Cowan & Company Named Small PR Agency of the Year by IABC/Toronto for second year in a row!

TORONTO – May 30, 2008 Cowan & Company Communications Inc., a Toronto-based boutique PR firm for first-class brands, was honoured last night by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC/Toronto) as the "Small PR Agency of the Year" for the second consecutive year.

"We were very honoured to receive the Small PR Agency of the Year award in 2007 - and are doubly thrilled to have our achievements recognized again this year," said Cathy Cowan, President of Cowan & Company. "This award recognizes the ingenuity and dedication of the C&C team, the collaborative partnerships we have developed with our clients, and the exceptional results we consistently deliver."

The award recognized Cowan & Company for its client satisfaction and results, and overall business management innovation and growth in 2007. The Small PR Agency of the Year category is for agencies with less than 10 employees, or less than $2 million in gross revenue.

At last night's award ceremony, Cowan & Company also received an IABC/Toronto Ovation Award of Excellence for Media Relations up to $50K for its work on the L'Oréal Paris Beautifies L'Oréal Fashion Week campaign where the challenge was to generate breakthrough media coverage for L'Oréal Paris' March 2007 sponsorship of L'Oréal Fashion Week after eight successful seasons. Cowan & Company worked with L'Oréal Paris to keep it fresh through an elite media luncheon unveiling the next season's top beauty trends and products, high-impact media kit, innovative exclusive media pitches, and securing more than 35 backstage one-on-one media interviews. In the end, this campaign resulted in 17+ million impressions for L'Oréal Paris beauty experts' quotes - in addition to generating more than 33 million impressions for L'Oréal through the overall event coverage.

Additionally, Cowan & Company's work on a media relations campaign to promote the resurgence in popularity of the Pokémon brand in Fall 2007 was recognized with an IABC/Toronto Ovation Award of Merit for Media Relations under $50K as well as a CPRS Bronze ACE Award awarded in a gala ceremony last month. The Pokémon Peaks Again campaign employed a targeted media relations strategy to make Pokémon one of the hot toys of Holiday 2007 resulting in exceptional Holiday Gift Guide coverage, more than 10 million on-message impressions and a threefold increase in sales for Pokémon general merchandise during the time Pokémon was featured in gift guides compared to the year before.

About Cowan & Company
Based in Toronto, Cowan & Company Communications Inc. is a boutique communications firm for first-class brands. Established in 2002, the firm offers a full array of PR services specializing in media relations, collateral development, event management and promotions. Cowan & Company clients include L'Oréal Paris, Kraft Canada, Casey's Grill . Bar, Fionn MacCool's/Prime Pubs, East Side Mario's, The Bier Markt, Lancôme, Costco, Canoe.ca, Change and the Pedorthic Association of Canada. For more information visit www.cowanandcompany.net.

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Media Contact:
Cathy Cowan, Cowan & Company
416-462-8773 ext. 11 or
cathy@cowanandcompany.net