The ever importance of public relations in the marketing mix is about to become even more prominent with the introduction of a public relations category in The Loerie Awards.

The introduction of the category for the strategic and innovative use of public relations to drive coverage of a brand has been received by the Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa (PRISA) with “great delight” and PRISA spokesperson, Bridget von Holdt, believes the move is indicative of the importance of strategic communication in the overall communication mix and that the inclusion of public relations in the Loeries line up exposes other industries to the real value of strategic communication and its vital role in brand management.

The category includes awards for public relations campaigns targeting television, radio, print and online, as well as an overall campaign incorporating all four. 

This will finally bring a long overlooked but vital area of marketing and brand building to the fore.  Andrew Human, Chief Executive Officer of The Loerie Awards believes it can only improve this vital area of the media spectrum and also serve to highlight the importance of public relations in marketing and further its integration into media strategies. Public relations has become an increasingly crucial aspect of brand building and driving awareness, not only in the public eye but that of the media too.

"Public relations should always aim to support the position and reputation of a brand. It represents an important, often overlooked, ingredient within the marketing mix. What is clear is that many public relations agencies rely on email delivery to send information to their media contacts. This has resulted in the media being bombarded by hundreds of emails a day, and relevant news being ignored. We believe that the manner in which the message is delivered to the media should grab attention and be editorially relevant so that they write and broadcast about it," explains Human.

The Loerie Awards have a proud 33 year history of celebrating the best in brand communication and this year's event will be no different. With a line up of sponsors that include Cape Town Tourism, The City of Cape Town and Gearhouse South Africa you can expect something special. Additional sponsors and suppliers include Greensky, Sappi, Vodacom Mobile Media, Adobe, Aon South Africa, Hetzner, Lasernet, Waterfront Studios, Gallo Images, Paygate, Ornico Group, Rocketseed, Newsclip, Grand Daddy Hotel, Cape Town Partnership, Ultra Litho, Graphica, BEE Online, ARC Telecoms, Tempest Car Hire, Think iT Solutions, Backsberg, ADreach, Vega the Brand Communication School, Design School South Africa, Draftfcb Johannesburg, Ads24, GreaterCapital, Southern Sun Hyde Park Sandton, SilverstoneCIS, Injozi, Pollen, Mail Gloo, Mesh, LifeSense Financial Services, Associated Magazines and the Commercial Producers Association.

The Public Relations award is expected to foster a spirit of competition in the industry which will enhance the calibre of communications and innovative strategies deployed by public relations agencies.

"It is The Loerie Awards hope that public relations agencies will view the inclusion of public relations in the Loeries as an invitation to develop new ways of delivering news to the media," concludes Human.

- May 2011