The City of Abbotsford’s public relations response during the November floods has won a national award of excellence.
The city won silver for Best Use of Media Relations (Small Budget, less than $10,000) from the Canadian Public Relations Society.
A press release states that the city’s key PR strategies during the natural disaster were to position the city as a trusted source of information, make the city’s website a hub for information, use social media to share information, and partner with the Abbotsford Police Department for real-time, on-the-ground updates and government relations.
The communications department arranged interviews on all the major national networks and with Punjabi and French networks.
As well, press conference updates and information were posted on YouTube, social media and the city website, which is fully translatable into multiple languages.
RELATED: Abbotsford mayor says ‘monumental task’ ahead in flood recovery
The press release states that 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) exceeded $31 million and the city’s messaging was covered in more than 2,300 media stories (not including syndicated publications).
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.
The Awards of Excellence program features 28 categories in which submissions can be submitted of the best campaigns completed during the last two years.
RELATED: Abbotsford mayor says city is ‘truly resilient’ following flooding and other challenges