PR News Honors Michael W. Kempner With Lifetime Achievement Award and Alissa Blate as Brand Marketer of the Year

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., Oct. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- MWW Group (http://www.mww.com/), one of the nation's top ten public relations firms, announced today that PR News recognized MWW President and CEO Michael W. Kempner with a Lifetime Achievement Award and Executive Vice President Alissa Blate as the Brand Marketer of the Year at the annual Platinum PR Awards and PR People Awards. Additionally, Senior Account Supervisor Joseph Cohen received an honorable mention in the Media Relations Professional of the Year category. The awards ceremony took place at the Grand Hyatt in Manhattan on October 17.

"The winners of the PR News awards lend even more credence to PR's role in moving markets, changing perceptions and building bridges among various and diverse constituencies," said Diane Schwartz, vice president and publisher of PR News.

"For more than six decades, PR News has been one of the industry's leading publications and these awards are a tremendous honor for Alissa, myself and our firm," said Kempner. "I am incredibly proud of Alissa and am truly impressed and inspired by the leadership, creativity, passion, intelligence and dedication that she has brought to work every single day for the past eight years."

PR News recognized Kempner for a lifetime of PR achievements, including founding and growing MWW from a one-person shop to a top ten public relations firm with eight offices nationwide and a staff of nearly 200 employees. Today, MWW is a leader throughout the PR industry and is known for its results-driven approach and work on behalf of such major brands as Sun Microsystems, McDonald's, Nikon, Bally Total Fitness, Sara Lee, CIT Group, Roche and Oxford Health Plans, among many others.

Blate was honored for her ground-breaking work on behalf of MWW's consumer lifestyle clients. To counter the negative publicity that long-term client McDonald's was incurring because of the obesity epidemic, Blate and her team created "McDonald's Real Life Choices" to showcase the fast food chain's menu and educate consumers on how to enjoy the food they love without compromising their diets. Following MWW's campaign for McDonald's Tri State Co-Op, the campaign was adopted as a national initiative for the company. On behalf of Nikon, Blate and her staff positioned its new digital camera, the Nikon 270, as a "must have" compared with competitors.

As a finalist for the media relations category, Cohen was praised for his "don't take 'no' for an answer" approach and for working the celebrity circuit to benefit Bally Total Fitness, The Palm Restaurant chain and other clients.

About PR News

Now in its 61st year, PR News is the most trusted, executive level, reader-supported publication that helps enhance the business impact of PR. Each week, PR News provides action-oriented feature stories, behind-the-scenes case studies and unparalleled access to communications-related market research, metrics and data. The PR News family of products includes the weekly newsletter, awards programs, webinars, guidebooks and a web site, http://www.prnewsonline.com/.

About MWW Group

This is the third consecutive year that MWW Group has been honored with the #1 ranking in the 2005 Holmes Report/Kelly & Lugbauer agency client satisfaction survey. MWW achieved top rankings in the categories of account leadership, strength of account team, creativity, strategy and planning, and program execution.

MWW is one of the nation's top ten public relations agencies and is known for its results-driven approach to public relations. The agency is nationally recognized for its work in consumer marketing, corporate communications, investor relations, public affairs and government relations, and healthcare. Headquartered in East Rutherford, N.J., MWW has eight full-service offices representing national and multinational companies, including Sun Microsystems; McDonald's; Nikon; Bally Total Fitness; FreshDirect; New Jersey Lottery; Dassault Falcon; Trans World Entertainment; Scottish Enterprise; Verizon; CIT Group, Inc.; Oxford Health Plans; Roche; The Mills Corporation; The Palm Restaurants and many Fortune 1000 clients in the consumer, professional services and industrial sectors. MWW is part of the Interpublic Group of Companies . For more information on MWW Group, visit http://www.mww.com/.