Ron Sachs Communications Named One of the Nation’s Top Public Affairs and Crisis Agencies of Year
~Bulldog Reporter honors Florida firm~
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Aug. 20, 2012) — Ron Sachs Communications has been named one of the top three public affairs and crisis firms in the nation by the respected industry journal Bulldog Reporter as judged by professional journalists.
One winning national campaign was for the crisis communications counsel Ron Sachs Communications provided the national Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and was selected to receive a Bronze-level award in the “Crisis Agency of the Year” category. The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest nonprofit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. In December 2011, the AAU was contacted by a reporter from ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” regarding allegations of sexual abuse by the organization’s former president, dating back several decades. Hundreds of news stories were generated by the allegations.
Ron Sachs Communications managed the avalanche of media interest in the story, mitigated damage to the AAU brand and helped facilitate a process through which AAU adopted new protocols to ensure children in their programs are protected. The handling of the AAU crisis was a success, and the AAU distinguished itself as concerned and transparent in stark contrast to similar issues with the Penn State and Syracuse scandals.
The national AAU media coverage was much more balanced, even positive, recognizing the AAU for acting swiftly and appropriately. The AAU did not suffer any losses in participation in local programs, according to the national enrollment statistics.
The firm’s second winning campaign was conceived and executed for the Florida Chamber of Commerce during the 2012 legislative session to oppose the introduction of mega-casinos campaign as the most massive expansion of gambling in Florida’s history. This campaign won a Bronze-level award in the “Public Affairs Agency of the Year” category.
While proponents claimed gambling would create jobs, the Florida Chamber campaign demonstrated it would actually cannibalize existing businesses, hurt Florida employers and cost residents jobs. Ron Sachs Communications branded the campaign “Bad Bet for Florida” and created a logo resembling the “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign to keep the messaging focused on the negative impacts of Las Vegas-style casinos on Florida. Television spots with school-aged children detailed the negative impact casinos had on Las Vegas and Atlantic City and refuted the argument that gambling could pave a pathway to future economic opportunity. Through this multi-faceted public awareness campaign, the Florida Chamber successfully blocked legislation to expand casino gambling in Florida.
“We are so proud to be selected among the best in the country by the esteemed Bulldog Reporter for these two distinct professional achievements,” said Ron Sachs, president and CEO of Ron Sachs Communications. “Both of these campaigns were able to achieve incredible success for our clients and we are honored to be able to share these awards with them.”
The Bulldog Reporter Stars of PR Awards evaluate achievements in PR, including professional awards, innovations to PR/communications practice, community service and extraordinary results achieved for clients.
In September 2011, Ron Sachs Communications won the prestigious national “PR Agency of the Year” Gold award by Bulldog Reporter for outstanding achievement by communications agencies and professionals in the category of firms with revenue between $3,000,001 and $5,000,000.
“We are consistently honored by Bulldog Reporter every year,” said Michelle Ubben, Chief Operating Officer of Ron Sachs Communications. “It is a privilege to be named among the top PR firms in the country, because we truly love what we do and we are proud of these successes for our clients.”
In May 2012, the firm won the National Silver Bulldog Award for “Best Education/Public Service Campaign” Lauren’s Kids Foundation and its “Walk in My Shoes” campaign, a 1,500-mile walk to raise awareness about and prevent childhood sexual abuse.
About Ron Sachs Communications
With offices in Tallahassee and Orlando, Ron Sachs Communications is Florida’s top issues and corporate marketing firm. Ron Sachs Communications offers integrated public relations services including media relations, digital media, video and Web production, public affairs and crisis support, advertising and design, public education initiatives and marketing. For more information, visit www.ronsachs.com.
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