Agency Wins 11 Awards for Excellent Client Work
(ATLANTA — Fall 2014) Cookerly Public Relations, a leading Atlanta-based public relations and marketing communications agency, was honored with six Phoenix Awards and five Awards of Excellence during the Public Relations Society of America, Georgia Chapter’s annual award celebration on November 7th. Cookerly was recognized for its strategic marketing and public relations services in areas that included nonprofit, healthcare and consumer and financial services. The prestigious awards mirror the agency’s commitment to strategizing and implementing programs and projects that maximize clients’ return on investment.
“We are proud to have won 11 awards this year for outstanding client work across categories and sectors that recognize our team’s hard work,” said Executive Vice President Jane Stout. “An evening filled with inspiring stories and great company is certainly a winning recipe for a memorable company outing.”
Cookerly was honored with six Phoenix Awards for the following public relations programs:
- Media Relations Business to Business – “Why Wait for Google? RST Launches First “Gigabit State.” After RST Fiber activated a 3,100-mile underground fiber network across North Carolina, making it the first privately-owned company to introduce a 100-gigabit backbone network in the U.S., Cookerly launched a comprehensive media relations and marketing campaign to promote the RST Fiber brand and network.
- Writing – Technical Writing – Trade/Business Media – “Intelligent Hospital Systems Examines Pharmacy Automation Technology.” Following the 2012 meningitis outbreak linked to contaminated steroid shots, ongoing FDA recalls and passage of the Drug Quality and Security Act to regulate pharmacy compounding, Intelligent Hospital Systems sought to raise awareness of its automation technology that makes drug compounding safer. Cookerly developed a technical byline that highlighted how automation technology can be applied to pharmacy compounding which secured six high-profile placements that reached an audience of more than 4 million.
- Smartphone/ Tablet Applications – “Ready Georgia App: Answering the Call for Better Emergency Management.” When the Georgia Emergency Management Agency’s (GEMA) Ready Georgia mobile app was created in 2011, it set the standard for emergency preparedness applications. However, in the fallout of this year’s catastrophic winter storms, state leaders identified the app as one of the key tools to improve emergency communications in the future. However, the app needed to be upgraded from a resource designed to help people prepare for emergencies to one that can also help during emergencies. Cookerly took the opportunity to make dramatic improvements to the app that would ensure it achieved this goal while furthering awareness of the overall Ready Georgia campaign.
- Public Service – Nonprofit Organizations – “The Clean Air Campaign: Tackling Traffic and Air Pollution in Metro Atlanta.” Since 1996, The Clean Air Campaign has worked to improve traffic congestion and air quality by changing driving behavior. For the 14th consecutive year, Cookerly PR educated employers, commuters and school communities about changing behavior and supporting programs that reduce more than 1.4 million miles of vehicle travel and keep 700 tons of pollution out of our air each day.
- Marketing Consumer Services – Health Care Services – “Cancer Treatment Centers of America at Southeastern Regional Medical Center.” Since 2011, Cancer Treatment Centers of America has partnered with Cookerly Public Relations to build brand awareness and increase patient demand at its state-of-the-art cancer hospital near Atlanta. Cookerly developed and deployed a robust marketing communications program focused heavily on media relations and highlighting the unique CTCA treatment philosophy, cutting-edge technology and other key brand differentiators. Strategic story development and consistent pitching have resulted in nearly 600 media placements over the last year and sustained growth in patient demand.
- Events or Observances (seven or fewer days) – Consumer Services – “SunTrust Banks on Family and Community in Durham.” In the fall of 2014 SunTrust relocated its downtown branch in Durham, NC to a new location that was coincidentally the former site of the historic Rogers Drug Co., the well-known pharmacy and community staple founded by the grandfather of Bill Rogers, SunTrust’s CEO. The opening event celebrated the location’s past historical significance and connection, the present excitement about SunTrust’s new branch and the student councils of seven Durham County Public High Schools, the community’s future leaders.
Cookerly was also recognized in five additional categories with Awards of Excellence:
- Feature Stories for “The Georgia Club Leads the Right-Sizing Movement”
- Brochures for “RST Fiber: Paving the Global Information Highway”
- Writing – Bylined Consumer Article for “Cancer Treatment Centers of America Examines New Breast Cancer Treatments”
- Public Service – Government for “Ready Georgia: Ready Today, Safer Tomorrow”
- Events or Observances (seven or fewer days) – Government for “Ready Georgia Mobile App Re-Launch: Delivering on a Promise”
As design director at Cookerly, Tim serves as the creative lead in the development of branding campaigns, print collateral and digital media for clients across a broad range of industries, including consumer, professional services, healthcare and technology.
As a senior vice president at Cookerly, Mike Rieman is a strategic communications leader specializing in media relations and reputation management. With a proven track record of securing high-profile placements in top-tier outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN and USA Today, he excels at crafting compelling narratives that resonate across print, broadcast and digital platforms.
Mike Touhill is vice president at Cookerly Public Relations, where he helps lead traditional, social and digital media programs for B2B and B2C clients in packaging, telecommunications and technology, among other industries. As a communication leader, he develops and executes public relations strategy, provides proactive and reactive counsel to C-level executives and secures earned media coverage for client initiatives and product.
Andrew Agan is a vice president at Cookerly Public Relations, overseeing the agency’s internship program and leading media relations, content strategy and social media initiatives. He provides counsel and executes campaigns for clients across various sectors, including finance, healthcare, hospitality, technology, automotive and many others. Andrew excels at crafting compelling stories and building media relationships, resulting in clients being featured in notable outlets such as CNBC, Associated Press, Business Insider, Fox Business, HBO, Inc. Magazine, Sirius XM, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today, among others.
As vice president of Cookerly, Sheryl Sellaway uses her extensive corporate communications background to lead consumer PR efforts, deliver strategy for marketing programs and share expertise about community initiatives.