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                         March 14, 2003

A winning campaign

USMA's Public Affairs Office wins award

Story and photo by Jim Fox
Assistant Editor

PR Week Awards, one of the public relations industry’s most highly anticipated events, honors the best work of the Public Relations profession from the past year. The U.S. Military Academy’s entry was recognized March 6 in New York City for its entry titled "West Point: A Story Worth Telling," which highlighted the academy’s recent bicentennial celebration.

Awards were presented in 31 categories with more than 750 entries from top PR firms from around the world. West Point’s entry won the "Public Sector Campaign of the Year" category, beating out finalists from top-10 global PR firms.

West Point was the only in-house, non-agency, public affairs office honored. The other finalists in this category were public sector companies or agencies who hired corporate firms to do their PR work.

Lt. Col. James Whaley, USMA Public Affairs Officer, accepted the award for the academy.

"This award clearly shows that, when given the opportunity and support, Army Public Affairs can compete with the best in the PR profession," Whaley said. "I am extremely proud of my folks and what they accomplished. This award validates their commitment to excellence."

USMA Superintendent, Lt. Gen. William J. Lennox Jr., said this award shows the mission of spreading the word about the academy was a success.

"The PR Week Award is absolutely great," Lennox said. "One of our missions for the Bicentennial was to get the word out on West Point, to tell the American public what we do here."

When cadets go home, he explained, people often don’t know where they go to school.

"This award recognizes that we got the word out," Lennox added.

PR Week noted that the West Point PAO ran the entire campaign on its own, using only a modest budget of $300,000.

Most of the budget used was part of an allocation USMA received from the Department of the Army in support of the Bicentennial, said PAO Deputy Director Andrea Hamburger.

She explained that the award helps give tangible worth to the work that the PAO does.

"We competed nose-to-nose with the best in the business and we won," Hamburger said. "This confirms my confidence in the great team of professionals who work here."

She went on to give thanks to the long list of folks who helped make the bicentennial celebration a success.

"We share this award with many folks at USMA and nationwide," Hamburger said, "Thanks to all."

PAO targeted the mass media as the best vehicle to deliver the academy’s message, Whaley said, taking every opportunity to enlist the media to tell the academy’s story.

"We had a limited number of resources available to us," said Theresa Brinkerhoff, a public affairs specialist in the PAO’s Strategic Communications Branch. "We had to look for other ways of reaching out to all those people across the nation."

Shelia Tate, Vice Chairperson for the PR firm Powell Tate and the chairperson of the West Point Civilian Public Affairs Committee lauded the work done by the West Point PAO.

"The whole team looked at every possible way to get the message out using every available communications avenue," said the former press secretary for President George Bush, Sr. "Their efforts have made high school students and their parents across the nation more aware of West Point.

"PAO’s work helped people realize what a wonderful resource the Army has in West Point," Tate added. "This can only enhance the reputation of the Army."