Airfoil Public Relations Awarded PRSA Silver Anvil Award of Excellence

Airfoil Public Relations, an independent public relations agency specializing in public relations and marketing communications for technology companies, was honored with the Silver Anvil Award of Excellence at last night's Public Relations Society of America's (PRSA) Silver Anvil event in New York City. The agency received the honor for an integrated campaign conducted on behalf of client Parrot and the launch of its AR.Drone, a quadricopter controlled by an iPod touch or an iPhone, at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

"The Award of Excellence recognizes top public relations programs in our industry," said James J. Roop, APR, Fellow PRSA, 2010 Awards and Honors Committee chair and president of Roop & Co., Cleveland, Ohio. "To receive an Award of Excellence, programs must be of Silver Anvil caliber and represent some of the finest strategic and creative thinking in our profession."

The campaign, in the "Marketing Consumer Products/Technology" category, was selected from a field of 823 entries and distinguished for outstanding demonstration of objectives, challenges, research, planning, execution and measurable results.

Appropriately titled "Out of Nowhere," Airfoil's award submission effectively showcased the disruptive and buzz-building impact the campaign had at CES. In advance of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the Airfoil team created a strategic marketing communications program to build mystery and drive consumer demand for the AR.Drone. The launch drove more than 100 media briefings, 600 media mentions, more than 3,000 new Twitter followers, and was the most-viewed video on YouTube during the opening day of CES. The Parrot website also received a nine-fold increase of website visitors and received five Best of CES Awards from publications and industry groups like WIRED and Popular Science.

"We are so proud that the most respected leaders and our peers in the industry have recognized this innovative work on behalf of Parrot," said Janet Tyler, Airfoil president. "The Parrot AR.Drone campaign was an exhilarating challenge for Airfoil. It provided an extremely competitive and unique platform for showcasing our team's talent for strategically planned and remarkably executed media relations campaigns, and to receive this honor for what we love to do is very rewarding."

In addition, Airfoil was awarded the 2010 Bronze Anvil Award of Commendation for the same campaign. The Bronze Anvil competition drew 697 entries. Of those, only 78 organizations were selected as Award of Commendation winners. Airfoil was also recently awarded platinum Hermes Creative Award for the same campaign.

Airfoil Public Relations is retained to provide media relations, digital media and marketing communications support for Parrot in North America, where it continues to support Parrot's Bluetooth hands-free and designer collection product lines.

The Silver Anvil Awards program has grown in scope and stature since its inception in 1946, and awards are now given in 59 categories and subcategories. In the 60-plus-year history of the Silver Anvils, many organizations have been recognized, including solo practitioners, agencies of all sizes, large and small businesses, top corporations, nonprofits, associations and government agencies.
 
About the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)
With more than 31,000 members, PRSA is the largest organization of public relations professionals and students. PRSA is comprised of 111 local Chapters organized into 10 geographic Districts; 16 Professional Interest Sections that focus on issues, trends and research relevant to specialized practice areas, such as technology, health care, financial communications, entertainment and sports, and travel tourism; and the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), which has more than 300 Chapters at colleges and universities in the United States and abroad. PRSA is headquartered in New York.

About Airfoil Public Relations, Inc. (http://www.airfoilpr.com)
Airfoil, with offices in Southfield, Mich. and Mountain View, Calif., is an independent firm specializing in marketing communications and public relations for technology companies. Airfoil also serves a growing roster of emerging and established clients across technology segments in consumer, enterprise, healthcare, cleantech and automotive. The agency's client solutions group informs and accelerates clients' marketing communications, digital and social media, and brand strategy programs. Airfoil has been named a PRSA Silver Anvil finalist, Technology Agency of the Year by the Holmes Report and recognized as a top firm in numerous industry rankings. For more information about Airfoil Public Relations, please call 866.AIRFOIL.