Impact Communications, Inc. (Impact) (www.ImpactCommunications.org), a full-service marketing and PR firm that works exclusively with independent financial advisors and allied institutions such as custodians, independent broker/dealers, consulting companies and fintech firms, today announced that they have won a Grand Award in the APEX 2021 competition.
The judging committee gave the nod to the “Conversations That Matter” project, which was produced in partnership with the Advisory Solutions arm of Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America (Allianz Life) (www.allianzlife.com/for-financial-professionals/). The Grand Award for this work falls under the APEX category Campaigns, Programs and Plans.
Marie Swift, president and CEO of Impact Communications, served as key orchestrator and mastermind behind the winning entry. The 2020 “Conversations That Matter” project, produced collaboratively with the Advisory Solutions team at Allianz Life, focused on how financial advisors rapidly adjusted to the challenges presented in 2020. After hearing from hundreds of advisors, a special report was created that captures how the pandemic affected the conversations advisors had with their clients.
A series of webinars and videos with industry insightfuls added extra value. Participating thought leaders included Bob Veres, Joel Bruckenstein, Carl Richards, Carolyn McClanahan, Meir Statman, Sonya Lutter, Melanie Housden, John Enright, Bonnie Sewell and Shannon Stone. Heather Kelly, Senior Vice President of Advisory and Strategic Accounts for Allianz Life, provided thought leadership and guidance as the project began to unfold in 2020.
Key participants also included Anne Laffin, Corrine Smith, Leslie Swid, Jonny Swift, and Quinn Law at Impact Communications, and Charles Boline, Sarah Marnach and Matt Ohme at Allianz.
The project, which entailed original research, content creation, and promotional efforts, won a “Wealthies” Award from WealthManagement.com in September 2021. Additional awards for the Conversations That Matter project were conferred in 2021 by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts (AIVA) (Award of Distinction – Integrated Campaign / Business-to-Business).
“We received our first APEX Award in 2003 and thought it was a pretty big deal,” said Swift. “Being acknowledged by a panel of communications and publishing professionals really validates the quality of the work we’re doing for clients.”
“I just walked over to the cabinet where we house all our physical trophies and framed awards and count a total of six APEX ‘Award of Excellence’ certificates – but this is the first year that we have received a ‘Grand Award’ for our work in any category. I’m very proud of the Impact team and want to give a big shout out to all who contributed to the success of The Conversations That Matter project.”
A follow-on project with a working title of “Mastering the Conversation” is in various stages of completion and will be released in February 2022.
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