The Public Relations Society of America has named five McDougall Communications-led, optometry-centered campaigns among the world’s best over the past year, recognizing the agency’s work with five 2021 Silver Anvil honors. Included were programs for the Centre for Ocular Research & Education (CORE) and contact lens innovator CooperVision.

When erroneous reports of contact lens wear risks emerged during the pandemic, a rapid-response campaign from CORE set the record straight with healthcare professionals and consumers, generating more than 5,000 news stories and reaching 55 countries in only 30 days. Those efforts earned two Silver Anvil Awards in the highly competitive COVID-19 Crisis Communications (Healthcare) and COVID-19 Crisis Communications (Non-Profit) categories, and a Silver Anvil Award of Excellence for Global Communications.

A related, highly-targeted program for CORE regarding the same issue also earned a Silver Anvil Award of Excellence in the Most Effective Campaign on a Shoestring Budget category. Other nominees across CORE’s categories include Carnival Corporation, the Alaska SeaLife Center, Meals on Wheels, Xavier University of Louisiana, and Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies.

The United States launch of CooperVision MiSight® 1 day, the first FDA-approved* soft contact lens designed for myopia control in children aged 8-12 at the initiation of treatment,1,2 was instrumental in building the category and helping eye care professionals embrace the breakthrough technology. The industry-focused campaign earned a Silver Anvil Award in the Marketing Business-to-Business Products category. A quantum computing program from Honeywell was the category’s Award of Excellence honoree.

CooperVision’s companion MiSight 1 day consumer launch with partner agency EvolveMKD also earned a Silver Anvil Award in the Marketing Consumer Products (Packaged Goods) category.

In addition, the American Academy of Optometry’s Academy 2020 at Home program earned a Silver Anvil in the Events and Observances (More Than Seven Days – Associations) category. Johnson & Johnson Vision’s Prioritize Your Eyes campaign received an Award of Excellence in the Public Service-Business category.

“We’re not only privileged to work with organizations such as CooperVision and CORE who place a high value on strategic communications, but in a field that has incredible momentum and creativity. Our optometry and ophthalmology consulting now spans more than two decades. Never before have we experienced this degree of evolution and excitement among eye care professionals and consumers, plus new entrants to the sector. Clear, accurate and distinctive communications are more critical than ever to break through the noise,” said Mike McDougall, APR, Fellow PRSA, the firm’s founder and president.

Of all Silver Anvils and Awards of Excellence presented this year, spanning corporate, academic, government and non-profit sectors, eye care programs represented a remarkable five percent of the total.

Since 1944, the Silver Anvils have been presented to organizations that successfully address challenging issues with exemplary professional skill, creativity, and resourcefulness. They are widely considered the Oscars of the profession, owing to their stringent judging process and candidates from around the world. McDougall Communications won PRSA Silver Anvil Awards in 2015 and 2018, with members of the firm having earned another 10 Anvils and Awards of Excellence while in prior roles.

McDougall Communications (mcdougallpr.com), founded in 2011, is focused on helping clients across the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific meet their business objectives through a range of communications services, including strategic planning, media and influencer relations, reputation and crisis counsel, and social media management. It is regularly looked to as an influencer shaping global communications advancements, and works with a range of ophthalmic clients such as CooperVision, CORE, the World Council of Optometry, the Contact Lens Institute, the International Association of Contact Lens Educators, Heliostatix and others.

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