Weber Shandwick clinched two of the most prestigious awards at the Asia Pacific Public Relations Awards, being named regional Network of the Year and winning Campaign of the Year for the best overall client campaign.

At the awards ceremony, held in Hong Kong on November 16, the firm won the coveted Network of the Year accolade after what the judges described as “a memorable performance that emphasized the agency’s ability to lead in a diversity of client sectors”.

 “On the new business front, Weber Shandwick had a blockbuster year across the region,” said the judges in their citation.  “The bulk of the new business depended heavily on the network’s ability to manage clients in multiple offices … the network spent much of the last 12 months focusing on improving its delivery to multi-market clients.”

What stood the firm apart was strong results for clients in a diverse range of sectors: “Weber Shandwick’s healthcare practice has become the region’s strongest…while traditionally strong areas such as technology, corporate and consumer continue to shine,” the judges said.

“To be recognised as Network of the Year from our industry peers is a special privilege for everyone in the firm,” commented Andrew Pirie, Weber Shandwick’s President Asia Pacific.  “We also share this accolade with our clients, who through their passion, encourage us to exceed their expectations.”  

In addition, the firm’s Taiwan office received the Campaign of the Year award for the best overall client campaign.  The “Belly Is Beautiful” campaign for President Pharmaceutical Corporation was developed for stretch-mark cream treatment Galenic.  Interactive consumer events, such as a beauty pageant for pregnant women, built brand awareness and encouraged women to feel beautiful while being pregnant.

Weber Shandwick also won a number of other campaign awards including three category winners, two certificates of excellence and two honorable mentions. In the Young PR Professional of the Year category, two of the three finalists were from Weber Shandwick. 

For the first time, Weber Shandwick sponsored the inaugural Student of the Year award, which aimed to raise the profile of public relations as a career among the brightest young talent around the region.  The winner of this award was Melanie Perkins from the University of Western Australia. Tabitha Mei Yan Maitland from Singapore Management University was the runner-up.

Weber Shandwick was named PR Network of the Year at the Asia Pacific PR Awards