Celebrating Large Agency & Campaign of the Year Wins at 2020 PRWeek U.S. Awards
Weber Shandwick was named Outstanding Large Agency of the Year at the 2020 PRWeek U.S. Awards, which were held virtually on July 30th. This is the fifth time in six years that the firm has been recognized with the top honor in the large agency category. The agency was also the most awarded of the night, winning a total of six awards – with five campaign awards in partnership with clients, including Campaign of the Year with Ancestry for “Railroad Ties.”
In awarding Weber Shandwick agency of the year, PRWeek noted the firm “continues to reinvent itself and seamlessly evolves to meet clients’ needs.” One judge said, “To win the large award you have to have the full package: growth, creativity and innovation for clients, and strong workplace culture. For me, they exceeded in all areas.”
“Railroad Ties,” a short-form documentary created in partnership with Ancestry, used the company’s unparalleled archives to bring individual historical records connected to the Underground Railroad to life as emotional stories of self-discovery – and helped a group of strangers realize their lost history and family connections. In addition to Campaign of the Year, “Railroad Ties” won Best in Multicultural Marketing, Best in Broadcast/Film/Video, and Best in Data Insight.
Commenting on the work, one judge said, “What really stood out was the use of technology and expertise uniquely possessed by the company to solve a problem experienced by millions of Americans. But gathering the stories was only half of the job. Pulling together a full ecosystem to tell the story including a respected documentarian, the Sundance Film Festival, Sundance TV and earned media appearances sealed the deal.”
Weber Shandwick was also recognized for the following campaigns in partnership with its clients:
- Alliance to End Plastic Waste won Best in Corporate Branding
- “Experian Boost” with Experian and KWT won Best in Financial Communications
- “A Transformation with Purpose” with Mars, Jones Knowles Ritchie, Revolt and Freuds received Honorable Mention in Best in Corporate Branding
- “Barbie’s 60th Anniversary” with Mattel and Barbie received Honorable Mention in Best Global Effort
In addition, Weber Shandwick received Honorable Mention for overall Agency of the Year, which chooses the top agency among size categories.
The 2020 PRWeek U.S. Awards follow several recent honors earned by Weber Shandwick, including PRovoke’s North America Agency of the Decade and Ad Age’s 2020 A-List.