MWW Group Wins Big at 2010 PRWeek Awards for Campaigns Conducted on Behalf of IKEA and Emerisque Brands

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., March 22 /PRNewswire/ -- MWW Group (www.mww.com), one of the nation's top ten public relations firms, announced today that the agency netted top honors at the prestigious PRWeek Awards in the categories of Promotional Event of the Year and Financial Communications Campaign of the Year for campaigns conducted on behalf of IKEA and Emerisque Brands, respectively.  The PRWeek Awards are among the highest accolades in the public relations industry and are awarded each year to the best corporate, nonprofit, agency, and education teams, for the work they produce throughout the year.

MWW Group and leading home furnishing retailer IKEA were awarded Promotional Event of the Year for the "Americans Embrace Change with IKEA," a campaign that was developed in partnership with leading advertising agency, Deutsch. IKEA was on a mission to elevate the status of its Washington, D.C. area stores after making significant local renovations, upgrades, and customer service enhancements. IKEA looked to MWW Group's consumer marketing team to create a dynamic PR strategy that would generate buzz and revive the enthusiasm and excitement Washingtonians felt for IKEA, while also working to carry out the brand message beyond D.C. to help IKEA become part of the larger conversation happening around "change."

To gain media attention, IKEA working with MWW Group launched two key events in D.C. – a full-sized recreation of the Oval Office furnished by IKEA in Union Station and a faux motorcade with the Presidential limo carrying IKEA furniture visible on the roof and coming out of the trunk. The campaign was a major success, resulting in over 500 million media impressions and over 60 minutes worth of broadcast air time.

"Working in tandem with IKEA and Deutsch, we implemented a highly creative campaign that broke through the noise, capitalizing upon the tremendous public excitement during the 2009 Presidential Inauguration to catapult the brand into the media spotlight," said Michael W. Kempner, president and CEO of MWW Group.  "Through creativity, great inter-agency teamwork and sheer determination, we took an initiative that could have been a local news piece and created an international story that penetrated the global pop culture discussion."

MWW Group and Emerisque, a leading U.K.-based private investment firm, were awarded the Financial Communications Campaign of the Year in recognition of "The War of the Whisper Campaigns: Building Momentum for an Unknown Bidder."  Emerisque was looking to acquire Hartmarx, maker of men's and women's apparel which had recently filed for Chapter 11, and tapped MWW for support during the bidding process to help articulate its case and to differentiate it – Emerisque wanted to turn the company around rather than liquidate it – from other bidders. MWW drove critical regional and national media coverage at important junctures in the process, and harnessed third-party support among politicians and other community leaders. Emerisque was able to secure a bidding victory and ultimately close the deal.

"It was imperative to the success of the campaign that we consider the environment – political and economic – in which the bankruptcy bidding took place and position Emerisque as the right firm to acquire Hartmarx," said Kempner. "The success of this campaign is a testament to the tremendous team at Emerisque and the great client-agency partnership that our companies share. The dedication and enthusiasm of our combined team, backed by a smart and aggressive media and influencer relations program, drove this initiative to achieve 'Campaign of the Year' results."

About MWW Group

MWW Group is one of the nation's top ten public relations agencies and is known for its results-driven approach to public relations and "Aim High. Deliver" commitment to client service. For four years in a row, MWW Group was honored with the #1 ranking in the Holmes Report agency client satisfaction survey. MWW Group achieved top rankings in the categories of account leadership, strength of account team, creativity, strategy and planning, and program execution. In 2008, MWW Group was named PR Agency of the Year by The American Business Awards and Mid-size PR Firm of the Year by PR News, in recognition of the firm's growth, strategic account leadership and industry-leading employee retention. MWW Group is part of the Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG).

SOURCE MWW Group

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