Luquire Awarded PRSA Anvil Award for Inspiring Media Relations Campaign

Our “Good Morning America” segment for UNC Charlotte earned accolades at the PR industry’s most prestigious awards competition

Luquire earned top honors at the Public Relations Society of America’s (PRSA) Anvil Awards, the industry’s most distinguished benchmark of high performance in public relations. The agency took home a Bronze Anvil award for its media relations efforts on behalf of client UNC Charlotte. The Bronze Anvils recognize outstanding public relations tactics that contribute to the success of overall programs or campaigns. 

In the spring of 2021, the university – the second-largest in the state and home to more than 30,000 students – enlisted Luquire to help boost its prominence on a national level. With a school rebrand in the rearview and a new chancellor at the helm, Charlotte was ready to tell its story as the state’s urban research university that for 75 years has provided affordable, accessible higher education and served as a launchpad for economic opportunity. 

The story of student Michele Randolph perfectly mirrored the school’s opportunity ethos. Born legally deaf and losing all ability to hear by age 12, Michele jumped from hardship to hardship – including raising a daughter with severe disabilities of her own, and hospitalizing her mother for COVID and losing her husband to a heart attack within the same month of 2020. Despite it all, Michele was scheduled to graduate from Charlotte in May 2021 at age 50, fulfilling a nearly 30-year dream.  

Upon hearing this story, Luquire pitched the team at ABC News Live, the network’s 24-hour news streaming service, and their producers were immediately captivated by Randolph’s story. Over a period of less than two weeks, the Luquire team worked closely with producers to set up interviews and oversee capturing of B-roll footage of the sights and sounds of commencement. 

Randolph’s journey aired on ABC News Live May 24, 2021, and was also picked up by “Good Morning America” in addition to more than 30 ABC affiliates from Savannah to Seattle. In all, Michele’s story generated upwards of 10.3 million impressions via broadcast, online and social. 

And the university has continued to shepherd other students toward life-changing opportunities. Last fall, Charlotte ranked for the first time as one of U.S. News & World Report’s Top 50 “Top Performers in Social Mobility,” jumping 15 spots from its 2020 ranking. The school also set an all-time record by enrolling nearly 30,500 students, including 22% more out-of-state undergraduates than the year prior. Luquire helped shape the narrative, but Charlotte continues to shape what’s next. 

To watch Michele’s full story on “Good Morning America,” see below: