The Woodlands Township Communications wins 3CMA Savvy Award

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- The Woodlands Township Communications Department won a Savvy Award for its weekly Talk of The Township E-newsletter at the City-County Communications & Marketing Association’s (3CMA) 2024 annual conference. The international first-place award was presented on Thursday, September 5, 2024, in Arlington, Texas, and recognizes outstanding achievement in marketing and communications within local governments across the United States and Canada.

The Savvy Awards recognize outstanding local government achievements in communications, public-sector marketing and resident-government relationships. The Savvies salute skilled and effective city, county, agency or district professionals who have creatively planned and carried out successful innovations in communications and marketing. Over 1,100 entries in 38 categories were received. 3CMA utilized professional communicators from across the United States as judges who review every entry and provide constructive comments on the winning entries.

The Woodlands Township won the Savvy in the E-Newsletter category for populations over 75,000. Competing against numerous high-quality entries, the Township was recognized for its relaunch of Talk of The Township, which debuted its new design in January 2024.

Judges’ comments included, “Really nicely done! The newsletter branding is strong, visually pleasing and consistent. The use of GIFs is great...and nicely help support the message intended. Absolutely LOVE the accompanying Excelling at Email Guide - awesome!”

Since its relaunch, the newsletter has achieved a 25% increase in engagement and grown its subscriber base by nearly 3,000 readers. Talk of The Township is distributed every Friday and provides residents with updates on the Board of Directors, Township programs and activities, upcoming community events, and more. The award-winning relaunch highlights the Township’s dedication to improving communication with its residents through innovative and effective digital solutions. It has an outstanding engagement rate of 80.6 percent.

“We are honored to receive the prestigious Savvy Award for Talk of The Township at this year’s 3CMA conference,” said LeaAnn Petersen, Director of Communications. “As one of the highest awards government communicators can receive in the nation, this recognition highlights the dedication and hard work of our team. A special acknowledgment goes to Kacie Gurney, our Communications Project Manager, whose vision and management of the E-newsletter’s relaunch have been pivotal. Her creativity and commitment to producing engaging content have significantly elevated our communications efforts.”

In addition to the redesign of Talk of the Township, the Communications team has redesigned several departmental newsletters in 2024 and supported the relaunch of those newsletters alongside Township staff. The designs are complementary and intended to be readily identifiable as Township communications for subscribers.

Enhancing resident communication is a strategic priority for the Township Board of Directors. Effective communication is critical for fostering community engagement, transparency and trust. The implementation of the new email delivery system and the relaunch of Talk of the Township are significant steps toward achieving these goals. This communication project is part of a broader effort by the Communications Department to align with the Board’s vision.

3CMA is the leading national network for local government communicators. Established in 1988, the organization is built on the belief that communication and marketing play a critical role in helping governments connect with and strengthen relationships with their communities. Skilled public communicators are essential to the success of local governments, serving as the bridge that provides residents with the key information they need to access services and participate in the democratic process.

To subscribe to the award-winning Talk of the Township newsletter and other department newsletters such as Neighborly News, The Poolside Pulse and The Earthwise Explorer, please visit www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/subscribe.