The winners of the PRmoment Awards North 2024

Dee Set Group helps skyrocket the sales success of retail brands.
But with no distinct brand profile, the business was punching below its weight when it came to growing and attracting clients.
Through a relentless media relations campaign that went beyond the traditional B2B PR approach, Smoking Gun took the brand from a hitherto media-shy business unknown to journalists to the go-to authority on grocery retail topics - with commercially transformative results.

The judges said, “Good to see clear objectives guide this work. This entry showed a clear strategic approach.”

A multichannel PR campaign that went well and truly viral. In response to market uncertainties and diverse crypto opinions, we conducted a thorough analysis of an entire asset class (over 73,000 NFT collections) to determine the state of the NFT market.

The campaign secured 1000+ global links, 2000+ media coverage, and over half a billion social impressions, exceeding all KPIs. The campaign's exceptional outcome has positioned DappGambl as a prominent player in the industry. This campaign is still picking up coverage and links 3 months later and is a great example of a campaign that transcends its niche.

The judges said, “Very clever idea, delivering some fantastic results for a new client, on a very small budget. Fantastic results!”

How do you get an audience to reappraise a brand that’s already famous? Challenge the status quo around women+’s health; uncensor the words that most social media channels ban… Vagina. Vulva. Clitoris. Uncomfortable? Women+ need to be able to say these words and talk openly about their health.

Bodyform uncensored 40 words that women+ shouldn’t be afraid of / censored from saying to create a permanent change that will benefit our audience and future generations to come.

The judges said, “A brave, brilliant campaign with purpose at its heart and a determination to keep churning out content!”

When Yorkshire-born Self Esteem took to the Glastonbury stage in an outfit inspired by Meadowhall, we knew we had a moment to capitalise on for the Sheffield-based shopping centre.

What if our domes could be taken beyond the festival stage to serve a bigger purpose in our community?

We partnered with Self Esteem to create limited edition t-shirts inspired by the Glastonbury outfit, exclusively available at Meadowhall, with all proceeds going to Breast Cancer Now.

Not only did our campaign drive footfall and spark an internet frenzy that took Meadowhall global, we raised money and awareness for an incredible cause.

The judges said, “Absolutely brilliant example of culture-led reactive comms. Jumping on a moment in time and also giving back to the community by making it a purpose-led campaign with the Breast Cancer Now partnership.”

The launch of a new haunted house theme park ride must do what it promises - scare, surprise and thrill. Smoking Gun and Alton Towers Resort delivered on that promise, with a spine tingling campaign that drip-fed key storytelling moments across a prolonged period, with creative and sinister genius.

From the closure of the existing ride, through the Resort’s closed season and up to the official launch, the campaign was one of the most hyped in the resort’s history.

The judges said, “Brilliant creative and a solid demonstration of results against objectives. Great use of tactics too!”

The UK has a problem with meaningless meetings. We all complain about them, and they’ve generated a significant workplace productivity challenge. Working with technology company Brother UK, we leveraged this universal and relatable issue to connect the brand with a business audience on a scale Brother hadn’t achieved for more than a decade.

Citypress' creative campaign, The Meaningful Meeting Manifesto which included a partnership with comedian Rob Mayhew and episode of BBC Radio 4’s The Bottom Line, connected the brand to millions across the UK and provided our target audience with the solutions to make meetings more meaningful.

The judges said, “The insight for this campaign hits home with everyone and clearly did a great job of driving conversation.”

A multichannel PR campaign that went well and truly viral. In response to market uncertainties and diverse crypto opinions, we conducted a thorough analysis of an entire asset class (over 73,000 NFT collections) to determine the state of the NFT market.

The campaign secured 1000+ global links, 2000+ media coverage, and over half a billion social impressions, exceeding all KPIs. The campaign's exceptional outcome has positioned DappGambl as a prominent player in the industry. This campaign is still picking up coverage and links 3 months later and is a great example of a campaign that transcends its niche.

The judges said, “This campaign delivered a high volume of coverage across a broad spectrum of titles, publications and geographies.”

Sound is a bilingual anti-violence platform for young men, saying no to violence against women and girls. It has one aim: make Wales the safest place in the world to be a woman.

Within six months the campaign has changed the national approach to violence prevention. It has been mentioned at Westminster and the UN as best practice, and global anti-violence practitioners have hopped on a plane to find out more.

Sound was co-produced with men through extensive community engagement. It listens to men and supports them to discover their role in finding solutions to gender-based violence, to benefit everyone.

The judges said, “A campaign that sensitively and effectively tackles a difficult taboo subject. With excellent evaluation, where results and objectives are clearly linked.”

Grayling was briefed to relaunch YO!’s iconic sushi belt after a pandemic-induced hiatus. We needed to achieve media cut-through, capture attention and drive bums on seats.

YO! is all about making people happy and our research showed that 49% laughed less in 2023 than any other year.

This was our campaign launchpad, creating a first-of-its kind comedy set to get Brits laughing again. Against the backdrop of Edinburgh Fringe, we joined forces with a much-loved comedian and literally powered the belt back to life with some much-needed laughter – driving national coverage and footfall, while bringing the belt back in style!

The judges said, “A laughingly good campaign meticulously devised for Gen Z.”

As Scotland prepared to host the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships, which brought together 13 disciplines for the first of its kind cycling mega-event, Frame was tasked with promoting the event across Scotland and the UK to both a core and non-core cycling audience.

Frame's efforts delivered widespread a varied media coverage, sold-out crowds and one of the most successful sporting events Scotland has ever hosted.

The judges said, “Excellent to see the rigour in the campaign objectives section in which you not only stated the overarching objectives but also assigned very specific KPIs.”

The launch of a new haunted house theme park ride must do what it promises - scare, surprise and thrill. Smoking Gun and Alton Towers Resort delivered on that promise, with a spine tingling campaign that drip-fed key storytelling moments across a prolonged period, with creative and sinister genius.

From the closure of the existing ride, through the Resort’s closed season and up to the official launch, the campaign was one of the most hyped in the resort’s history.

The judges said, “Creating a campaign that has longevity like this with creativity at every stage is no mean feat - and to drive tangible results too is a great success.”

Sodexo’s Employee and Change Communications team were determined that their annual Spirit of Sodexo Awards event would be 2023’s engagement show-stopper – buzzing, fun and fully focussed on celebrating the achievements of their frontline people.

On the invite list were 550 people who swapped their chef whites for suits and their high viz jackets for high heels to come together at the ACC in Liverpool. The event truly showcased the business’ top performers, with 18 national awards handed out on the night by celebrity hosts Vernon Kay and Matt Dawson. But whether a winner or not, the feedback was phenomenal.

The judges said, “An excellent campaign. The entry really brought to life how much the awards night engaged Sodexo’s employees and just how much fun was had.”

Leaders Live is a consultancy that boosts clients’ sustainability credentials through live events. For the third consecutive year, Leaders Live organised Hydrogen for Life (H4Life) in 2023 on behalf of the event’s founding sponsor, Bosch.

Now the UK’s largest hydrogen event, H4Life 2023 was hugely successful, connecting leading experts, policy makers and stakeholders from across the hydrogen value chain to discuss important topics including government policy, challenges faced, hydrogen science and next steps, firmly placing the UK front and centre in the hydrogen debate.

H4Life also featured hydrogen vehicle and technology showcases, the H4LifeAwards and the REIMAGINE contest for school children.

The judges said, “Really successful event, meeting all objectives and bringing together all key stakeholders for an important conversation.”

Through COVID and the cost-of-living crisis, The Cumberland Building Society has been helping Scottish hospitality businesses to thrive, not just survive.

Together with The Cumberland, BIG Partnership devised a comprehensive PR campaign which would showcase The Cumberland’s ability to help Scotland’s besieged hospitality sector, as well as attract the attention of the businesses across the country which desperately needed help during challenging economic times.

In total, 300+ pieces of coverage were secured in key Scottish titles, with 43 of those pieces being national, 213 regional and 45 in financial and hospitality trade titles.

The judges said, “This is a really well thought out campaign, garnering coverage for an organisation that clearly deserved recognition.”

Ghosting – a strange phenomenon – has been spreading through Scotland's dating scene and there's no better time than Halloween to vanquish this horror. Enter ‘Ghost BRU-sters’ - a singles night, with a twist: You’re only invited if you’ve been ghosted.

John Doe partnered with BBC Three LGBTQ dating show star, Dan Glendinning and asked single Gen Z Scots to submit their recent ghosting stories - warts and all. We then picked the people with the best stories and invited them down to a BRU takeover in Glasgow on the night of Halloween – to get product in hands.

The judges said, “Great campaign, so well designed for their target Gen Z audience.”

Rock Face, the men’s lifehack to looking and feeling great, tasked BIG with making it famous by telling a scent-led story which grabbed the attention of journalists and consumers.

BIG developed ‘She Nose Best’, a campaign cleverly putting females at the heart of a male-targeted campaign, proving she really does know best when it comes to the attraction of scent.

Many brands claim their deodorant holds the power of attraction, yet few back this up with science. Using national survey data and scientifically-proven evidence, BIG developed an experiential brand activation generating over 80 pieces of coverage seen by 10 million.

The judges said, “Love the range of creative executions to provide such big results!”

The ‘Getting Veterans the Care They Deserve’ campaign set a new record for the number of GP practices getting ‘Veteran Friendly’ accredited – ensuring thousands of veterans will get access to the best care. This highly targeted integrated campaign achieved cut-through with national TV shows and priority health care trade media and professional health care associations.

Thanks to a powerful narrative, striking creative and clear educational content, not to mention a newly optimised landing page, a huge 229 practices got accredited in a single month - 800% more than the monthly average had been before Evergreen PR began supporting the programme.

The judges said, “Really impressive work at the start of the campaign to identify the correct audience and what would resonate with them.”

The launch of a new haunted house theme park ride must do what it promises - scare, surprise and thrill. Smoking Gun and Alton Towers Resort delivered on that promise, with a spine tingling campaign that drip-fed key storytelling moments across a prolonged period, with creative and sinister genius.

From the closure of the existing ride, through the Resort’s closed season and up to the official launch, the campaign was one of the most hyped in the resort’s history.

The judges said, “Really strong creative campaign and exceptional execution for a fairly modest budget, given the breadth and depth of the campaign. Great results.”

In December 2023, Manchester played host to Chanel’s Metiers D’Art Show. The world watched. The rich and famous flew in. But with 15% of people in Manchester living in poverty, some in the city can’t afford to buy clothes, let alone high fashion.

Citypress worked with Lifeshare, Manchester’s oldest homelessness charity, to launch an A/W collection that didn’t cost thousands – but helped thousands. By cleverly hijacking the attention on the show with a media campaign to launch a donation drive for Lifeshare, we generated a 60% increase in donations in the three weeks after launch.

The judges said, “I truly cannot fault this - what an incredible piece of work, for such an important cause. Creative, hard hitting, and pro bono - win win win!”

UK is experiencing a retail crime epidemic driven by repeat, prolific offenders and organised criminal gangs.

Co-op had seen violent attacks, shoplifting and antisocial behaviour jump 40%+ in the year – approaching 1,000 incidents per-day.

However, whilst many have chosen to not comment publicly on issues, Co-op launched a campaign with four key media moments, starting in July, then November – raising awareness of issues and forcing change.

FOI request illustrated that all too often, Police failed to respond to desperate calls from retail workers.

The resulting media coverage/campaigning led Police Chiefs/Government to announce a Retail Crime Action Plan in October 2023.

The judges said, “A very strong submission: clear objectives, detailed strategy section and a very creative plan to address an issue facing British retail and create a positive impact to overcome it - and all in a very small budget!”

It’s a well-known trope of the music industry that songs are released posthumously after a singer’s death. But what if the artist had control of the legacy they left to fans?

John Doe worked with renowned opera singer, Russell Watson, to become the first musician to proactively write an exclusive track into their will for Worldwide Cancer Research, only to be released upon his passing. A track we hoped would have the greatest impact of all, because it would turn a difficult conversation into a positive one – highlighting the incredible legacy we all can leave behind through a donation in our will to the charity.

The judges said, “The research to back up the strategy is important and clear. Impactful campaign, with noticeable click backs and evidential results.”

It’s a well-known trope of the music industry that songs are released posthumously after a singer’s death. But what if the artist had control of the legacy they left to fans?

John Doe worked with renowned opera singer, Russell Watson, to become the first musician to proactively write an exclusive track into their will for Worldwide Cancer Research, only to be released upon his passing. A track we hoped would have the greatest impact of all, because it would turn a difficult conversation into a positive one – highlighting the incredible legacy we all can leave behind through a donation in our will to the charity.

The judges said, “Really clever and simple campaign which tied all elements nicely together. Good ambassador choice. Sensitively handled.”

Millions of us are pestered by marketing calls every day. They’re a nuisance. But when the ICO found that companies were deliberately targeting people aged 65+, and they saw the impact of these calls, they knew they needed a new phrase. These weren’t nuisance calls, they were predatory calls. That’s why the ‘Help Gran Stop Spam’ campaign was born, to empower people to protect themselves by reporting cold callers and registering with the TPS (the UK’s ‘do not call’ list).

The judges said, “Impressive campaign rooted in insights and brought to life with a creative and effective execution - especially with limited budget!”

Our objective with Staysure was to increase brand recognition and visibility among the target audience (those 45+), elevating the brand's visual identity in the process on social media to make it more modern and engaging.

The campaign was developed with a clear strategy from the outset. By focusing on the needs and preferences of the target audience, we challenged the norm to resonate with them on a deeper level and achieved impressive results.

We achieved our objectives and increased video view retention in the process. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of the campaign in reaching and engaging the target audience.

The judges said, “So good to see such a clear link between objectives and strategy.”

In the face of grim reality, where 125 lives are lost to suicide weekly, we boldly defied despair. Teaming up with Shirley Ballas, an unyielding advocate, we waged a relentless war on this silent epidemic. The Skyathlon, with ziplining, wing walking, and free-falling, became our platform of defiance. Through unwavering media and PR efforts, our resounding roar shattered expectations, raising an awe-inspiring £51,000 for CALM, far surpassing our £20,000 target.

The judges said, “Terrific use of a daring celebrity stunt, which caught the media and public's attention to highlight this important cause and boost fundraising. Clear strategy, well executed to deliver excellent media results.”

The launch of a new haunted house theme park ride must do what it promises - scare, surprise and thrill. Smoking Gun and Alton Towers Resort delivered on that promise, with a spine tingling campaign that drip-fed key storytelling moments across a prolonged period, with creative and sinister genius.

From the closure of the existing ride, through the Resort’s closed season and up to the official launch, the campaign was one of the most hyped in the resort’s history.

The judges said, “This stunt brought a unique and ownable aspect of the launch campaign to life in an immersive, and scary, way. The award submission included excellent detail on evaluation, with clear and measurable objectives.”

Amidst a climate and cost-of-living crisis, Zero Waste Scotland launched the 'CAN-paign.'

Led by chef Julie Lin, the multi-channel initiative revolutionised perceptions of tinned food through PR, influencer collaborations and social media. Starting with a Scottish sampling roadshow before amplifying at Connect and TRNSMT festivals, results were impressive.

With 69.5 million reached through 58 media pieces, 250,000 social engagements, and 214,000 video views, the CAN-paign defied expectations and, with 55,000 Scots now viewing tinned food as a savvy, planet-friendly choice, it proved that rapid, impactful behaviour change is possible in the fight against climate change.

The judges said, “This was a brilliant multi-layered campaign beautifully pulled together with the power of puns. Not only did it achieve significant 'noise', but it meaningfully changed opinions.”

The UK has a problem with meaningless meetings. We all complain about them, and they’ve generated a significant workplace productivity challenge. Working with technology company Brother UK, we leveraged this universal and relatable issue to connect the brand with a business audience on a scale Brother hadn’t achieved for more than a decade.

Citypress' creative campaign –The Meaningful Meeting Manifesto -which included a partnership with comedian Rob Mayhew and episode of BBC Radio 4’s The Bottom Line, connected the brand to millions across the UK and provided our target audience with the solutions to make meetings more meaningful.

The judges said, “Great example of a creative B2B campaign, well implemented with great results.”

Home grown talent Charlotte has grown from Graduate Account Executive to Account Director in just four years – a real Brazen superstar. A true believer in facing your fears and doing it anyway, Charlotte has proven her ability to steer a steady press office ship, delivering solid consistent results, as well as turn her hand to running some of the agency’s most challenging and jaw-dropping stunts. A key member of the agency’s senior leadership team, she has turbo-charged the Brazen Planning and Strategy team from a concept to a commercially viable and income generating integral part of the Brazen offer.

The judges said, “Clearly a real go-getter with a curious mind and the ability to deliver whatever is thrown at her. A real superstar!”

Our core values of mastery and curiosity underpin a long-established word-of-mouth reputation as a strategic specialist comms provider across fintech, payments, digital security and technology standardisation.

Despite ongoing economic uncertainty – particularly within global tech sectors – iseepr has continued to grow and remain profitable. Over the past 12 months, we surpassed £2.5 million in revenue and won six new international clients exclusively through referrals. We have invested heavily in employee engagement, wellbeing and people management this year. Looking after our staff and ensuring they are valued, heard and motivated is a key priority for the year ahead.

The judges said, “Your strength of work shines through, with an impressive approach to your people. Very impressive client testimonial too.”

2023 marked the launch of Pinstone’s ‘Bees Knees’ internal initiative, a call to action across all aspects of the business, with the goal to be the stand-out specialist agency of choice for the food supply, farming and environment sectors. It underpins our company vision which is to be a force for good in communications and delivers on our mission to ‘be the best we can be’, underpinned by a commitment to inclusion. To deliver our vision, we need an inspired and energised team, equipped with advanced communications skills and sector knowledge and to increase our visibility amongst prospective new clients.

The judges said, “This agency clearly feels passionately about working with purpose and people front and centre, developing key internal initiatives to support its B Corp status.”

We’ve been helping clients to ‘Be Daring, Be Different, Be Brazen’ for 22 years. Based in Manchester, our 50-strong team of straight-talking PR, fun-loving, news-making, social media, influencer and content kings, delivers creative, strategic, results-driven campaigns for a host of famous clients (all consumer brands) including Wilko, Greene King, Butlin’s, Dr. Oetker, Tate & Lyle & Showcase Cinemas. Winners of 250+ awards and having swept the board at all five major awards in 2023, we’re officially the most awarded agency outside London.

The judges said, “Your energy shines through. The agency objectives section was very clear and much of the content was anchored back to those objectives. This presented a clear and compelling picture of how you are achieving your ambitions.”

Eurovision didn’t make Liverpool. Liverpool made Eurovision.

This year’s Eurovision Song Contest has been hailed the most successful in the competition’s history and Liverpool City Council’s Communications team played a pivotal role in its success.

Manging the complex, multi-layered challenges of successfully delivering a communications strategy for the biggest-ever host city programme, was a project like no other. Delivered in half the usual time and on behalf of a country at war.

The results speak for themselves. All KPIs achieved, global media coverage secured and Liverpool’s event-staging reputation remains unrivalled.

The judges said, “A gargantuan effort from the Liverpool Council Comms team to deliver an incredible media effort around an important event. The team is a well-oiled machine to pull off such a huge event in only 6 months and deliver incredible coverage and ROI for Liverpool.”

We’re on a mission to be the defining employee-owned agency of its time. Our team of employee-owners are committed to delivering brand-defining work for leading responsible companies, from Coca-Cola and Molson Coors, to Aldi and Crown Paints. This year, our people committed more than ever to our purpose, delivering almost 1,000 hours to charity and community work, valued at around £90,000. This included establishing two new academic partnerships, with UA92 and The University of Salford, to create new pathways into the PR industry for students from the widest range of backgrounds. We continued to improve our people-first approach with new benefits and rewards, and a £246,000 share of profits through our employee share scheme. Together, we stand for a better agency model.

The judges said, “Innovative and inspiring approach to its people via employee-ownership and robust diversity commitment - great to see!”

The John Doe Group has always had a clear mission; to build a culture-first creative agency with a pan-UK footprint that delivers stand-out integrated campaigns from a connected, diverse team. So how are we tracking? Smashing it, mate!

The judges said, “John Doe is doing some impressive client work with some great results, but I'm particularly impressed by their diversity efforts. They have a diverse team and it's clear that this is a key focus for the agency. It’s refreshing to see.

We’re on a mission to be the defining employee-owned agency of its time. Our team of employee-owners are committed to delivering brand-defining work for leading responsible companies, from Coca-Cola and Molson Coors, to Aldi and Crown Paints. This year, our people committed more than ever to our purpose, delivering almost 1,000 hours to charity and community work, valued at around £90,000. This included establishing two new academic partnerships, with UA92 and The University of Salford, to create new pathways into the PR industry for students from the widest range of backgrounds. We continued to improve our people-first approach with new benefits and rewards, and a £246,000 share of profits through our employee share scheme. Together, we stand for a better agency model.

The judges said, “It's really clear that Citypress cares about its people, with incredible strides in DE&I and wellbeing. Evidently, this translates to great work and awesome campaigns!”

Full Volume PR is an independent PR consultancy, consulting and supporting clients on a national and international level from our HQ in Manchester.

We blend big agency thinking and experience with a passionate and tenacious boutique approach for established brands, start-ups and everything in between. It is our mission to communicate, loudly and clearly, with the right audiences for a client's business, to create advocacy, drive engagement, raise awareness and start conversations.

Ultimately, Full Volume is a trusted partner and friend, working with clients to identify their PR and communications goals and helping them achieve their overall business objectives.

The judges said, “Great to see an agency putting its people and culture first, and knowing great business will come from that approach.”

Bottled Imagination was formed in June 2022. In that time, we have gone from 3 founders to a team of 11 (and counting). Our agency has one goal: to do good work.

We want to bring together the best of the best, collaborating on exciting projects and producing work that will make the competition jealous and our clients proud, all while being a supportive and inspirational place to work. In 18 short months we have punched well above our weight, won, and retained global clients, spoken at conferences worldwide, and most importantly created an agency we are proud of.

The judges said, “The agency has clearly made impressive progress in a very short space of time. Great entrepreneurship, it’s clear this team has vision and talent.”

Our core values of mastery and curiosity underpin a long-established word-of-mouth reputation as a strategic specialist comms provider across fintech, payments, digital security and technology standardisation.

Despite ongoing economic uncertainty – particularly within global tech sectors – iseepr has continued to grow and remain profitable. Over the past 12 months, we surpassed £2.5 million in revenue and won six new international clients exclusively through referrals. We have invested heavily into employee engagement, wellbeing and people management this year. Looking after our staff and ensuring they are valued, heard and motivated is a key priority for the year ahead.

The judges said, “A specialist agency that has a really strong track record within its sector. Particularly impressive that they have retained founding clients for 19 years!”