Coyne Public Relations Recognized for Excellance with Six 2010 PRWeek Awards Nominations

Parsippany, N.J., February 2, 2010 – Coyne Public Relations, one of the fastest growing public relations agencies in America, today announced that it is a finalist for six 2010 PRWeek Awards, which are given each year to the best corporate, nonprofit, agency and education teams and campaigns in the public relations industry.

“We are very excited to have six nominations for such a prestigious award,” said Tom Coyne, CEO, Coyne Public Relations. “We are proud of the work we have done and continue to do for our clients.” Coyne Public Relations has been nominated for the following campaigns:

• Arts, Entertainment & Media Campaign of the Year: Harlem Globetrotters – Spinning the Globe 2008-09 Tour


• Community Relations Campaign of the Year: Community FoodBank of New Jersey – We Can’t Let This Bank Fail!


• Corporate Branding Campaign of the Year: Medco Health Solutions – A Prescription for Change: Communicating the Safety Platform


• Nonprofit Campaign of the Year: Community FoodBank of New Jersey – We Can’t Let This Bank Fail!


• Best Use of Social Media/Digital: Disney Parks – “What Will You Celebrate?” Online Virtual Storyteller


• Promotional Event of the Year: Hasbro – Candy Land’s Sweet 60th Birthday Celebration

The 2010 PRWeek Awards winners will be announced at a dinner in New York City on March 11.

ABOUT THE PRWEEK AWARDS:
A PRWeek Award is the highest accolade in the PR industry, given each year to the best corporate, nonprofit, and agency teams, as well as to the campaigns that they produce. The Awards highlight the important work done by PR professionals every day.

The judges comprise top professionals from the agency, corporate, nonprofit, education, and government ranks, and are among the most respected people in the industry. These top practitioners come together voluntarily, donating their valuable time to grade campaigns, individuals, and teams.

Vice President Joins Midsize Agency of the Year to Help Oversee Growing Toy/Juvenile Product Client Roster

Parsippany, N.J. , December 7, 2009 — Rich Lukis, president of Coyne Public Relations, one of the fastest-growing PR agencies in the United States, today announced the hiring of Sue Murphy, who will join the firm’s Toy and Juvenile Product Division as a vice president. Murphy spent the previous 15 years at Freeman Public Relations, where she spearheaded the PR efforts of several consumer brands such as Tyco Toys, Mattel and Fisher-Price.

“This is a very exciting hire for the agency as we continue to move toward more defined practice areas,” said Rich Lukis, president of Coyne Public Relations. “Sue’s experience in the industry brings a new and valuable dimension to our team. She is well known and respected by key business influencers and we are very excited to have her onboard.” During her tenure at Freeman Public Relations, Murphy oversaw a multitude of notable campaigns, including the original Tickle Me Elmo launch and the 50th birthday of Matchbox Cars. Murphy, who began as an assistant account executive in 1994, worked her way to eventually become vice president at Freeman. She will assume a similar role at Coyne Public Relations and will help manage the agency’s Toy and Juvenile Products Division. A 1994 graduate of Syracuse University, Murphy earned her BS in Public Relations from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Relations. She currently resides in West Milford with her husband and two children.

Coyne Public Relations’ Studio C Captures Gold and Silver honors at the fifth-annual Davey Awards

Parsippany, N.J. , November 25, 2009—Tom Coyne, CEO of Coyne Public Relations, one of the fastest growing public relations agencies in the United States, announced today that Coyne Digital Studio captured gold and silver awards at the fifth-annual International Davey Awards, bringing the design team its 11th award in 2009 alone. Receiving more than 4,000 entries, the Davey Awards aim to recognize creativity from the premiere mid-size agencies in the world.

“When we started our graphics department at Coyne Public Relations, we wanted to hold true to our mission statement of hiring the best employees and the best work will be come from them, which will attract great clients,” said Tom Coyne, Coyne Public Relations CEO. “This philosophy held up and is supported by Coyne Digital Studio’s 11 award wins this year. The Coyne Digital Studio will continue to grow and we will continue to add new services in the very near future.” Coyne Digital Studio took home a gold award in the “Business-to-Business” category for the agency’s Ritz Cracker creative mailer to celebrate the brand’s 75th Anniversary “Open For Fun” campaign. Distributed in the form of an octagon, the ”shaped-mailers” were sent to the top 200 U.S. food editors. Featuring a giant-sized image of a Ritz cracker on the package, the mailer included a sleeve of crackers, a deck of playing cards, a Ritz-branded slinky, a fun ball and media releases.

The agency also captured a silver award in the “Logo” category for “In Her Image – Mammography Re-Examined,” a West Caldwell, N.J.-based facility that offers a number of procedures essential to women’s health. In the agency’s first bottom-to-top campaign, Coyne Digital Studio used the design elements of color, fonts and abstract symbolism as components for the logo and cornerstone of the In Her Image brand. After months of research, numerous focus groups, design and implementation, the initial branding process was completed and In Her Image opened its doors in October, 2009.

The Davey Awards is an international creative award focused exclusively on honoring outstanding creative work from the best small firms worldwide. The 2009 Davey Awards received over 4,000 entries from ad agencies, interactive agencies, production firms, in-house creative professionals, graphic designers, design firms and public relations firms. The Davey Awards honors the achievement of the “Creative David’s” where strength comes from ideas, intelligence and out-of-the-box thinking.

Coyne Public Relations’ Web Site in National Spotlight

Parsippany, N.J. , November 2, 2009—Tom Coyne, CEO of Coyne Public Relations, one of the fastest-growing PR agencies in the United States, announced today that the Coyne Digital Studio received a Silver W3 Award in the category of corporate Web sites for the re-design of coynepr.com. Receiving nearly 3,000 entries, the W3 Awards honor outstanding Web sites, Web marketing, and Web video created by some of the best interactive agencies, designers, and creators worldwide.

“The Coyne Public Relations Web site is a perfect venue for us to showcase the agency’s award-winning work of which I am extremely proud. On the Web site, you can read about our corporate culture, view our agency capabilities, take an in-depth look at our leadership team and much more,” Tom Coyne, CEO of Coyne Public Relations, said. “I believe that we have, bar none, the most talented digital studio in the nation.”

The textured, visual Web site, coynepr.com, features a transitional banner on the homepage, highlighting the agency’s latest award-winning work and campaigns, micro-sites of each industry including Food and Beverage, Sports, Travel, Fashion, Beauty, Automotive, Technology, Pet, Retail, Healthcare and more. The site also includes outlets to Coyne’s social media practices including the agency’s YouTube, Twitter, Flickr and Facebook Web sites which are embedded throughout the site.

The W3 Awards honors creative excellence on the Web, and recognizes the creative and marketing professionals behind award-winning sites, marketing programs, and video work created for the Web. In honoring outstanding Web sites, Web advertising, and Web video, The W3 Awards is the first major Web competition to be accessible to the biggest agencies, the smallest firms, and everyone in between. Small firms are as likely to win as Fortune 500 companies and international agencies. In its fourth year, the W3 Awards received nearly 3,000 entries from ad agencies, public relations firms, interactive agencies, in-house creative professionals, Web designers, graphic designers and Web enthusiasts.

Agency Wins Pro Bono Campaign of the Year on Behalf of The Community FoodBank of New Jersey

Parsippany, N.J., October 22, 2009 – Coyne Public Relations was named 2009 Midsize Agency of the Year yesterday at the PR News Platinum PR Awards, which were held at the Grand Hyatt in New York City. This win marks the second time this year that Coyne Public Relations was named Midsize Agency of the Year. Earlier this year, the firm won in this category at the PRWeek Awards. The top 25-ranked agency also won in the Pro Bono category for the campaign “We Can’t Let This Bank Fail” on behalf of the Community FoodBank of New Jersey (CFBNJ) at the 2009 PR News Platinum PR Awards.

“This year has been amazing for the firm as we have garnered more than 50 honors and received Agency of the Year recognition from every PR outlet in the U.S.,” said Tom Coyne, CEO of Coyne Public Relations. “I am especially honored to be recognized by PR News, the standard bearer of information in the industry.”

Coyne Public Relations also took home honorable mention honors at the PR News Platinum Awards for the following campaigns: Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company for the “Goodyear ‘Get There’ Awards,” Humana for the “Freewheelin” bike-sharing program, Pennzoil’s “Platinum Poker Challenge,” Hard Rock International’s “Imagine There’s No Hunger,” Del Monte Food Corporation with its “Milk-Bone Celebrates 700 Dog Years.”

Coyne Public Relations President Rich Lukis named to PRWeek's Top "40 Under 40" list of exceptional executives

Parsippany, N.J., August 6, 2009 – Tom Coyne, CEO of Coyne Public Relations, is pleased to announce that the agency President Rich Lukis, 39, has been named to PRWeek’s “Top 40 under 40” list of exceptional executives. Each year, the publication honors executives who have exceeded expectations in their corporate positions before turning 40 years old.

“Rich is extremely deserving of this honor and I congratulate him on making PRWeek’s prestigious list,” said Tom Coyne, CEO, Coyne Public Relations. “Rich is an integral part of the agency, providing leadership to the finance, operations and human resource departments. He also leads the agency’s client management and new business endeavors. He is a major reason why we are a top-25 independent PR firm that was recently named PRWeek’s 2009 Midsize Agency of the Year.” A consumer PR specialist with 20 years of experience, Lukis has worked with many of the world’s most respected companies, including General Mills, Kraft Foods, Church & Dwight, Campbell Soup Company and Shell Oil. He has developed successful campaigns for some of the country’s most recognized brands, including Oreo, Life Savers, Arm & Hammer, Chunky, V8, Pillsbury, Quaker State and Pennzoil. Lukis was Coyne Public Relations’ second employee and has been with the company for more than 10 years.

Prior to joining Coyne Public Relations, Lukis was a consumer public relations specialist at New York’s Marina Maher Communications and Custom Event Marketing, a division of BSB Advertising. He developed effective marketing, promotions and high-profile events for clients such as AT&T, Philips Consumer Electronics, MasterCard, Schering-Plough and JanSport Corporation. Lukis also managed programs for Miller Brewing, FedEx, Avon and Spalding Sports Worldwide.

Lukis also serves as Vice President of the New Jersey Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America and is a member of the Council of PR Firms and the Councelors Academy. He is a frequent guest lecturer at New York University and is regularly quoted in national business and industry publications.

Industry Veteran Meghan Flynn Joins Coyne Public Relations from Stew Leonard’s, Kellogg Company and Tropicana

Parsippany, N.J. - July 27, 2009 - Coyne Public Relations, PRWeek’s 2009 Midsize Agency of the Year, today announced that it has appointed marketing communications veteran Meghan Flynn as Vice President, Director of Food and Nutrition Marketing Communications. Coyne Public Relations is a top 20 food and beverage agency and has extensive experience representing a variety of food and beverage companies, supermarket retailers and nationwide restaurant chains. Flynn will bring her expertise to the agency’s industry-leading clients including General Mills, Kraft Foods, the Campbell Soup Company, Del Monte and PepsiCo.

“Meghan brings 20 years of food and nutrition experience to our firm and I am very excited to work with her as I have admired her work from afar for quite some time,” said Rich Lukis, President of Coyne Public Relations. “Meghan has already been integral in some of our planning efforts so I know how smart and strategic she is…and I know that our clients will benefit greatly from her expertise and experience. She will work on all of our food and nutrition accounts and consult with our healthcare clients.”

Flynn joins Coyne Public Relations from Stew Leonard’s where she held the post of Vice President of Public Relations. At Stew Leonard’s, Meghan was charged with all external media outreach, executive interviews and special events where she managed new store openings. Prior to Stew Leonard’s, Meghan held marketing communications positions at Kellogg Company in Battle Creek, Mich. and Tropicana. She cut her teeth at the public relations agency Burson-Marsteller in New York where Meghan was the first registered dietitian hired at that agency. At Burson-Marsteller, Meghan was at the helm of several high profile accounts such as Dannon Yogurt, USA Rice Council and Planters LifeSavers. She has worked with numerous celebrities in her career including Bobby Flay, Mario Batali, Martha Stewart, Lorraine Bracco, Cindy Crawford, and numerous Olympic athletes.

Meghan is a registered dietitian and holds a Master of Science degree in food and nutrition communications from Boston University and a BS from Virginia Tech. In 2005, Meghan was named as one of Fairfield County’s “40 Under 40,” recognizing outstanding business professionals under the age of 40. She is married and lives in Stamford, Conn. with her husband and daughter. An epicure, Meghan enjoys fine wine and one-of-a-kind restaurants; she is also an avid tennis fan.

Recent College Graduates Join Food and Pet Products Division at Coyne Public Relations

Parsippany, N.J. – July 23, 2009 – Coyne Public Relations, PRWeek’s 2009 Midsize Agency of the Year, is staying true to its mission statement by continuing to hire top-notch talent. And most recently the agency tapped four Account Coordinators, Christine Denham, Keryn Howarth, Danielle Paleafico and Jenna Marucci. Coyne Public Relations is a top 20 food and beverage agency and has extensive experience representing a variety of food and beverage companies, supermarket retailers and nationwide restaurant chains. The new hires will work with Coyne’s industry-leading clients including General Mills and Del Monte.

“Despite the economy, Coyne continues to look brightly into the future of the agency and continues its growth,” said Rich Lukis, President of Coyne Public Relations. “We are delighted to hire four recent college graduates who have extensive internship experience and are sure to become great assets to the company.”

Jenna Marucci previously held an internship position with MS&L Worldwide where she helped developed a PR campaign for Match.com. She graduated Cum Laude from Hofstra University. While at Hofstra, Marucci was an active member of the Delta Phi Epsilon sorority and The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA).

Prior to joining Coyne Public Relations, Keryn Howarth had several internships in the PR industry helping support accounts at Creative Media Marketing, as well as THINK PR in NYC where she got the chance to assist her team at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. She also interned with OUR Center in Longmont, Col. and Doctors of the World in New York City. Howarth is a graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder School where she earned BA in Journalism & Mass Communication.

Christine Denham previously held internships with Weber Shandwick and Edelman prior to joining Coyne Public Relations. During her time there, she assisted on campaigns for Campbells, Shell, Energizer and Burger King. Denham graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with the highest honors. She was also an active member in the Delta Delta Delta sorority and served as President of The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA).

Danielle Paleafico graduated Cum Laude from Seton Hall University. She served as Vice President of The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) and participated in the Bateman Case Study Competition, where she composed a comprehensive public relations campaign. She previously interned at Simon & Schuster in New York City.