TPRA Recognizes Austin-based Digital PR Agency for work with Sheshunoff

AUSTIN, Texas –  March 5, 2009 – Diverge Communications,  a digital public relations firm, was awarded a 2009 Best of Texas Bronze in News Writing from the Texas Public Relations Association (TPRA,) for work with Sheshunoff and Co. Investment Banking.

TPRA, recognized Diverge at an awards banquet February 28 in Dallas for its entry titled “Texas Banks Outperform Nation.” The release was written, distributed and pitched for the PR firm’s client, Sheshunoff and Co. Investment Banking, a leader in community bank merger and acquisition transactions and valuation services.

The news writing award, marking outstanding achievement using individual communications tools to support a specific public relations objective, was the second received by the Austin-based firm. Diverge also received a Silver Spur, which focuses on programs and large projects, for its digital corporate identity campaign for Boundless Network. Boundless is an Austin-based technology-enabled promotional marketing distributor.

“We are thrilled to received the award for news writing,” said Diverge principal Thomas Terry. “Sheshunoff has a successful track record and long history of providing first-rate services for bankers across the nation. This release demonstrated their deep knowledge of the banking industry at a time when Texans – and Americans – were getting nervous about the state of our banks.”

Sheshunoff & Co. Investment Banking released the Texas Asset Quality Review for the second quarter of 2008 in early October when many Americans were beginning to recognize the severity of the country’s impending financial crisis. The Sheshunoff report showed that Texas banks were performing better than the rest of the nation. Diverge determined that a news release could position Sheshunoff as an industry thought leader, generate press attention to raise Sheshunoff’s profile with the media and the public, and create local awareness and positive association the firm.

The press release performed as intended, receiving attention from large daily newspapers in Texas, all the state business journals, and national publications. Additionally, the Sheshunoff and Co. Investment Banking web pages realized a 1083 percent increase in page views.

About Diverge
Diverge Communications is transforming the way businesses communicate with their customers by implementing PR strategies that incorporate digital media capabilities to complement their clients’ communication plans. Unlike other PR firms, Diverge aims to transfer their knowledge to the client, helping them to create digital competencies within their companies. Diverge keeps clients abreast of the latest advances in digital PR and offers high level consulting for new projects. The result is a more efficient and cost-effective PR strategy that diverges from the norm. To learn more about Diverge, visit http://www.divergedigital.com.

About Texas Public Relations Association
TPRA hosts Texas’ only public relations award ceremony. Silver Spur awards recognize outstanding PR programs, while Best of Texas awards recognize the best of specific public relations activities. TPRA also recognizes individuals whom have made special contributions to the organization and the profession throughout the year. TPRA is one of the only entities of its kind, giving Texas public relations practitioners a place to connect with one another and recognize one another’s accomplishments. For more information about TPRA, visit http://www.tpra.org/.