For more than 40 years, the Association for Women in Communications’ Clarion Awards have recognized excellence in clear and concise communications. Stop & Shop, a neighborhood grocer based in Quincy, Massachusetts, has been honored with an AWC 2021 Clarion Award for its excellence in the field of communications.
Stop & Shop won the award for its efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. The award specifically honors the company’s crisis communications response with regard to safety, driving awareness for its designated shopping hours for those described by the CDC as most vulnerable to COVID-19 and a partnership with Uber to provide discounted rides to customers shopping during these dedicated hours.
The winning crisis response campaigns, led by Jennifer Brogan, Stop & Shop’s director of external communications and community relations, with the support of external communications managers Maria Fruci, Maura O’Brien and Stefanie Shuman, showcased the company’s role in the fight against COVID-19.
Stop & Shop became one of the first grocery chains in the nation to provide early shopping hours for those aged 60 and older and those considered immunocompromised, allowing them to shop ahead of regular store hours in a less crowded environment. The grocer furthered its commitment to support those at-risk by partnering with Uber Technologies Inc. to provide half-price rides to and from all stores for customers wishing to shop during the dedicated senior hours.
“As an all-female communications team, we are proud to be recognized by AWC for our PR campaign around Stop & Shop’s support for those most vulnerable in our communities,” Brogan said. “As our store teams were working tirelessly to support customers at the height of the pandemic, the goal of our communications team was to drive awareness around these initiatives to help provide resources and a lifeline to those in need of special assistance.”
Both of Stop & Shop’s crisis communications initiatives garnered significant national and local recognition. Stop & Shop’s public relations agencies, New York-based Rubenstein and an all-female team at Boston-based Kel & Partners, generated more than 500 media hits with a total of 350 million impressions via tailored media outreach.
For more information on Stop & Shop’s COVID-19 efforts, visit Stop & Shop’s COVID-19 website.
