Recognizing Marketing’s Finest
Here we present all of this year’s winning submissions, highlighting a different category each week.
PR—CORPORATE /
Sonepar
Bright Lights, Brighter Futures
Sonepar’s Bright Lights, Brighter Futures program supports nonprofit organizations with a free lighting retrofit to improve facilities, save money, and reduce energy consumption.
Launched in 2023 with three inaugural projects, the program expanded to 13 charities in 2024—one for each Sonepar operating company. To exponentially scale the program, Sonepar invited Cooper Lighting to partner with it in 2024, alongside Acuity Brands, which sponsored the initial projects.
Before, during, and after the project, Sonepar and its operating companies promoted the efforts via social media and other channels. Upon completion of some projects (due to the privacy concerns of some charities, this was not done with every project), the operating companies celebrated by sponsoring an on-site event at the charity. This included luncheons, giveaways, and other activities to raise awareness of the charity and publicize their work to encourage more support.
“I really like how Sonepar uses its unique expertise to help charities retrofit their lighting, [a process that would be] a daunting task for the charities,” said the judges. “Sonepar did a great job ensuring that the work was featured in social media before, during, and after the projects.”
Atkore
Environmental Product Declarations Launch Campaign
In May 2024, Atkore was one of the first North American conduit manufacturers to publish Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for PVC, steel, and stainless steel conduit.
Wanting to raise awareness about the launch of the EPDs, emphasize that it was among the first to release them, educate internal and external stakeholders about why they are significant, and engage in corporate storytelling to connect EPDs to its brand identity, Atkore produced PR, a library webpage, a Q&A document, a LinkedIn campaign, a contractor newsletter, and print and digital ads. The marketing team also produced a blueprint announcement and a webinar for internal use only.
The judges congratulated Atkore on “seeing a need and stepping in to fill it” and noted how the campaign “does a great job of reinforcing the Atkore brand with the liberal use of their signature green—which is particularly appropriate for this initiative.”
Tagged with awards, Best of the Best, marketing