What makes a great PR campaign? How do you create communications that truly connect with people? These awards help answer these questions. And in 2025, we had a front-row seat to the answers.
On October 6, 2025, the event brought together marketing leaders from around the world. These awards recognize excellence in strategic thinking. They celebrate campaigns that work.
This year was special for us. Sofia Stannard, CEO of YBM Agency, served on the Public Relations jury. She evaluated the year's best PR campaigns alongside industry leaders. This experience directly shapes how we work with clients.
The Jay Chiat Awards 2025 covered 12 categories. Each highlighted different aspects of marketing excellence. Among the winners was the "Special Delivery" campaign. It took top honors in Public Relations Strategy by celebrating new moms in a meaningful way.
In this article, we'll share what we learned and explain the key lessons that inform our work today.
These awards are different from other marketing awards. They focus on strategy as the core driver of success. Judges ask tough questions: Does this campaign solve a real business problem? Does it change how audiences think or behave? Does it create lasting brand value?
The awards started in 2012 to honor Jay Chiat, a legendary figure in advertising who believed in strategic thinking. This year, the competition featured 12 categories including Brand Strategy, Communications Strategy, and Public Relations Strategy.
Sofia Stannard joined the Public Relations jury this year. As our CEO, she brought years of experience creating successful campaigns. She evaluated entries alongside other experts, looking for campaigns that demonstrated true strategic thinking.
This experience matters for our clients. The lessons from this competition inform how we develop campaigns. We focus on what actually works, not what sounds impressive. This competition showed clear trends: strategy must be audience-focused, campaigns need cultural relevance, and results must be measurable.
Let's talk about the campaign that won Public Relations Strategy. The brand created something special with their "Special Delivery" campaign.
The concept was simple but powerful. New moms face a unique moment after giving birth. They're exhausted, overwhelmed, and often forgotten in the celebration of the new baby. The brand recognized this and created a campaign that celebrated these moms by sponsoring first meals for new mothers right after delivery.
Why did this campaign win? It demonstrated key principles of effective PR.
First, it had strong strategic foundation. The brand didn't just want publicity—they wanted deeper connections with their audience. They identified a meaningful moment and found a way to be present in it.
Second, the campaign showed cultural relevance. Grubhub Special Delivery connected to important conversations about motherhood and supporting new parents authentically.
Third, it built emotional connections. By supporting moms at a vulnerable moment, they created positive associations. The brand became part of a meaningful memory.
The execution was smart. They partnered with hospitals, identified new moms, and offered them a meal on the house. No strings attached. Just genuine support.
The campaign demonstrated understanding of Grubhub brand identity and marketing strategies. Food delivery is functional, but great brands make functional services feel personal. This campaign did exactly that.
The results were impressive. It generated media coverage, created positive social conversation, and drove business results by connecting Grubhub food delivery services to an emotional moment.
What made judges notice? It was the strategic thinking. They identified an underserved audience, found an authentic way to help, and created real value.
Reviewing campaigns like Grubhub Special Delivery provides important perspective. We see what resonates with judges and apply these lessons to our client campaigns.
Serving on the jury taught us important lessons that shape how we approach PR strategy today.
The awards made one thing clear: strategy comes first. Every winning campaign started with clear strategic thinking about audience needs and success metrics. We apply this daily - strategy drives our decisions, not the other way around.
Winning campaigns shared something important: they felt authentic. Modern audiences can spot fake concern. They respond to genuine efforts to help or connect. This reinforces our approach to finding authentic ways to engage audiences.
The best campaigns connect to larger cultural conversations. The winning campaign tapped into conversations about motherhood and support. Great brands know when and how to show up in meaningful cultural moments.
Judges wanted proof. Winning campaigns provided clear evidence of impact through business results or behavior change. This guides our planning: what metrics matter, how will we track them, how do we prove the campaign worked?
Modern campaigns work across multiple channels. The best ones create synergy between channels. We think about the full marketing ecosystem—how PR supports other efforts and how other channels amplify PR messages.
The awards celebrated creativity that served strategic purpose. Beautiful campaigns that don't work don't win awards. Smart campaigns that drive results do. We create work that stands out while serving clear business objectives.
These lessons aren't abstract theories. They're practical insights we use every day to create better campaigns and deliver better results for our clients.
For us, participating in this competition represents more than recognition. It's about continuous learning and staying connected to global best practices. We're committed to leading in strategic PR. The insights from this experience inform our strategies, raise our standards, and ensure we deliver work that drives real business success.
