Wollongong PR company LBPR has been recognised nationally at the 2018 Public Relations Institute of Australia national awards.
After picking up two gongs at the state awards two weeks ago Lisa Burling, Tabitha Galvin and their team had plenty to celebrate in Sydney on October 30.
In mid October LBPR was named Best Small Business Consultancy and for running the best small PR campaign for its work with the 60th anniversary of the annual biscuit drive for Girl Guides Australia.
And less than two weeks later won the National Public Relations Institute of Australia award in the Best Small Budget PR Campaign category for the same campaign. LBPR was also Highly Commended for Small Consultancy of the Year.
The Girl Guides campaign related to publicity around the diamond anniversary of National Girl Guide Biscuit Day.
That celebration involved dozens of girls setting up biscuit stalls to fundraise for Girl Guiding activities such as informal learning programs, fun adventures, international travel, camps, outings and national events for girls from all backgrounds, cultures and religions.
Funds from biscuit sales support the delivery of programs that respond to the issues affecting girls and young women. That includes promoting women in leadership, financial literacy, awareness against body image stereotypes and gender-based violence.
Selling the biscuits each year also helps the girls grow in confidence to enjoy and learn from many other activities such as beach clean-ups.
Ms Burling said 2018 has been an amazing year.
“LBPR’s success is built on a foundation of strong values, talented PR professionals, and phenomenal clients all over Australia and New Zealand who trust us every day to share their message,” she said.
“The biggest thank you of all goes to our team, our families, our clients and everyone who continues to cheer us on”.
Ms Burling said the great thing about the small Wollongong business was it was able to work every day with with nationally known brands and organisations.
“It is fantastic work and we attract amazing talent. Yet we are still based in Wollongong so we get the best of both worlds and get world class opportunities in our beautiful town,” she said.
“For us the Girl Guides Biscuit Drive was a great example of a really hard working traditional PR campaign. We work in an industry where digital influences and social media are increasingly getting time.
“And clients expect that. But with this we really wanted to work with journalists who respected the story. Almost everyone we dealt with in the media had some connections to the Girl Guides.
“We put together really great stories based on nostalgia and families with three generations who have sold biscuits. So traditional media really was the place to go.”
Ms Burling said the relationship between journalists and PR people is stronger than ever.
“We need each other and that was just a really beautiful story to tell. And the results were phenomenal for the small budget. They were above what we expected. And a testament to what a good story and team can do”
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Greg Ellis
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
