Flock and Rally wins “Star of the Show” prize at International Association of Business Communicators S.C. Chapter (IABC/SC) 2016 Palmetto Awards

The “Star of the Show” award – equivalent to a “Best in Show” prize – was given to Flock and Rally, a women-owned integrated communications firm based in Columbia, S.C., on Nov. 3, 2016 by the S.C. chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC/SC) for the agency’s Famously Hot New Year 2015 campaign.

The company also received a 2016 Palmetto Award of Excellence in the category of Marketing Communications for the campaign, which received the best possible score (a perfect 7.0) out of all 40 award-winning campaigns across 19 winning categories.

The award-winning project was Flock and Rally’s 2015 campaign for Famously Hot New Year, South Carolina’s largest New Year’s Eve celebration. After serving as the social media agency for Famously Hot New Year in 2013 and assuming full outreach duties in 2014, Flock and Rally was retained to manage all marketing, social media, public relations, branding and advertising services for the 2015 campaign. The firm is in the midst of running the campaign for the 2016 event, which will feature a free, full-length concert by Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue and Sister Hazel as well as the largest New Year’s Eve fireworks display in the two Carolinas.

“To develop and implement a huge, multi-faceted campaign like this requires a uniquely resourceful team,” notes Flock and Rally co-founding partner Tracie Broom. “Thanks to the communications teams at the Midlands Authority for Conventions, Sports & Tourism and Discover SC, our statewide PR campaign was amplified to reach national and international media, with very exciting results.”

The event draws tens of thousands of visitors each year on Dec. 31 to downtown Columbia, S.C., helping to elevate the city’s profile as “The New Southern Hot Spot.” With headliner Ms. Lauryn Hill, last year’s event not only drew 35,000 guests but raised dollars and awareness for flood relief efforts as well.

“Our in-house integrated communications managers – Chloe Rodgers, Rachel Carter and Ashley Cady – really shine on big projects like this one,” adds co-founding partner Debi Schadel. “Also, we are incredibly grateful to our team of project partners for the extraordinary benefit they added to the campaign.”

Famously Hot New Year project partners for the 2015 campaign included project manager Linda Toro; finance manager and creative adviser Barbara Rackes; graphic designer Cait Maloney; media buying firm Buonasera Media; DuBose Web Group; Bill Grant and Cinema Couture Films; Jeff Blake Photography; photographers Tim Huebel and Molly Harrell and more, along with several local and statewide partners and sponsors as well as interns from USC.

Flock and Rally, founded by partners Debi Schadel and Tracie Broom in Columbia, S.C. in 2010, is a full-service, women-owned integrated communications firm, offering branding, marketing, public relations, social media and event planning services.

The firm’s current clients include major regional tourism campaigns such as Total Eclipse Weekend Columbia, S.C. and the S.C. African American Heritage Guide; local non-profit organizations EngenuitySC and Central Carolina Community Foundation; neighborhood districts such as the BullStreet development; local businesses like FIT Columbia and Warren Solar; restaurants such as Motor Supply, Za’s on Devine and Cantina 76; real estate entities such as Southern Community Services and LandTech Communities; and Crafty Feast, the Midlands largest indie craft fair, coming up on Sunday, Dec. 11 at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.

The IABC/SC Palmetto Awards showcase excellence in communications projects and campaigns, digital communications, social media work, and other collateral material. The Palmetto Award ceremony and reception was held at the Nexsen Pruet offices in downtown Columbia, S.C. on Nov. 3, 2016. IABC/SC links organizational, business communicators to a global network of communication professionals that develop, establish and adhere to the highest professional standards of quality and innovation in organizational/business communication. For more information, visit http://sc.iabc.com.

About Flock and Rally: Integrated Communications for a Brave New South

Flock and Rally is a boutique, women-owned integrated communications firm in Columbia, South Carolina, focused on leveraging new media tools and grassroots techniques to help clients launch and amplify their brands. Led by founding partners Debi Schadel and Tracie Broom, Flock and Rally’s mission is simple: to rally our community around great ideas. Learn more at www.flockandrally.com.

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