DeSantis Breindel and Rooney & Associates, NYC-based branding and strategic communications firms, won a Communicator Award for their multimedia rebranding campaign for Stephens, the largest investment bank headquartered outside of New York. With thousands of entries received from across the US and around the world, the Communicator Awards is the largest and most competitive awards program honoring the creative excellence for communications professionals.
The firms received the top honor in the Integrated Campaign—Business to Business Category, which recognizes campaigns utilizing more than one form of media created for communications commerce between companies. In their “Capitalize on Independence” campaign, DeSantis Breindel and Rooney & Associates successfully utilized Web sites, brochures, advertising, videos and media relations to differentiate Stephens from the investment firms that helped to bring down the financial markets following the sub-prime mortgage collapse.
“This honor affirms the impact strategic branding and marketing campaigns can have in helping companies elevate their brand, distinguish themselves in the marketplace and achieve their business goals,” said Dru DeSantis and Howard Breindel, Partners and Co-Founders of DeSantis Breindel. “Following extensive internal and external research, we were able to rebrand Stephens as a national firm driven by integrity and independent thinking,” they said.
“We’re pleased to have our work recognized by the International Academy of the Visual Arts. We leveraged thought leadership and media relations to communicate Stephens’ brand messages of independence and integrity in the national business press. As a result, Stephens raised its competitive profile among key stakeholders,” said Terry Rooney, Founder of Rooney & Associates. “Our comprehensive communications program was successful because it fully integrated branding and strategic communications. We continue to partner with DeSantis Breindel to deliver measurable results to Stephens.”
The Communicator Awards are judged and overseen by the International Academy of the Visual Arts (IAVA), a 550+ member organization of leading professionals from various disciplines of the visual arts dedicated to embracing progress and the evolving nature of traditional and interactive media. Current IAVA membership represents a “Who’s Who” of acclaimed media, advertising, and marketing firms including: Condè Nast, Coach, Disney, The Ellen Degeneres Show, Estee Lauder, HBO, Keller Crescent, Monster.com, MTV, Polo Ralph Lauren, Sotheby’s Institute of Art, Tribal DDB, Victoria’s Secret, Wired, Yahoo!, and many others. See www.iavisarts.org for more information.
About Rooney & Associates
Rooney & Associates is a highly focused communications consultancy based in New York. The firm offers each client a strategic and customized communications program developed and executed by some of the public relations industry’s most experienced talent. Rooney & Associates transforms clients’ business challenges into strategic opportunities through high-impact media relations, sound public relations advice, corporate and crisis communications, and public relations branding campaigns. Current and past clients include AllianceBernstein, Stephens, Marketocracy, Teton Advisors, Cohen & Steers, RSC Equipment Rental, Epoch Investment Partners, Smart Balance, Hedgeserv, Westwood One, bond insurance companies CIFG and FGIC, Riedel Research Group and global corporations such as Syngenta AG, a seed development and agrichemical company, Nobel Biocare, the leader in restorative dental products and Sonosite, a medical device company. Please visit www.rooneyco.com for more information.