Sonnhalter, a communications firm marketing to the professional tradesman in the construction, industrial and MRO markets, received a gold award in the "Brand and Reputation" category and bronze award in the "Media Relations: Trade" category at the 17th Annual Public Relations Society of America's (PRSA) Cleveland Rocks Awards competition.

 

Sonnhalter received the gold award in "Brand and Reputation Management" for the U.S. influencer program it launched for Kapro Tools, a manufacturer of spirit levels, laser levels, and layout tools, marking and measuring tools. Sonnhalter worked strategically in finding and pitching woodworking, DIY and contractor influencers in the United States and Canada who would be willing to use Kapro products on upcoming builds and give honest opinions on the product's features. Sonnhalter drafted personalized letters to accompany each package of Kapro product samples.

 

Within the first year of Sonnhalter fully implementing Kapro's influencer program, the number of Kapro's Instagram followers has more than tripled. Without ever paying more than the costs of shipping free products, Kapro has greatly increased its presence and credibility across many crucial online communities.

 

Sonnhalter received the bronze award in the "Media Relations: Trade" for its trade industry media presentation at FABTECH 2018 for Weldcote, a welding products manufacturer. Weldcote was exhibiting for the first time at FABTECH, a large, industry trade show, so Sonnhalter developed a plan four months before FABTECH 2018, identifying the tactics, messaging and budget and presented it to Weldcote. Sonnhalter invited trade media attending the show that cover the welding/fabricating industry to a media event arranged at Weldcote's booth after show hours. Weldcote received immediate product coverage in industry trade publications that were showcasing highlights from FABTECH and the company became a source for several feature articles based on the connections made with media members at the show.

 

"We are honored to see the work we do get recognized by some of our city's best and brightest public relations professionals," said Matt Sonnhalter, vision architect at Sonnhalter. "Kapro Tools and Weldcote are two companies whose reputations in the U.S. continue to grow thanks to their innovative product lines, and it was an exciting opportunity for Sonnhalter to find different tactics to further help these brands establish themselves in the market."

 

Annually, the PRSA-Cleveland Rocks Awards acknowledge Northeast Ohio's outstanding PR programs, which incorporate research, planning, execution and evaluation. PRSA Cleveland Rocks Award winners demonstrate leadership in public relations and contribute to advancing the profession locally.