The evening of March 16 marked a night of thrilling victory for The Anchor Group and its partner agency C+C, who took a stunning win at an awards ceremony widely known as “the Oscars for Public Relations.” Anchor not only won Best in Public Sector for its WeConsider campaign addressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy; it was also the only Black agency represented on a national scale. 

This annual awards ceremony highlighting successful and innovative campaigns across the U.S. is hosted by PRWeek, a leading publication in the communications industry since its founding in 1998. Receiving an award from the organization is considered to be one of the most prestigious honors. 

Campaigns must first be submitted as nominations, then finalists are selected for 26 categories by a pool of judges. For its direct impact on a 15 percentage point increase in COVID-19 vaccination rates for Black Washingtonians, WeConsider was selected as a finalist in two categories: Best in Multicultural Marketing and Best in Public Sector. 

The Anchor Group, joined by representatives from C+C and its creative consultants, flew to New York to witness first hand whether WeConsider would prevail against eight other competitors, including three COVID-19 awareness campaigns. Despite a harrowing loss for Best in Multicultural Marketing, the air was quickly filled with victorious shouts when WeConsider was announced as the winner for Best in Public Sector.

Anchor CEO Larry Williams was the first to jump from his seat and lead the team to the stage. “Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now” boomed from the speakers while the team received their trophy: a five pound engraved metal plaque adorned with “PR” in bright red lettering. 

“I’m humbled and honored to receive this award,” Williams said. “None of this could have been possible without a super team. Having the best team in communications is the reason we were able to walk up on that stage… they’re all experts in their respective areas that came together and really hit a home run with this campaign.” 

The award marks The Anchor Group’s first recognition on a national level and solidifies the agency in history alongside other winning public relations firms such as Ketchum, Current Global and Allison+Partners. 

“The icing on the cake is the lives we've changed with WeConsider,” Williams said. “The number of people we kept out of the hospital by getting them vaccinated.” 

Julie Colehour, owner of C+C, shared the same sentiments. "When we learned about Anchor, we were thrilled by our mutual goals to make the world better,” she said. “I'm happy to say our campaign is a reflection of that. Larry and his team were fierce collaborators in an effort that saved lives. This recognition from PRWeek confirms the fantastic work we can accomplish when great minds with a desire to create a positive impact come together." 

Williams is already planning to make return trips to the PRWeek Awards on future campaigns. He’s determined to ensure WeConsider’s win for Best in Public Sector isn’t Anchor’s last recognition from PRWeek. 

“We’ll be back,” he said, grinning with the award in hand. “The PRWeek Awards ceremony is going to be an annual visit.” 

Learn more about Anchor on their website here