Cause-related PR Spotlighted At This Year's Annual PRWeek Awards.

Business Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 16, 2001

Cone and Con Agra Foods' "Feeding Children Better" Campaign

Takes Two Prizes as "Campaign of the Year"

and "Community Relations Campaign of the Year"

Awards Presented To Winners In 35 Categories

Ogilvy Public Relations Is PR Agency Of The Year

"Feeding Children Better," the powerhouse publicity campaign mounted by PR agency Cone Inc., on behalf of ConAgra Foods, took double honors at the PRWeek Awards tonight in New York City.

Promoting the food giant's nationwide program to feed needy children, "Feeding Children Better" won the evening's top award, the "PRWeek Campaign of the Year" - beating out more than 1,000 entries. The program also won in a second category, "Community Relations Campaign of the Year."

PRWeek presented a total of 35 awards to the nation's top image-makers at a glittering black tie dinner for 1,100 at Chelsea Piers, hosted by PRWeek Editor-in-Chief Adam Leyland, emceed by comedian John Fugelsang, and with entertainment provided by Saturday Night Live regular Darrell Hammond.

"ConAgra's campaign and its spectacular success reflects the growth - and growing impact -- of cause-related public relations," said Adam Leyland.

Launched during National Food Bank Week in 1999, "Feeding Children Better" has now become the nation's largest corporate initiative devoted to tackling child hunger in the U.S. According to Cone research, 12 U.S. million children go to bed hungry on a regular basis. As part of the program, ConAgra launched a national network of "ConAgra Feeding Children Better Kids Cafes," each serving some 10,000 meals annually to children. The company plans to open about 100 centers nationwide over three years. "Feeding Children Better" brought together promotional partners such as the Center on Hunger and Poverty, actor Jeff Bridges' End Hunger Network, and the Ad Council, which agreed to a three-year campaign delivering $100 million in community service advertising.

As well as raising this issue through a publicity campaign which attracted 65 million media impressions, Cone's campaign united 80,000 ConAgra employees, across 80 factories, who launched local food programs in their own communities. The program even helped to facilitate an acquisition for ConAgra because of the goodwill created by the campaign.

Cause-related PR was a theme reflected by several of the other winning campaigns.

-- "Cause-Related PR Campaign of the Year," was made to Barkley Evergreen &
Partners and the Lee Company for "Lee National Denim Day," a campaign raising
awareness off the fight against breast cancer. This year's campaign raised $7
million for the cause.

-- The "Healthcare Campaign of the Year" went to Shandwick Public Affairs with
the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association for its program to tackle drug abuse
by young athletes.


-- The "Public Service Campaign of the Year" was awarded to Hill & Knowlton and
California Department of Health Services for a five year campaign which has
helped to reduce teen pregnancies in California.

-- The "Donate a Phone Campaign" by MRA and The Wireless Foundation to help
victims of domestic violence, was named "Non-Profit Campaign of the Year."

-- And the "International Campaign of the Year" was awarded to a cause-related
campaign, the Golin/Harris/McDonald Corporation/Walt Disney Company effort,
"Millennium Dreamers: Global Children's Recognition Program."

Other award-winners of the evening included: Nortel Networks Global Communications, named "Corporate PR Team of the Year" for its highly focused campaign raising awareness of the company as a "global technology leader" and generating a 300% increase in media coverage. Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, one of the nation's fastest growing firms, was named "PR Agency of the Year." John D. Graham, Chairman & CEO, Fleishman-Hillard Communications Consulting Worldwide, was honored as "PR Professional of the Year" for his effectiveness in leading a company that is now the largest agency in the US, and which has led the profession in "quality reputation" for eight consecutive years, according to Harris/Impulse industry surveys. (A complete list of award winners follows.)

Guests at the awards included Howard J. Rubenstein, who was chairman of the 65-strong judging team. Harold Burson, the founder of PR giant Burson-Marsteller, celebrated his 80th birthday at the ceremony. Also on hand was Michael Heseltine, former Deputy Prime Minister of Britain and majority shareholder of The Haymarket Group, the London-based parent company of PRWeek.

PRWeek is the first and only weekly newsmagazine about public relations. Based in New York, the magazine has a staff of over 30 and correspondents in Washington DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Chicago and other cities. Launched in November of 1998, PRWeek is the American sister of the highly successful PRWeek U.K., published by The Haymarket Group, Britain's largest privately held magazine publisher. Based in London, Haymarket publishes close to 75 publications including Revolution, which covers the Internet industry and which launched in the U.S. last year. Other Haymarket publications include Management Today, and the advertising industry publications Campaign and Marketing.

         The full list of winners is listed below

PRWeek Campaign of the Year 2001
Cone with ConAgra Foods - 'Feeding Children Better'

Corporate PR Team of the Year 2001
Nortel Networks Global Communications

Non-Profit Team of the Year 2001
Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)

PR Agency of the Year 2001
Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide

Mid-Size PR Agency of the Year 2001
Applied Communications

Boutique PR Agency of the Year 2001
Lane Marketing Communications

PR Professional of the Year 2001
John D. Graham - Fleishman-Hillard International Communications

International PR Professional of the Year 2001
Margery Kraus - APCO Worldwide

Solo PR Practitioner of the Year 2001
Wayne Catan

Young PR Professional of the Year 2001
Casey Kaplan - Pierpont Communications

Student of the Year 2001
Elizabeth Lundeen, University of Missouri

Publicity Stunt of the Year 2001
George Washington's Mt. Vernon - George Washington's Death & Funeral
Reenactment

New Media Site of the Year 2001
New Line Cinema - 'Lord of the Rings'

Best Use of Research 2001
The US Mint with Fleishman-Hillard - 'Golden Dollar'

Internal Publication of the Year 2001
Porsche Cars North America with Jackson-Dawson Marketing
Communications - Carrera

VNR of the Year 2001
JetBlue Airways - 'JetBlue: Cheap Chic Lands in New York'

Agri-Business Campaign of the Year 2001
Morgan&Myers and Pharmacia & Upjohn Animal Health - 'Naxcel Prewean:
They won't be little long'

Arts & Entertainment Campaign of the Year 2001
Edelman with Experience Music Project - Experience Music Project

Brand Development Campaign of the Year 2001
Ogilvy and BP - 'Taking BP Beyond'

Business-to-Business Campaign of the Year 2001
Ketchum/Visa USA - Visa Start-Up 2000

Cause-Related PR Campaign of the Year 2001
Barkley Evergreen & Partners and the Lee Company
- Lee National Denim Day

Community Relations Campaign of the Year 2001
Cone with ConAgra Foods - 'Feeding Children Better'

Consumer Launch of the Year 2001
Lippe Taylor with Procter & Gamble - Physique hair care

Crisis Management Campaign of the Year 2001
Edelman - 'Saving the Family Farm'

Healthcare Campaign of the Year 2001
Shandwick Public Affairs with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Association - The Healthy Competition Campaign

Hi-Tech Campaign of the Year 2001
OutCast Communications with salesforce.com - 'The End of Software'

Internal Communications Campaign of the Year 2001 Ogilvy and BP -
'Taking BP Beyond' 2000 Ketchum with Visa USA
- Organizational Realignment

International Campaign of the Year 2001
Golin/Harris and McDonald's Corporation, in partnership with the Walt
Disney Company
- 'Millennium Dreamers: Global Children's Recognition Program'

Investor/Financial Relations Campaign of the Year 2001
Pharmacia and Monsanto
'From Failed Merger to Wall Street's Top Drug Pick'

Multicultural Marketing Campaign of the Year 2001
Walls Communications and NAACP
- Get Out the Vote (GOTV) 'Southern States Voter Project 2000'

Media Campaign of the Year 2001
Ruder Finn with Women.com - Top Ten Bachelors of Silicon Valley

Non-Profit Campaign of the Year 2001
MRA and The Wireless Foundation/ Motorola - Donate a Phone campaign

Political Campaign of the Year 2001
The PR team for George Allen (Virginia Senate race vs Sen. Chuck Robb)

Public Affairs Campaign of the Year 2001 Stoorza Communications
with Wal-Mart - 'No on Measure 1'

Public Service Campaign of the Year 2001
Hill & Knowlton and California Department of Health Services
- 'Stork Makes Fewer Stops to California Teens'