Clint Woods, along with nearly a thousand of our industry’s top professionals, descended upon New York City for the 2011 PRWeek Awards last week. Despite fierce competition within the category, the 2011 PRWeek National Nonprofit Campaign of the Year trophy was awarded to Pierpont for the campaign it conducted on behalf of the 11th Armored Cavalry Veterans of Vietnam and Cambodia.
The following is a Q&A session I had with Clint a week after representing Pierpont in New York City.
Q:How does the team that implemented the campaign feel about winning such a prestigious award?
A:It is truly humbling to win an award of this magnitude. To a person, we are proud of what we accomplished and were excited to share the news with our friends from the 11th ACVVC.
Q:Why did Pierpont take on this project?
A: From the outset we realized this challenging assignment would require substantial effort. But the challenge is one that we relished as professionals. In terms of news value, it was difficult to portray the relevance of the story as the nation was preoccupied with a two-front war on terrorism and a global economic meltdown at the time. Beyond that we each felt compelled to play a small part in bringing much-deserved recognition to the Veterans that sacrificed so much for our country.
Q:What can you tell me about 11th ACVVC and their cause?
A:Their cause was noble. These men saved more than 100 lives but many never received medals or commendations. Their heroic actions remained unrecognized by the Army for decades until Capt. John Poindexter and the 11th ACVVC took up the cause to secure the Presidential Unit Citation. After the war, many of these men went on to live their lives, never seeking recognition for themselves. Once we began speaking with these men and hearing their first-hand accounts of their then unheralded acts, it only fueled our fire to deliver for them.
Q:When you first started the campaign, did you ever think that the results would be award-worthy?
A:Winning an award was never the focus of our effort. Our sole objective was to support the mission of securing these men a long overdue audience with President Obama at the White House—and hopefully right some of the wrongs of the past. These men and their families waited four decades for this honor and they deserved our best work.
Q:What can you tell me about your team?
A:I think this team was unlike other account teams because the stakes were different than a typical PR account. But as we strive to do day-in and day-out, we delivered results and kept our eye on the prize. The team took the assignment personally and rallied around the cause. We were energized and felt a sense of pride working with these men every day as we shared their stories with the global news media.
Q:What does this award mean for Pierpont?
A:A PRWeek Award is a noteworthy accomplishment and it is an honor to be recognized by our peers. Hopefully, this is the first of many more to come.
Pierpont team: Terry Hemeyer, Nancy Sims, Eric Whittington, Chris Wailes, Clint Woods and Tracy Price. If you would like to congratulate Pierpont and the team on their award-winning success, leave a comment below!
