This year saw a record 86 entries received for the PRISM Awards. The judges awarded 14 gold awards, 15 silver awards and nine bronze awards in 27 categories, assessing entries assessed according to five key criteria: statement of the problem or opportunity, research, planning, execution and evaluation.
Atmosphere Communications' campaign will be submitted to the international IPRA (International Public Relations Association) Golden Awards. The project also received the Jenna Clifford Trophy.
| Category | Campaign | PR Company | Client | Award | | NGO campaign | Action For A Safe South Africa | InZalo Communications | Action for a safe South Africa | Gold |
| NGO campaign | National drug Awareness Week for Sanca Horizon | InZalo Communications | Sanca Horizon | Gold |
| Corporate social responsibility | KFC Hunger To Hope | Magna Carta | KFC South Africa | Gold |
| Corporate social responsibility | Game Amalunchbox | Felicity Howden PR | Game Stores | Silver |
| Crisis management | Morningside Medi-Clinic - confronting the unknown | Baird's Rennaissance | Medi-Clinic Southern Africa | Gold |
| Media relations (Sponsored by Dawn Wing) | Repositioning SIM as a third party Asset Manager | Atmosphere Communications | Sanlam Investment Management | Gold & overall PRISM Gold Award winner |
| Media relations | Positioning Union-Swiss to attract employees | Atmosphere Communications | Union- Swiss | Silver |
| Media relations | Appointment of Simba CEO | Magna Carta | Simba | Silver |
| Media relations | Manpower SA | Chatroom Media and Design | Manpower South Africa | Bronze |
| Corporate communication | Launch of New Corporate Identity for Kulula | Atmosphere Communications | Kulula.com | Silver |
| Launch of a new product | Launch of Silverstar Casino | Atmosphere Communications | SilverStar Casino | Silver |
| Consumer PR for an existing product | Meribrands | Livewired Communications | MeriBrands Pty Ltd | Gold |
| Consumer PR for an existing product | The Amarula Best Retreats in Africa Awards 2008 | Total Media | Amarula | Silver |
| Consumer PR for an existing product | Johnnie Walker Search for the Striding Man | Lange Strategic Communications | Johnnie Walker | Silver |
| Consumer PR for an existing product | Total | Marcus Brewster Publicity | Total SA (Pty) Ltd | Silver |
| Consumer PR for an existing product |
| | Baileys Trunk Show | Atmosphere Communications | Bailey's Irish Cream | Bronze |
| e-PR/Social media (Sponsored by Mercury) | GHD Style Lounge Events | Atmosphere Communications | GHD South Africa | Bronze |
| e-PR/Social media (Sponsored by Mercury) | In-Cha Social Networking/Facebook | Marcus Brewster Publicity | NB Music Records | Bronze |
| PR on a shoestring | Create Consumer awareness on the Fitflop brand | Atmosphere Communications | Reviva Technology - Flip Flop Shoes | Bronze |
| Internal communication | Wake up with a new heart with Dr David Molapo | Mhlatuze Water | | Gold |
| Internal communication | Celebrating a proud history towards sharing a common vision | Magna Carta | Medi - Clinic Southern Africa | Silver |
| Public affairs (sponsored by Mercury) | The Hugh Glenister Urgent Interdict to prevent the disestablishment of the Scorpions | FD Beachhead | Hugh Glinister | Gold |
| Public affairs |
| (Sponsored by Mercury) | A voice in the debate - a case for engagement | Baird's Rennaissance | Medi - Clinic Southern Africa | Gold |
| Financial services & investor relations |
| (Sponsored by CIMA) | The SIM Investor Confidence Index | Atmosphere Communications | Sanlam Investment Management | Gold |
| Financial services & investor relations (Sponsored by CIMA) | 2008 SEB Symposium | Atmosphere Communications | Sanlam Employee Benefits | Silver |
| Healthcare | World Hypertension Day Campaign 2008 | InZalo Communications | Novartis | Gold |
| Healthcare | Healing Little Hearts | Tribeca PR | Walter Sisulu Paediatric Centre of Africa | Gold |
| Healthcare | Healthcare Campaign | Magna Carta PR cape Town | Boehringer Ingelheim | Silver |
| Healthcare | Boehringer On-Target Campaign | Redline | Boehringer Ingelheim | Bronze |
| Event management (Sponsored by Services Seta) | HUGO Menswear Launch | Greater Than | HUGO Boss/Myatt International | Silver |
| Event management (Sponsored by Services Seta) | Vodacom Challenge 2008 | Forever Marketing | Navitude (SAIL) | Bronze |
| Sponsorship | Visa Olympics of the Imagination | RedCube Agency | Visa | Gold |
| Sponsorship | RE/Max World Long Drive Celebrity Challenge |
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| | Marcus Brewster Publicity | RE/Max of South Africa | Silver |
| Sponsorship | Does my bum wobble? | Livewired Communications | MeriBrands (Pty) Ltd | Bronze |
| Publications | Mango Juice | Marcus Brewster Publicity | Mango/New Media | Silver |
| Business-to-business | RE/Max OPEN/TIME | Marcus Brewster Publicity | RE/Max of South Africa | Gold |
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| INDIVIDUAL CATEGORIES |
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| Best Small PR Consultancy | Greater Than | 403 The Regent | | Bronze |
| Best PR in Media Liaison | JP Roodt | Marcus Brewster Publicity | | Silver |
Atmosphere Communications had to reposition SIM, South Africa's second largest insurance brand, and ensure that it remains relevant to the ever-changing financial services industry. It overcame the challenge by positioning Sanlam as a full service financial company and SIM as an individual brand.
The highly focused strategic media relations campaign aligned communications to business objectives and increased market share, successfully repositioning SIM as a leading player in the investment industry and enabling a new corporate reputation to be built within Sanlam and with retail clients.
Atmosphere Communications decided to focus the campaign on four distinctive elements: bread-and-butter public relations (which looked at media training, media collateral, pen portraits and media offices with ongoing media releases, interviews, features and surveys); thought leadership (opinion pieces and proactive issues commentary); spokesperson profiling (in which media meetings, a media contact book and story placements were the main focus); and high visibility platforms (focused on thought leadership events and indexes).
This approach was very successful with media results totalling 350 pieces of on-message media coverage totalling R 5 609 741.
