Stratacomm Wins String of Prestigious Communications Industry Awards

Recognized for Success in the Energy & Environment and Transportation Sectors

WASHINGTON, DC – Stratacomm, a strategic communications firm with offices in Detroit and Washington, DC, announced today that it recently earned a coveted Bronze Anvil award, Telly award, Sabre award and Communicator award, among several others, for efforts on behalf of the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA), Navistar, and the firm’s own DCGreenScene.com website.

Stratacomm earned a Bronze Anvil in the Direct Mail/Direct Response Category, and a Bronze Telly Award for supporting UNICA.  The Sweeter Alternative campaign was created by UNICA and Stratacomm to promote the benefits of sugarcane ethanol in order to urge Congress to allow tax credits and trade protection for domestic ethanol to expire.  The fully integrated communications campaign leveraged opinion research, media relations, social media, a new website, and online, print and radio advertising.  The 2011 Telly Award was bestowed for the campaign’s online video, “What You Need to Know About Ethanol Policy.”  The online direct response program generated more than 100,000 emails and letters to Congress, more than 27,000 petition signatures calling for an end to the ethanol tariff and 1,200-plus letters sent to editors across the U.S.  The United States Senate voted in June to end the ethanol tariff by an overwhelming bipartisan margin of 73 to 27.

“The campaign was cleverly crafted by Stratacomm to present a sweeter alternative to the current energy debate in Washington.  After 30 years of subsidies and trade protection, last month’s Senate vote is the latest indication that our advocacy is making a difference, and we’ll keep up our efforts until Congress eliminates this unfair tariff on imported ethanol,” said UNICA’s representative in Washington, Leticia Phillips. 

In partnership with its client Navistar, Stratacomm also earned a Sabre award, IABC Chicago’s Bronze Quill award, PRSA Chicago’s Skyline award and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Community Service award.  Navistar is also currently a finalist for the PR News Platinum PR Award.  In an effort to retain employees in its Huntsville, Alabama truck manufacturing facility as the recession progressed, Navistar turned to Stratacomm to help promote a unique program that temporarily deployed would-be laid-off employees to instead do community service.  The campaign targeted the national media and earned a two-page spread in People Magazine’s “Heroes Among Us” category, as well as broadcast stories on ABC World News Tonight and CNN. 

“Stratacomm worked with us on an aggressive media relations campaign to promote a fantastic program that one of our employees developed to help avoid layoffs while also allowing Navistar employees to give back in their community.  The successful effort to shine the media spotlight on the program was an added morale boost for our company at a critical time and Stratacomm delivered,” said Lisa Hartenberger, Director, Corporate Communications.

Finally, Stratacomm earned the Communicator Award’s “2011 Silver Award of Distinction,” for the firm’s own DCGreenScene.com.  This Stratacomm-created and managed website has become a trusted resource for publicizing the leading events that shape energy and environmental policy in the nation’s capital.  The site, which covers all sides of relevant industry sectors, includes comprehensive listings for policy seminars, conferences, congressional hearings and media events happening in and around Washington. 

“While our trophy cases may be buckling under the weight of these latest awards, this recognition by our industry peers is not about bronze statues or paper certificates,” said John Fitzpatrick, a Stratacomm Senior Partner.  “Instead, these awards reflect the creativity, brains and sweat of the Stratacomm team, and the clients we represent, to consistently deliver top-level results.”