Slideshow accompanied February 2014 webinar on how to submit a #Bellworthy public relations communications entry to the annual Publicity Club of New England's Bell Ringer awards.
2. Revere Hotel
June 9, 2014
Host…TBA…Soon!
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
Rolling out the Red Carpet
3. Special Awards
Student Grant
Striker
Ringer
Crystal Bell
http://pubclub.org/bellringer-awards-guidelines
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
4. Student Grant:
Who Should Enter
Junior or senior student
Studying in an accredited journalism, public relations or
communications program at a New England college
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
5. Student Grant: How to Enter
Complete application form on pubclub.org
Prepare a short PR & Marketing plan proposal on how to
attract more students to the Pub Club using social media
A recommendation by an internship/work supervisor or
faculty member who has extensive knowledge of your
abilities, work ethic and anticipated career path is
required
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
6. Student Grant:
Important Details
For more information on how to apply for the William M.
Cavanaugh Student Grant, please email :
AHAMMOND@bentley.edu
Submissions due: March 28, 5 pm
No cost for students to enter
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
7. Striker Award: Eligibility
Candidates must have completed their first year of
fulltime public relations employment no earlier than 2011
(having been in the PR industry for three years or fewer)
Candidates must have successfully completed specified
goals within a corporate communications department or
agency
Candidates must be employed in New England as of
application deadline time
Candidates may not be a current member of the Publicity
Club Board of Directors
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
8. Striker Award:
Application Process
Nomination by supervisor, peer, client or member of the
media
Nomination must include goals set by nominee's
company/agency and how the nominee met those goals
and evidence of outstanding achievement in their
company/agency
Nominee must also include a 300-word statement on
why they chose to work in PR, what their career goals are
and why they deserve this award
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
9. Striker Award:
Key details
Entry fee of $75 for Publicity Club members; $100 for
non-members
Nomination deadline: Friday, May 2, 2014
Submit nominations to: Megan Noonan,
megan@pubclub.org
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
10. Ringer Award: Eligibility
Candidates must have between 5-12 years of experience
in the field of public relations, and should have joined the
New England public relations community no less than
three years ago (2011)
Candidates must have successfully completed specified
goals within a corporate communications department or
agency
Candidates must be employed in New England as of the
application deadline
Candidates may not be a current member of the Pub
Club Board of Directors
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
11. Ringer Award:
Application Process
Nomination by supervisor, peer, client or member of the
media
Nomination must include goals set by nominee's
company/agency and how the nominee met those goals
and evidence of outstanding achievement in their
company/agency
Nominee must include a 300-word statement on why the
nominee chose to work in PR, what their most significant
accomplishments are to date and why they deserve this
award
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
12. Ringer Award:
Key details
Entry fee: $100 for Publicity Club members; $125 for non-
members
Nomination deadline: Friday, May 2, 2014
Submit nominations to: Megan Noonan,
megan@pubclub.org
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
15. Crystal Bell Award:
Eligibility
To be eligible, a nominee from New England
must have demonstrated exemplary professional
competency and conduct throughout their
careers, including advancements to the field of
public relations. The winner will need to be
present at the Bell Ringers ceremony in June.
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
17. Crystal Bell Award: How to
Apply and Deadline
To be considered, completed nominations must be
submitted to president@pubclub.org no later than 5
p.m. ET, May 2, 2014.
If you have any questions regarding the Crystal Bell
Award, please direct all inquiries to
president@pubclub.org.
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
19. How are the Judges
Selected?
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
20. Entry Narrative Guidelines
Single item submission narratives must not exceed
TWO pages.
Campaign submission narratives must not exceed
THREE pages.
Be concise; use short sentences and bullets whenever
possible.
A budget line is recommended but not mandatory. If
budget played a significant role, we strongly advise
that you include it (budget information will remain
confidential).
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
21. Entry Narrative Guidelines
Excessive typos and general sloppiness will result in
point loss and may eliminate your entry from
consideration.
Important note: Entries that do not include narratives
will immediately be disqualified without notice.
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
22. Science of the Scorecard
Situation Analysis: up to 20 pts
Statement of Objectives: up to 20 pts
Program Planning and Strategy: up to 20 pts
Results Documentation: up to 30 pts
Quality of Entry (i.e. following instructions, detailed,
lack of errors, etc.): up to 10 pts
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
23. Situation Analysis
(20 points)
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
Describe the factors in the marketplace or organization
that created the need for this project. Explain the
problem(s) and opportunity/opportunities pertaining to
this project. Avoid industry jargon, and explain the
project in language the judges (who do not necessarily
work in your industry) will understand.
24. Situation Analysis
(20 points)
From the judges…
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
However, the situation analysis needed a bit more
background on the target audience and data
showing that the old (product) was no longer
effective. It would have been helpful to include more
information about the values and personality of the
organization as well..
25. Statement of Objectives
(20 points)
Provide a specific, detailed explanation of
the objectives/goals that guided the
development of the project.
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
26. Statement of Objectives
(20 points)
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
A solid entry. A clearer overview of the
objectives and more detail on how the
campaign exceeded expectations would
have been helpful. It would also have
been useful to gain insight into how the
campaign impacted the business.
From the judges…
27. Program Planning and Strategy
(20 points)
Discuss the techniques, methods and approaches you
used to achieve the objectives stated above and solve
the problem. Single-item entries should include
enough explanation of strategic and tactical
considerations so that the context from which the
piece evolved is clear.
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
28. Results Documentation
(30 points)
Provide both quantitative and qualitative documentation
of the success of the project, such as inquiries or sales
generated, press clippings or positive feedback from
management or client contacts that demonstrate the
goals were achieved. The results documentation must
contain factual information (not impressions) and should
confirm achievement of the set goals. All supporting
materials should be attached and should not be included
in your entry narrative.
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
29. Results Documentation
(30 points)
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
Results documentation was heavy on media
coverage but thin on impact. What was the business
impact beyond media coverage?
From the judges…
30. Quality of Entry
(10 Points)
FROM THE JUDGES…
Great results! Points off for multiple typos, inconsistent
tense - felt as though the entry was rushed. Objectives
should have been more specific.
Grammatical errors were distracting. Average PR work.
Is the entry narrative missing? Based on the
documentation that was submitted, I am giving this a low
score: there is no situation analysis, no objectives,
nothing about the program planning/strategy.
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
31. Quality of Entry
(10 Points)
A few typos in the presentation, was one reason for the
lower score.
Couple minor typos dinged the score.
Excessive awkward phrasings, parallelism problems in
the writing and multiple typos and wrong word usage.
It's a shame they spent so much time laying this entry out
so nicely but not proofreading it. Several typos and
awkward phrases throughout
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
32. #BellWorthy
This was the only entrant in this category that did
something new and fresh - delivering both a
traditional and a "mobile" strategy - and the
applicants did a great job at explaining how they
arrived at this strategy. The entry was clear, easy to
read - but at times, too jargon-y. The applicants
could have better demonstrated how they tied their
results to their objectives. Having quotes from
their audience was a nice touch for the Results
Documentation; a quote from a member of their
external audience, too, would have been ideal.
Overall - nice job.
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
33. #BellWorthy
The situation analysis clearly described the issues
facing the company; the goals section included hard
numbers and tangible results; the planning sections
described what was to be done and why; and the
results section brought it all together. The
incorporation of visual elements into the narrative
helped to tell a complete story.
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
36. #10 – Think like a judge:
Prove it!
If you are discussing a campaign, provide the
supporting press releases, blog post, etc.
Don't just say you wrote it. Let us see it!
Audacious goals are great, but…
Did you achieve your objectives?
If not, why?
How did you manage expectations?
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
37. #9 – Think like a reporter:
What’s the lede?
Don’t bury your lede
Need help? Sticky note your key messages
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
38. #8 – Sometimes less is more
The “thud factor” of a great submission can
make an impression, but…
Filler material can detract from your
submission
Too much info makes it harder to review your
submission
Be concise (but thorough) and summarize the
campaign as well as the results
Otherwise, a judge might miss some really
important points
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
39. #7 – Get a designer’s eye
Don’t try to cram 8 pages of narrative into
two or three pages
Move what you can to supporting materials
Get a designer’s eye on both the narrative and
supporting materials documents
Use visuals whenever possible
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
40. #6 – Use bullet points
While narrative is helpful, it
only goes so far
Bullet points help judges
delineate and distinguish
critical points
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
41. #5 – Watch the jargon
Your judges will probably not be in your
industry
They may not
even be from
our region
Speak human
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
42. #4 – Read the directions
I shouldn’t have to say this
But I shouldn’t have to remind folks to not
just trust Microsoft’s spell check either
But I do…
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
43. #3 – Don’t procrastinate
Get started now
Don’t miss the deadline
Don’t wait to write the
mandatory (and very
important) entry narrative
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
44. #2 – Match results to
objectives
Judges will be checking for this
Every metric you share should be tied to a
particular objective
Orphan metrics actually detract from the
perceived value of your submission
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
45. #1 – Spell gud
Treat your Bell Ringer application like any
press release:
Do a read-through with fresh eyes and ears
Double-check all your links
Some writing tips from Prof. Todd
Remember the Rule of Three
“Is” and “has” are weak words
Agreement is imperative
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
46. BONUS – Don’t just go for
the gold!
Go for the Super Bell!
What stands out to Super Bell judges
1. Big reach (awareness)
2. Big impact (on business or community)
3. Strategic impact on the reputation or valuation
of PR as an industry
In other words, numbers aren’t everything
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
47. FAQ
We were the only winner in the category, but we got a silver.
Can you explain?
Should we include the budget of our project in our situation
analysis?
We’re not sure what category we belong in…can you help?
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
48. Deadline Reminders
Regular Deadline: Friday, March 14, 5 pm
Deadline with Late Fee: Friday, March 21, 5 pm
NO ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER THIS
DATE
http://pubclub.org/bellringer-awards-guidelines
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
49. Deadline Reminders
Student Grant: Friday, March 28, 5 pm
Ringer and Striker: Friday, May 2, 2014
Crystal Bell: Friday, May 2, 2014
NO ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER THIS
DATE
http://pubclub.org/bellringer-awards-guidelines
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE
50. We Want to Thank…
Cast and Crew: Pub Club Board
The Academy: The Judges
Our agents and managers: Megan Noonan
The Fans: Attendees
#BellWorthy @PubClubofNE