PR Club Honors New England Communications Professionals During 52nd Bell Ringer Awards

First-Ever Online Bell Ringers Ceremony Honors 360PR+ with Platinum Super Bell Award and Recognizes Solomon McCown & Cence Co-founder with John J. Molloy Crystal Bell Lifetime Achievement Award

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Leveraging Twitter for a two-day virtual ceremony, PR Club, the region’s leading communications trade organization, yesterday completed its 52^nd annual Bell Ringer Awards. The annual event celebrated the work of public relations and communications professionals from across New England through an orchestrated series of video presentations.

A bevy of New England-area reporters, PR Club past presidents, and longtime sponsors and supporters recognized dozens of top-performing campaigns, and the agencies that created them, with awards that included media relations, branding, content, social media and more.

This year, PR Club’s prestigious Platinum Super Bell Award for the top PR campaign went to 360PR+ for its work with Drizly in the category of Superior Achievement in Research and Planning. The analytics-driven campaign elevated Drizly’s reputation from an alcohol eCommerce expert to a leading authority in adult beverage retail. Other Platinum Super Bell finalists, as determined by a judging panel of industry experts and veterans, included:

• 360PR+ with Trek Bicycle
• CK Communications and WGBH Media
• Porter Novelli and Timex
• RF Binder/CTP Boston/Duffy & Shanley with Dunkin Brands
• SHIFT Communications and Scotties

Ashley McCown, co-president of Solomon McCown & Cence, was named the winner of the 2020 John J. Molloy Crystal Bell Lifetime Achievement Award for her stellar career in the vanguard of the communications industry. Since her co-launch of Solomon McCown in 2003, she has served businesses and organizations with strong missions, provided senior-level attention and strategic thinking, and delivered exceptional results. As co-president of a thriving 35-person agency, McCown continues to imbue her strategic thinking and values in the agency’s client work.

“It is a true privilege to work in a profession that allows me to help organizations through their toughest times while also mentoring the next generation of PR professionals,” said Ashley McCown, co-president of Solomon McCown & Cence. “To be recognized by so many peers and colleagues is simply the icing on the cake.  My sincere gratitude to all who supported me in winning the Crystal Bell Award.”

PR Club also presented Joe Chambers from CK Communications with the 2020 Striker Award, recognizing the practitioner who demonstrates an early passion for public relations, a dedication to their career, and a superior work ethic.

360PR+ was this year’s top winner with 14 Bells. Also earning strong acclaim from Bell Ringer judges were SHIFT Communications (10), RDW Group (nine), March Communications (eight), Duffy & Shanley (six), and Racepoint Global (six). A full list of all winners is available here.

As part of its annual Bell Ringers celebration, the PR Club selected Project Bread as its charity of choice, with a kickstart donation of $1,000. Project Bread strives to prevent and end food insecurity for Massachusetts residents, particularly as food insecurity has risen 300% during the COVID-19 pandemic. PR Club is actively asking members and others in the region’s communications community to make donations directly to Project Bread.

PR Club also thanks its 2020 Bell Ringer Awards sponsors for their continued support, including the Boston University College of Communication, BusinessWire, D.S. Simon Media, JTC Printing, Lunchpail Productions, Pretty Instant, Reportable and Talkwalker, as well as John Guilfoil Public Relations for redesigning the Bell Ringer logo.

About PR Club

Founded in 1948, PR Club (formerly the Publicity Club of New England) strives to promote and encourage involvement in the communications industry and specifically the professions of public relations, promotions, and marketing. Get additional information about monthly PR Club programs, social and networking events, the “Bell Ringer” blog, and the Bell Ringer Awards Ceremony at www.PRClub.org. Follow them on Twitter @PRClubofNE.

About the Bell Ringer Awards

The Bell Ringer Awards recognize public relations and communications work that demonstrates excellence in creative planning and superior execution to achieve a high degree of success in reaching predetermined objectives. Open to all New England practitioners, the program, now in its 52^nd year, celebrates the extraordinary work of the region’s communications professionals.