EU-Kenya partnership awareness campaign feted at PRSK awards

The European Union (EU) Campaign that raised the level of awareness amongst Kenyan Journalists and key stakeholders across various sectors of the Kenyan economy on the EU-Kenya partnership programmes has won the Overall PR Campaign of the Year and The Public Sector Campaign of the Year by the Public Relations Society of Kenya (PRSK).

The campaign was developed and implemented by Apex Porter Novelli (APN), a Public Relations (PR) firm.

It ran under the slogan “EU-Kenya Partnership: Backing Growth for Prosperity” and a positioning statement: The EU-Kenya partnership is a progressive partnership that is changing and improving the lives of Kenyans

According to the PRSK award judges, “APN demonstrated that it values research before working with any client, and this informed the campaign strategies it employed.”

Lawrence Gikaru, Apex Porter Novelli (APN) Managing Director said of the awards: “I am happy that PR industry in Kenya continues to evolve at a good pace. Today, clients are keen on results-oriented communication, and more often demand more than just a press release.”

He added: “At APN, we believe in the importance of data and research and all our communication is data-driven. I believe this is why we have managed to become a celebrated agency in the region.” 

The campaign used policy advocacy that was directed at stakeholders and influencer groups. It reached out to 400 stakeholders from various sectors – university students, flowers, horticulture, pest control, plant health, fisheries and other key industry players such as the Export Promotion Council. 

Over 3,000 University Students became aware of the European Union-Kenya partnership. There have been several follow-up enquiries about the Erasmus Mundus Scholarships offered by the EU, and especially how to go about the application for the Scholarships. 

European Union is one of Kenya's largest and steady development and trading partners for more than three decades. The bloc comprises of 28 member states and currently contribute a third of the development assistance allocated for Government spending.

Other APN driven campaigns that were feted during this year’s PRSK Gala Awards of Excellence were: the Launch of Shell FuelSave Unleaded and Shell FuelSave Diesel by Vivo Energy, the company that distributes and markets Shell-branded fuels and lubricants that won the Best Consumer Relations Campaign of the Year under the theme: “Shell FuelSave Campaign.” Under the campaign, the SFS Diesel and SFS Unleaded were launched to enable motorists drive for longer at the no extra cost.

The two brands replaced Shell Unleaded Extra and Shell Diesel Extra fuels; KCB Foundation’s World Kidney Day awareness campaign that won the Best Social Responsibility Campaign of the Year for creating awareness of kidney disease and saw close to 3000 people screened within a two-week period, and the Agricultural Industry Network (AIN) led advocacy campaign: “Tulinde Ukulima Wetu, Tuhakikishe Uhai Wetu”  which was a platform to involve the agricultural industry in operalisation of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Authority (AFFA) Act, 2013 that was declared the Best Public Affairs Campaign of the year.