When making our journey down to London for the annual Construction Marketing Awards in which we were shortlisted for five categories, it didn’t seem the right time to start considering the chance we might actually walk away with an award.
Refresh PR specialises in construction and the built environment, and the 25 years’ experience within the team means we’re able to develop and deliver strategic PR and marketing campaigns which cut through the noise of the industry; schemes which address the challenges faced by those on the ground, which shine a positive light on an often negatively-perceived industry and which position our clients at the forefront of their markets.
However, we also know we’re not alone. Construction PR is an area where talent thrives and where strategic campaigns looking to separate the wheat from the chaff are not just noticed, but celebrated.
It still seemed premature to think about the possibility of winning when we entered the gala dinner and networked with the plethora of industry experts in attendance, and similarly so when we took our seats to hear the winners’ announcements. We enjoyed a fantastic dinner alongside our clients MyGlazing.com, for whom we had created a campaign – Window with a View – shortlisted in both the Best Use of Press and Public Relations and Best Mid-Range Campaign categories.
(Incidentally, another of our campaigns – the Heating Installer Awards – was also nominated in the same categories, and we were nominated for Best PR Agency. Going into battle with yourself is fun!)
One thing is for sure – the campaigns detailed by the evening’s comperes certainly made our ears prick. Never before has the standard of the Construction Marketing Awards shortlist been so high, and everyone in attendance knew it. How inspiring it was to see such a breadth of hard work making the construction industry – commonly perceived as dry and traditional – come to life with creativity.
Imagine our delight when we took to the stage to collect the award for Best Use of Press and Public Relations for our Heating Installer Awards campaign, and twice more to take the second and first prize in the Best Mid-Range Campaign category, for the Heating Installer Awards and Window with a View respectively.
Each PR agency in attendance, of course, has ultimate faith in the campaigns it creates for clients (and they have good reason to, those shortlisted were all were pretty special). But – and I doubt I’m alone in this thinking – what truly vindicates your hard work is to obtain industry recognition from a panel of judges who are simply looking for those campaigns which are a step apart from the rest in their delivery, results and long-term impact.
To be able to take to the stage not once, not twice, but three times in one night was an honour. But more than anything, the recognition of our peers on the night – who came over to offer congratulations in their dozens – was the icing on the cake.
The Construction Marketing Awards is more than just a night to compare PR campaigns. It’s an opportunity to celebrate everything special about the industry – and that’s ultimately its people.
We’re looking forward to seeing if we’re lucky enough to be shortlisted again in 2017. Fingers crossed!
