Strategic Objectives Recognized for Best of the Best, and Outstanding Experiential, Digital, CSR, Video, and Media Relations Campaigns

Awards season 2019 kicked off with exceptional good news for our mighty team at Strategic Objectives, winning seven international IABC Gold Quills Awards including Best of the Best, for our Experiential, Digital, Corporate Social Responsibility, Video and Media Relations campaigns.

“We are very proud to win the MOST Gold Quill Awards of any PR agency in the world this year, and SO grateful to our clients for giving us the opportunity to build their brands and strut our stuff,” says co-founder and partner Deborah Weinstein. “ Our exceptional team is inspired by creativity, achieving excellence, and advancing the power and effectiveness of public relations as major contributors to brand building and success,” continues co-founder and partner Judy Lewis.

The Launch of Arteon for Volkswagen Canada

4 IABC Gold Quills Awards:

• Award of Excellence: Special and Experiential Events
• Award of Excellence: Communications for the Web
• Award of Excellence, Audio/Visual(Video)
• Award of Merit: Media Relations

SO won a competitive pitch to partner with Volkswagen Canada to develop an inventive program to launch its all-new Arteon sedan, and help change the conversation and create positive news for the VW brand. We celebrated the Art of the Arteon by creating a multi-facetted campaign linked to the Grand Opening of Toronto’s spectacular new Museum of Contemporary Art. The centrepiece of the program was an original, outdoor Arteon experiential art installation created by famed Burning Man experimental artist Scott Froschauer. The exhibit, with the car at the centre of a light and mirrored infinity box, welcomed guests to the museum throughout its opening month of September 2019. The digitally-focussed campaign fused art, travel, food and fashion. It featured authentic partnerships with influencers reflective of the brand values, a series of stunning videos, special events and a series of impactful, news-making, engaging real life and digital activations. The Arteon project jump-started favourable mainstream and digital news. It served as a bold step forward and a boost for VW brand reputation, creating a brand halo for all VW nameplates.

Judges Comments:

• “I have to give it to those who conceptualized this plan. It is certainly unique and a tectonic shift in terms of brand recall”
• “Extensive, exhaustive, and excellent work!” … “Artfully crafted videos. Clever. Powerful”
• “Brilliant approach. Opportunity seized. Well done!” … “A very detailed, creative, comprehensive and impressive plan, with lots of attention paid to the best ways to reach the target audience”

Please click here for our award-winning case study.

The Cashmere Collection Crystal Ball

3 IABC Gold Quills Awards:

• Best of the Best Award
• Award of Excellence: Special and Experiential Events
• Award of Excellence: Corporate Social Responsibility

How do you keep things fresh, drive charitable donations through product sales and online engagement, and increase brand awareness with a program entering its 15th anniversary year? That was our opportunity with the annual Cashmere Collection 2018. We conceived and launched this unique fashion event for Kruger Products in 2004, featuring top Canadian designers and their vision of a future without breast cancer, all crafted in 100% pure soft and luxurious Cashmere Bathroom Tissue. It was designed to make news that its Cottonelle brand was changing its name to Cashmere. Our mission was to successfully transfer brand equity built over 35 years to an entirely new name — Cashmere BT — without losing its market leading position, while resonating with women, aged 25-54, the brand’s intended audience.

Cashmere’s new, premium, luxury position would be and remains…nothing feels like cashmere. Our solution was to create a memorable, annual fashion showcase for Canada’s top designers reflecting Cashmere’s soft and luxurious qualities, while driving education and awareness of breast cancer in Canada. Our fully-integrated, multi-faceted CSR (corporate social responsibility) program makes news every year; builds positive awareness and demand for Cashmere BT; and raises essential funds and awareness for the breast cancer cause. Our unique program differentiates and elevates Cashmere above its rivals in the ruthlessly competitive, highly commoditized BT marketplace; and creates a uniquely feminine and premium fashion position for Cashmere, while giving back to the vital breast cancer cause, the second leading cause of death among women in Canada.

Best of the Best Judges Comments:

• “Best of the Best winners represent the very best entries seen across the globe. The 2019 Gold Quill Awards Committee felt that your campaign was an impressive undertaking for a consumer product company, Cashmere Bathroom Tissue, to support a breast cancer cause. A fantastic example of an event for a cause marketing campaign where the product is used imaginatively. Wonderful use of a “Project Runway” concept. Spot-on execution and great combination of strategy and solid tactical execution. demonstrated an outstanding example of employee engagement to improve business results.” – Gold Quill Awards chair, vice chair, and past chair.

Additional Judges Comments:

• “This is an impressive integrated marketing campaign that worked across all media – event, press and PR, and online. Well done!”
• “Lovely execution… simple, tasteful, exciting. It’s so important to cut through the clutter, and this creative campaign did just that.”
• “This is a very creative campaign, with a lot of content aimed at very specific audiences – charity, consumers, fashion industry. The overall campaign is cohesive, which is testament to its extremely professional execution.”

Are you searching for a dynamic, trend-setting Canadian PR agency to help build, maintain and protect your brand?

Strategic Objectives is Canada’s most award-winning public relations firm. We are national in scope and work across a variety of sectors and brands. We craft innovative, passionate, dynamic, and engaging campaigns. We tell stories that grab attention, change minds, and drive brand success. Our team of 35+ communicators creates inventive strategies that engage your audience while building positive awareness, increased brand loyalty, reputation, sales, and business success.