The City of Abbotsford is proud to announce that the City’s public relations response during the flooding emergency in November 2021 has won a National Award of Excellence from the Canadian Public Relations Society.
The City won silver for Best Use of Media Relations – Small Budget (less than $10,000 CAD). As part of the City’s public relations response during the flood, the City’s key strategies were positioning the City as a trusted source for information through media relations, making the City’s website a hub for information, using social media to drive messaging, partnering with the Abbotsford Police Department for real-time, on the ground updates and government relations. In addition to arranging interviews on all the major national networks, interviews were completed on Punjabi and French networks, and press conference updates and information were posted on, YouTube, social media and our website, which is fully translatable into multiple languages, assuring our information was accessible and available to everyone.
Through this work, the total reach of the B.C. broadcast coverage (radio and television) alone exceeded 380 million views. The total publicity value of the B.C. broadcast coverage (radio and television) alone exceeded $31 million and the City’s messaging was covered in more than 2,349 media stories (not including syndicated publications).
Background:
Established in 1962, the National Awards of Excellence salute outstanding public relations campaigns, internal and external programs and tactics, and the dedication and contribution of public relations professionals like you. The awards also encourage continuous improvement in the practice of public relations.
The Awards of Excellence program features 28 categories in which both CPRS members and non-members can submit their best campaigns completed during the last two years for consideration.
For more information contact:
Aletta Vanderheyden
Communications and Public Relations Manager
City of Abbotsford
E: avanderheyden@abbotsford.ca