Last night, our Grayling North team attended the 2024 PRCA DARE Awards (North East, Yorkshire and Lincolnshire) – the UK’s leading regional PR awards –  where they were crowned winners across five categories and received one Highly Commended.

Recognised for their fantastic client work, creativity and purposeful comms, the team enjoyed success for the below campaigns:

Royal Town Planning Institute – Planners And

• Digital and Social Media Award (Winner)
• Purpose Award (Winner)
• Charity/Not for Profit Award (Highly Commended)

Following concerns that town planners were increasingly becoming targets of abuse, Grayling worked with the Royal Town Planning Institute to launch an anti-bullying campaign on World Town Planning Day. With 87% of planners believing social media was fuelling misinformation on local planning issues, the campaign tackled this spread of misinformation through a series of content showcasing the human role of a planner and how they support local communities. 71 organisations/individuals publicly posted about the campaign, with the video gaining audience applause at the National Policy Conference.

YO! – Maki Me Laugh

• Consumer Relations Award (Winner)

After Japanese food brand YO!’s iconic sushi belt had become non-operational during the pandemic, Grayling helped to put it firmly back on the news agenda and drive footfall. After finding that 74% of Brits were searching for mini pockets of happiness more than ever, the team created a first-of-its-kind comedy gig that used laughter-detecting technology to move the sushi belt. The louder the laughter, the faster it moved. Powered by TikTok sensation and comedian Maddy Lucy Dann, it was the place to be during last year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Leeds Bradford Airport – REGEN Launch

• Media Relations Award (Winner)

Grayling was tasked with launching Leeds Bradford Airport’s new regeneration project – an investment of £100m to upgrade its terminal facility – to win hearts and minds of travellers and locals alike. Through a strategic media strategy and nifty black book of media contacts, the team helped to position the airport as a transformational facility with positive stories related to new routes, partnerships and passenger experience. The campaign secured 457 pieces of coverage, with 95% of that being positive or neutral in sentiment.

Each of these awards reflects Grayling North’s expertise and passion for creating campaigns that pair strategic thinking, creative flair and media nous to drive true business impact – whether that’s changing perception, protecting reputation or driving footfall.

This was recognised further as the team was crowned Large Consultancy of the Year for the fourth year running, with Grayling North’s positive team culture and client excellence held up as best-in-class.

Interested in hearing more about Grayling North’s award-winning work? The team are always up for a coffee and chat: please email north@grayling.com