At Martin Waymire, we’re dedicated to making Michigan a better place. In 2017, we worked hard and made some serious strides toward making the Great Lakes state the place to work, live and play. Here are some of the highlights:
Winning Best in Show at the PACE Awards
Martin Waymire celebrated a great showing at the 2017 PACE awards where we were honored with 13 awards for public relations excellence in competitions with agencies and organizations from across Mid-Michigan and the East Central United States.
Martin Waymire won five first-place “Pinnacle Awards” in the Public Relations Society of America Central Michigan Chapter’s 2017 PACE Awards competition, including Best in Show for the entry, “Growing Bridge Magazine readership through social media marketing.” The company swept the social media category awards, winning first-place for Bridge Magazine in the social marketing campaign category and first place in the social medium tactic category for the “Michigan Infrastructure Facts” campaign for the Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association.
Click here for a full list of Martin Waymire’s 2017 PACE awards.
The launch of I Vaccinate
In March, the Franny Strong Foundation, in conjunction with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, launched I Vaccinate — a public health education campaign geared toward increasing childhood immunization rates in Michigan.
There is consensus: vaccines are safe, vaccines are effective and vaccines save lives. In fact, getting vaccinated is the best thing you can do to protect yourself, your family and your community from vaccine-preventable diseases.
Martin Waymire is proud to work with this campaign as they encourage Michigan parents to get educated about vaccines and help keep one of our state’s most vulnerable populations healthy.
Securing funding for Michigan’s infrastructure
It’s no secret that Michigan’s infrastructure is failing. Each year, dozens of Michigan beaches and stretches of rivers are closed to swimming and fishing for days and weeks to protect public health; heavy rains overwhelm aging sewer systems and pump houses, flooding communities and closing roads and freeways; each year, raw or partially treated sewage spills in Grand Haven Flint, Ypsilanti, Kalamazoo Ann Arbor and more just this year.
Martin Waymire worked hard to help Fix MI State and, through the use of an advocacy campaign, was able to secure $35 million in funding for the Restore the Michigan Infrastructure Fund.
Preventing Drunk Driving
Impaired drivers are responsible for nearly one third of Michigan’s traffic fatalities. Of the 893 fatal crashes in Michigan in 2015, 271 were alcohol-related, involving at least one drinking driver or pedestrian.
Working in conjunction with Brogan and Partners, Martin Waymire created a campaign for Office of Highway and Safety Planning (OHSP) to help prevent drunk driving in Michigan by encouraging drinkers to find a safe ride home rather than get behind the wheel drunk. Utilizing virtual reality (VR), we invited viewers to consider a typical bar scene and spot the patron whose night would end by taking three innocent lives after driving drunk.
Supporting fact-based journalism
Our holiday tradition at Martin Waymire is to support organizations that make Michigan a better place.
In 2017 we continued our annual “MW Gives Project,” but with a slight twist — by giving the gift of newspapers.
Why gifts of newspapers? Because real news — journalism — matters. Newspapers and a free press are essential to the foundation and defense of all democracies and all free people. And journalism is under assault in the very nation that protects freedom of the press in the First Amendment to its Constitution.
You can read more about the 2017 MW Gives Project here.
Staff Promotions
Martin Waymire is full of smart, connected and passionate people, creating the hardest-working – and most fun – public relations team in Michigan.
In December, Martin Waymire announced four team members had earned new positions and titles, reflecting their increased roles and additional responsibilities.
Kathy Barks Hoffman and Andie Poole were named vice presidents at Martin Waymire. Andrea Kerbuskiis now a senior account executive. Natalie Kozma was promoted to account executive.
Click here to learn more.
BONUS: Rocktoberfest 2017
In October, Martin Waymire hosted our inaugural Rocktoberfest party. Held at the View at Cooley Law School Stadium, the party was an opportunity to bring clients, friends and family together to celebrate our successes this year and continue our mission to make Michigan a better place. With live music and a little booze.
Nearly 200 people attended our event and enjoyed live music featuring Roger Martin on guitar and Andie Poole for vocals, alongside John Griffin and the Persuaders.
