Some people say that it’s not good manners to blow your own trumpet. But then those individuals obviously aren’t in PR where we tend to opt for the full brass section, most of the woodwinds and every available percussion instrument as well when the opportunity arises. Admiral won Outstanding Consultancy of the Year 2013 at the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) North East Awards and we feel that it merits a high-pitched high-volume fanfare by anyone’s reckoning.

At the dinner hosted by the CIPR last Thursday night we were thrilled to receive gold awards in three categories and silver in another. For client Four Housing we won the ‘Not for Profit’ and ‘Best External Publication’ top prizes and for Newcastle University a silver award for our ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ campaign Asking The Big Questions.

The last award of the night was for ‘Outstanding Consultancy of the Year’ which the judges presented to Admiral because of our ‘approach to business during tough times’ and for taking a ‘proactive approach to risk management.’ They also recognised that we have invested heavily in our social media offering with the launch of SociaLIGHT.

Receiving praise for a job well done is inspiring and it is always pleasing for any business to be recognised within its own industry. By its very nature, however, a good PR agency is valued not by what it has done for itself, but what it does for its clients. And not all clients have campaigns that fit into an award category even though they require an equally strategic approach and meticulous execution. Winning prizes isn’t everything but it’s jolly nice to be recognised for our efforts once in a while.

In the meantime, forgive us if we just glow with pride for a little while longer.