2012 Sabre Awards: General Motors named Company of the Year

May 18 2012

Award season has started again, and Weber Shandwick is off to a great start! The General Motors News Bureau team took home the first ever Diamond Sabre “Company of the Year” award. This inaugural SABRE award is a tremendous achievement for the team that has been working to tell GM’s “comeback story” for the last 2 and a half years.

Weber Shandwickians from the LA, Detroit, Chicago, Boston and Dallas offices make up the GM News Bureau team. This team was created in 2010 to offset the corporate negativity that General Motors faced due in large part to bankruptcy, as “a centralized news and story-mining team to promote GM’s product revitalization in support of GM’s corporate reputation recovery.” The team was broadly successful in telling the story of the new GM in 2010 as the automaker worked to gain the trust of car buyers. Employees rallied around the idea of getting back to building the best vehicles in the world, which led to an increase in market share, sales growth of the core brands, and four straight profitable quarters in 2010 earning more than $4.7 billion

For 2011 the team focused on “closing the perception gap on GM vehicles by engaging consumers in creative new ways.” This lead the team to target lifestyle and consumer outlets aggressively, to “consumerize” product stories and improve perceptions of GM and in the end, promote consideration of GM products. The team worked hard for the year, keeping this goal in mind and had much to show for their work, including hits on the Today Show, Nightline, Oprah Magazine, ABC News, Elle Girl, Family Circle, Good Housekeeping, Maxim, Shape, Travel & Leisure, Woman’s Day, and many more – showing the media team’s expertise in telling GM’s story in the lifestyle/consumer space.

In January 2012, General Motors announced that it sold more than 9 million vehicles in 2011, making the company number one in the world for auto sales. This major milestone for GM – especially as part of the company’s comeback story – also inspired the award title, “Closing the Perception Gap: Compelling Content Paves GM’s Way Back to No. 1.”


Weber Shandwick Southwest Take Home Silver Anvil Awards

January 2 2012

Weber Shandwick had another award-winning night at the Public Relations Society of America’s prestigious Silver Anvil Awards in New York. The firm was honored for exemplary work across multiple practice areas and the work Weber Shandwick Southwest was among the many agency programs that received top honors at the ceremony.

Exceptional programs from the Southwest’s U.S. Army and General Motors teams were recognized the ceremony.

The U.S. Army All American Bowl, which was executed by team members in both Dallas and Austin, was recognized as a Silver Anvil Winner for government events and observances. The annual event takes place in San Antonio, Texas and is a celebration of the nation’s top high school athletes and musicians.

The agency’s work to help assist the U.S. Army with engaging and educating community leaders regarding the opportunities and options available to youth through Army service were also recognized with a Silver Anvil Award of Excellence.

Additionally, the General Motors team, based in the Southwest’s Dallas office, was recognized with a Silver Anvil Award of Excellence for their role in the rebirth of one of the United State’s most iconic brands. Amid one of the worst recessions our country has ever seen, General Motors in cooperation with Weber Shandwick, has been able to share the story of the company’s aggressive resurgence and journey to once again become a “company America can be proud of.”

Photos from the Silver Anvil award ceremony are available on Weber Shandwick’s Flickr Stream

Weber Shandwick Southwest Takes Home Gold SABRE for Work with American Airlines and GM

In May 2011, Weber Shandwick had the privilege of taking home nine North American SABRE Awards at the annual Holmes Report event in New York City. Weber Shandwick Southwest had an exceptional showing at the this year’s awards, taking home three of the five total Gold SABRE awards won by the agency overall.

Award winning Weber Shandwick Southwest programs include:

  • Gold SABRE – Corporate Image An American Comeback Story: Resurgent Brands and Great Products Tell the Story of the New GM
  • Gold SABRE – Employee Communications Fuel Smart: American Airlines Employees Make a Difference
  • Gold SABRE – Crisis Management Bomb Threat Response: American Airlines Tweets with Passengers Aboard Flight AA24

From leading in-the-moment social media responses to customers in crisis, to spearheading efforts to educate employees on complex fuel savings programs, to assisting with the resurgence of one of the United States’ most iconic automotive brands, Weber Shandwick Southwest continues to consistently deliver industry leading results for our clients.

Congratulations to all of these award winning teams!