White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs Receives Public Relations Professional of the Year Honors From PRSA

Gibbs Revolutionized Campaign Communications, Introducing Techniques and
Technologies to Connect Directly With Voters and Emphasizing Openness and
Transparency
NEW YORK--(Business Wire)--
The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) presented its highly coveted
Public Relations Professional of the Year award to White House Press Secretary
Robert L. Gibbs for his groundbreaking use of new communications techniques and
technologies, as well as successful delivery of campaign messages to a broad
electorate. The award was presented last night at the annual PRSA Silver Anvil
Ceremony at the Equitable Tower in New York City.

"Robert Gibbs and his team revolutionized the way presidential candidates speak
to voters by engaging best practices in current communications techniques and
technologies," said PRSA Chair and CEO Michael Cherenson. "He transformed
static, one-way messaging into a dynamic dialogue to engage an expansive
electorate like never before."

As communications director of the Obama campaign, Gibbs made groundbreaking use
of Web 2.0 technologies, including blogs, social media sites and online video,
to engage the electorate, especially younger voters. The campaign amassed a vast
database of e-mail and text addresses to enable direct communications with
voters on a massive scale. At the same time, the campaign maintained a
disciplined communications approach that yielded the ability to speak with a
single voice and precise narrative, and to carefully control the flow of
information and respond rapidly to attacks while maintaining fluidity and
creativity of language.

"From the moment the Obama campaign began almost two and a half years ago, we
set out to do things differently," said Gibbs. "We had to connect with people in
a new way - through their homes and communities, their families and their
friends. We had to break away from the old rules of campaigning that emphasized
tactics and political posturing, and instead focus on the message of change
being communicated by our candidate. In the end, we knew our success depended on
our ability to stay focused on that message and relay it honestly and
consistently to people across the country."

The campaign also was marked by visible emphasis on communications transparency,
openness and expediency, and generated a feeling of real-time connectedness with
the electorate due to the active dialogue with voters. It also exhibited a true
understanding of public and media sentiment.

"It is with great honor that PRSA recognizes Robert Gibbs as this year`s PR
Professional of the Year," said Joice Truban Curry, PRSA 2009 Honors and Awards
chair, and president/CEO, c3 Communications, Inc. "When the collective Honors
and Awards Committee met to determine who really made the most impact on this
industry from innovation, dedication and strategic public relations, it was
clear and unanimous - Robert Gibbs. His tireless work as the communications
director for President Obama`s campaign was second to none. Through his vision
and innovative strategies and tactics, he has rewritten how public relations
will forever be used in political campaigns."

The Public Relations Professional of the Year Award represents the highest
achievement in the practice of public relations by an individual or team. Past
award recipients include:

* 2008: San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders` communications team for its expert
handling of citywide communications during the wildfires in October 2007
included Fred Sainz, communications director; and deputy press secretaries
George Biagi, Eileen Brennan and Bill Harris.
* 2007:The public relations campaign team for Al Gore`s Oscar-winning film, "An
Inconvenient Truth," included Megan Colligan, Paramount Vantage executive vice
president of Publicity and Promotions; Buffy Shutt, Participant Productions
executive vice president for Marketing; and Michael Feldman, Glover Park Group.
* 2006: Bernadette Mansur, senior vice president for Communications, National
Hockey League (NHL).
* 2005: Charles Conner, senior vice president, Communication & Marketing; Darren
Irby, vice president, Public Relations; and Deborah Daley, vice president,
Corporate Communications, American Red Cross.
* 2004: Grace Chen Trent, senior vice president, Communications/Chief of Staff
and Brad Burns, senior vice president, Public Relations, MCI.

About the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)

The Public Relations Society of America, headquartered in New York City, is the
world's largest organization for public relations professionals with nearly
32,000 professional and student members. PRSA is organized into 109 Chapters and
10 Districts nationwide, and 20 Professional Interest Sections and Affinity
Groups, which represent business and industry, counseling firms, independent
practitioners, military, government, associations, hospitals, schools,
professional services firms and nonprofit organizations. The Public Relations
Student Society of America (PRSSA) has 302 Chapters at colleges and universities
throughout the United States, and one Chapter in Argentina.

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The Public Relations Society of America
Diane Gomez, 212-460-1437
diane.gomez@prsa.org

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