Fresh from a week at Cannes Lions, the transformative and refreshing partnerships on display are still sinking in. The 65th Festival of Creativity, while showcasing the more obvious public relations and advertising campaigns, also heralded the beginning of a new era in brand, charity and corporate partnerships - the very type celebrated in tonight’s Corporate Engagement Awards.

Now in its eighth year, the annual Corporate Engagement Awards programme celebrates organisations that commit to fostering social relationships, tirelessly pursue environmental awareness, or give a voice to those without. Hosted by writer, broadcaster and previous Blue Peter presenter Konnie Huq and held at central London’s majestic Grand Connaught Rooms, the night was dedicated to celebrating the best of corporate partnerships and sponsorships. The programme is also unique in focusing on the communication strategies around those collaborations.

Eminent winners on the night included healthcare solutions provider Simplyhealth, which came away, the proud owner of three bronze, one silver and two gold award for its drive to improve the health of children’s teeth. Working with Teeth Team, Simplyhealth focused on raising awareness of the inequalities in tooth health that exist across the UK - aiming to save teeth, as well as government money.

“A perfect entry for this category,” said the judges. “Great to see an initiative established from insight and an opportunity. This truly is CSR.”

Similarly, strategic video agency Big Button’s partnership with crisis helpline Samaritans garnered attention from judges for its effective communication strategy, both internal and external. Winning a silver and two bronzes, the partnership clearly made an impact across several key categories through its use of film to inform prison staff about prisoners at high risk of harm.

Winner of the coveted Grand Prix, the final category announced on the night, was revealed as global business advisory firm FTI Consulting for its work with Place2Be. A children’s mental health charity that works to provide in-school safe spaces for vulnerable pupils, Place2Be acts as guidance, a support network and sometimes counselling service for children who feel they might benefit from extra support. The charity also provides guidance and information for parents and teachers, collating data to develop its strategic plan going forward.

The partnership between FTI Consulting and Place2Be saw the development of a machine learning model which allowed the charity to measure its data analysis and develop a long-term strategy tailored towards its continued growth. Such was the success of the initiative that Place2Be was able to begin preparing for future expansion and secure funding - while FTI Consulting could consolidate its own long-term strategy.

“Every year that I am privileged to write about, read about and take part in the Corporate Engagement Awards has been memorable,” says Brittany Golob, editor of Communicate magazine.

“Each year, we are able to recognise those companies that are doing good within their communities, through partnerships, sponsorships and CSR. The stories that come from the awards are inspiring, exciting and truly collaborative.  I congratulate all of this year's Corporate Engagement Awards winners, who are truly setting the standard for inspirational and creative collaborations designed, ultimately, for good.”

With brand purpose more engrained within corporate strategy than ever, there has never been a better time to develop a high-quality CSR programme. But, going beyond this, the Corporate Engagement Awards display how effective partnerships can simultaneously do good in communities while building business reputation. See our full list of winners below.

Communicate magazine’s Corporate Content Awards are now open for entries. Find out more information on the Corporate Content Awards website or email ash.sandys@communicatemagazine.co.uk

For more from Communicate magazine, follow us on Twitter @Communicatemag

See the full list of Corporate Engagement Awards winners below: 

PARTNERSHIPS

Best arts and culture programme

Gold - Roundhouse and Universal Music UK

Silver - MullenLowe Group and Central Saint Martins

Bronze - Lansons and HighTide

 

Best charity, NGO or NFP programme

Gold - Inmarsat and Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF)

Gold - O2 and NSPCC

Silver - Samaritans and Big Button

Bronze - Astellas Pharma Europe Limited and Fistula Foundation

Bronze - Simplyhealth

Highly commended - CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations) and Formative Content

 

Best educational programme

Gold - NatWest MoneySense

Silver - Dove and EdComs Ltd

Bronze - Urban Land Institute and EdComs Ltd

 

Best environmental or sustainable programme

Gold - Barclays and Unreasonable Group

Gold - Severn Trent

Silver - WWF and Thai Union Europe

Bronze - Belazu Ingredient Company and Veris Strategies

Highly commended - Coca-Cola European Partners and Plastipak

Highly commended - Westfield Europe Ltd and Veris Strategies

 

Best pro-bono work for a charitable, social or ethical cause

Gold - FTI Consulting and Place2Be

Gold - Together for Short Lives and Clyde & Co

Silver - Dulux and The Outward Bound Trust

 

Best sports and leisure programme

Gold - Heineken, UEFA Champions League, Bleacher Report and Edelman

 

SPONSORSHIP

Best sponsorship activity to support or develop a corporate reputation

Gold - Tata Consultancy Services

Bronze - Urban Land Institute and EdComs Ltd

 

Best alignment of brand values through a sponsorship activity

Gold - Macmillan Cancer Support and Marks & Spencer

Silver - Simplyhealth

Bronze - Severn Trent and WaterAid

 

Best engagement of an internal audience in a sponsorship programme

Gold - Simplyhealth

Silver - KPMG and EdComs Ltd

 

Most effective sponsorship of a single event

Gold - Dulux and The Outward Bound Trust

Gold - Macmillan Cancer Support and Marks & Spencer

Silver - Heineken, Formula 1, ANIA Foundation and Edelman

 

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Best CSR activity/programme to support or develop a corporate reputation

Gold - Simplyhealth

Silver - Shell International Ltd and Hopscotch Consulting

Bronze - Legal & General and EdComs Ltd

Bronze - Medidata and Cures Within Reach

 

Best alignment of brand values during a CSR programme

Gold - Vision Express and the International Glaucoma Association (IGA)

Silver - Dove and EdComs Ltd

Bronze - Simplyhealth

Bronze - WWF and Sodexo UK and Ireland

 

Best community involvement during a CSR programme

Gold - Severn Trent Community Champions

Silver - ITV’s partnerships with The Diana Award, Smuggle, Action for Children, Age UK, Carers UK, Contact the Elderly, Independent Age, the Royal Voluntary Service, Campaign to End Loneliness, The Silver Line and the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness.

Bronze - Simplyhealth

Bronze - StreetSmart and Deutsche Bank

 

Best engagement of an internal audience in a CSR programme

Gold - British Red Cross and Marsh & McLennan Companies

Gold - Severn Trent Community Champions

Silver - Hill+Knowlton Strategies and Do Nation

Bronze - Plan International and Study Group

Highly commended - Threshold Sports and Dixons Carphone

 

Best collaboration for a single event

Gold - London City Airport and East London Business Alliance

Silver - O2 (Go Think Big) and Boiler Room

 

Most innovative collaboration

Gold - Medair UK and Qlik

Silver - Barclays and Unreasonable Group

Bronze - O2 and NSPCC

Bronze - wagamama and Mind

Highly commended - Cancer Research UK and CASCAID Initiative

 

Best foundation

Gold - Costa Coffee

 

TIME

Most effective one-off campaign

Gold - Internet Matters supported by BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Virgin Media, BBC, Google, Goldbug, Table19, Mediacom and Anti-Bullying Alliance

 

Most effective long-term commitment

Gold - O2 and Go Think Big

Silver - Together for Short Lives and Hobbycraft

Bronze - British Red Cross and Marsh & McLennan Companies

Bronze - Internet Matters supported by BT, Sky, Virgin Media, TalkTalk, BBC, Google

Highly commended - Royal Mail

 

COMMUNICATION

Best stakeholder communications

Gold - Tata Consultancy Services

Silver - Cisco Systems

Bronze - RSSB and Big Button

 

Best internal communications

Gold - Good Relations and Nationwide Building Society

Silver - Belazu Ingredient Company and Veris Strategies

Bronze - Cisco Systems

Bronze – Dr. Martens and Music Agency

Highly commended - Samaritans and Big Button

 

Best PR and external communications

Gold - Macmillan Cancer Support and Lloyds Banking Group

Silver - Tata Consultancy Services

Bronze - Internet Matters and Goldbug

 

PROCESS

Best collaborative approach

Gold - Macmillan Cancer Support and Lloyds Banking Group

Silver - Lansons and HighTide

Bronze - Together for Short Lives and Disney UK, eBay, De La Rue, GREAT Britain Campaign

Highly commended - Sky Ocean Rescue

 

Best management of a programme

Silver - Samaritans and Big Button

 

Grand prix

Winner - FTI Consulting and Place2Be