“A well-strategized media campaign with a well-documented return on investment,” commented Your Honor judges, awarding first place to the “Meet the ‘New’ Pillsbury” campaign in the Media Relations category.

When Pillsbury underwent its second merger in five years, it lost 10% of its partners and experienced declining 2005 revenues and profits. The legal media speculated endlessly about Pillsbury’s “downfall,” prompting some recruiters to refuse assignments. Revenues stabilized and profits rose 14% in 2006, but a negative perception remained so that the firm launched a reputation management program in 2007.

“We took the program in-house, hired additional staff while decreasing costs 66%, and focused on trend-oriented, thought-leadership coverage in those outlets our clients respected most. We told the Pillsbury story in our words, including penning a regular law.com column on firm management, to counteract stories which misrepresented us,” said firm spokespeople.

The result: Negative coverage declined 87.5%, while interviews in outlets like WSJ, NY Times, CNBC increased 114%. Law.com column led recruiters to actively solicit us for assignments – a complete reversal from 2006. Legal trades acknowledged their view of Pillsbury had improved--one specifically credited the PR team for the change, while another declared Pillsbury was “bouncing back.” Trend-related articles attracted five new clients valued at approximately $350,000.

Click here for video of the award presentation and an interview with the winner.