Cookerly Public Relations Recognized for its Work
at PRSA|GA Phoenix Awards

Agency Takes Home Five Awards and Three Certificates of Excellence

(ATLANTA — November  8, 2011) On Thursday, November 3, Cookerly was honored with five Phoenix Awards and three Certificates of Excellence from the Georgia Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. The eight awards reflect everything that Cookerly stands for; hard-work, consistency, knowledge and dedication to public relations and top-notch performance.

At the 27th annual awards celebration, Cookerly took home Phoenix Awards for the following public relations programs:

• Public Service Program – Government Award for Cookerly’s third year of work with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency's Ready Georgia campaign. This campaign promotes awareness about the importance of emergency preparedness throughout the state. Cookerly's comprehensive plan included everything from media relations and social media contests to PSAs and promoted events such as the Great Central U.S. Shakeout, National Preparedness Month and Severe Weather Awareness Week.

• Public Service Program – Nonprofit Organization Award for Cookerly's continuing work with The Clean Air Campaign. Founded in 1996, the non-profit organization works with Georgia’s employers, commuters and schools to encourage actions that result in less traffic congestion and better air quality. This is Cookerly's seventh program award for its work with The Clean Air Campaign.

• Events or Observances Program (seven or fewer days) – Government Award for a campaign aimed at driving statewide interest in the Great Central U.S. ShakeOut. Working on behalf of the GEMA, Cookerly implemented a multi-pronged campaign that motivated more than 400,000 Georgians to “shake it up” and participate in an earthquake event on April 28 that spanned 11 states.

• Editorials/ Op-Ed Columns Award for “The Clean Air Campaign and UPS ask: What can Telework Do For You?” Cookerly worked with UPS  to effectively convey The Clean Air Campaign’s message about the benefits of teleworking via an op-ed article published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

• Program – Marketing Consumer Services/Financial Services Award for Cookerly’s comprehensive public relations campaign – including media relations and social media – to increase awareness of SunTrust’s brand and products/services, especially during a time when consumers were reevaluating banking relationship.

Cookerly was recognized in three additional categories with Certificates of Excellence:

• Podcast for “Don’t Be Scared, Be Prepared: Talking to Your Child About Emergency Preparedness.” Cookerly provided Georgia parents with practical tips for discussing potentially scary topics like natural disasters and terrorist attacks with their children.

• Media Relations- Business to Business- for generating visibility and credibility for SunTrust’s Business Class Banking program, a suite of personalized services and tools to help businesses manage all financial aspects of their business. The project garnered nearly 100 media placements and more than $5 million in ad equivalency.

• Writing Project – Consumer Media News Release Award for Château Élan Winery & Resort’s consumer press release announcing its recently completed spa renovation. Cookerly increased awareness and visibility for the spa renovation by securing widespread media coverage in both regional, national and trade media outlets. 

“We certainly don’t work to win awards, but these wins are a wonderful validation of the dedication and hard work the agency adheres to day in and day out,” said Carol Cookerly, president of Cookerly Public Relations. “We are so honored to be recognized by our peers in this forum.”

About Cookerly Public Relations
Cookerly Public Relations, based in the Buckhead section of Atlanta, is a multi-disciplinary firm with expertise in the development and execution of communications programs including media relations, crisis communications and issue management, investor relations, special events planning and execution, business-to-business marketing/ communications and consumer product marketing. The agency's experienced staff develops communications strategies to strengthen client brand images and accelerate long-term growth.