss or awards judges a context: i.e., “positive half-page article appeared on the front page of the business section of the top local daily newspaper.” • Anecdotal evidence can be valuable. • Letters and emails from customers, attendees, management • “Testimony” from sales force, account managers, etc., that a program is gaining acceptance or helping to drive sales • Other awards won for the same project • Again, context is important!
Evaluation, cont. • Benchmark and evaluate when you can. • Pre- and post-testing and/or surveys • Compare to previous year’s results/attendance/sales • Compare to industry standards • Tell judges what you learned. • Don’t be afraid to admit it when not all the news is good • You can learn from parts of a campaign that missed the mark • Adjust goals for next year/next program • Use any negative feedback to improve future efforts
Evaluation, cont. • Some additional ways to evaluate your efforts: • Specific measurement: Things that can be measured quantitatively, such as number of clippings, attendance at an event, percent answering a certain way on a survey. • Semi-specific measurement: Items that an experienced professional can get a reading on, but that lack numerical measures, such as the balance of coverage in the media or the audience’s reaction to a speech. • Acceptance on basis of judgment: Do complaints overall decrease? Does management believe efforts have been valuable? • Recognizing value of input: Have your concepts led to marketing themes that have captured buyers’ enthusiasm? Has the stance of the organization recommended by PR staff been well received by its publics? • Prevention: What didn’t happen as a result of public relations advice, such as issues that were blunted before they arose. • Guidance: A general absence of issues and alarms may be testimonials to the PR department’s overall efficiency.
Writing a Lantern Award Entry, cont. • Edit and Proofread • When you finish writing your entry, set it aside for a while. Write another rough draft, or just work on another project. • When you’re ready to go back to your entry draft, read it through carefully: • Add anything you might have left out the first time • Copyedit and proofread for spelling, grammar, etc. • If time permits, ask someone else to edit and proofread your almost-final draft. • If you’re writing an entry for a project that someone else developed or worked on, let that person read the entry, too.
Writing a Lantern Award Entry, cont. • Trimming to Meet the Word Counts • Cut out unnecessary words and phrases. • Abbreviate your company name when you can (Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana becomes Blue Cross or BCBSLA). • Use active verbs instead of passive ones. • A few examples from some of my own entries: • “In order to effectively portray” became “To portray” • “As already explained, the theme…” became “The theme…” • “The report was designed with a pocket inside the back cover” became “The report had a pocket inside the back cover”
Compile Your Entry Binder • Even with the online entry system, you need to submit a binder containing the project itself and any other relevant samples. • Follow the instructions on labeling your binder, how many copies of the entry form to include and where to put them in the binder. • Include your communications plan, no matter how brief. • Included printed samples of communications: • Posters, table tents, banners and flyers • Ads, including scaled-down prints of outdoor advertising • Brochures, newsletters • Letters and email messages • Press releases, media kits, other media materials • Photos from events or photos showing signage, décor, etc.
Compile Your Entry Binder, cont. • If you have online and other multimedia materials, consider including both a CD and some representative printouts: • Websites • Online ads • Blog and message board posts • Articles posted in online publications, including companion sites to print media • Presentations • Videos • Music and audio • Radio and television ads • Interactive presentations, websites, demos
Finishing Up • You’ve done it! You’ve compiled a winning award entry. • Get it to the post office or FedEx box on time! • While you wait anxiously to hear whether you won, make plans to attend the next SPRF conference. • After the conference and awards banquet, be sure to bring home your winning entry binders and the judges’ comments. Review these carefully now — and you will want to do it again when you start the entry process next year. • Order duplicate awards for everyone on the team who worked on the winning projects … and for the boss. • Promote your success internally (employee newsletter, staff meetings, etc.) and externally (press release to the local media — such as the “business honors” section or “people in the news”). • Update your list of awards and be proud.
Q & A • Questions are welcome now! • Feel free to contact me later at Robin.Mayhall@bcbsla.com.
