Geelong communications company wins national award

McCo Group was given the Advocacy and Public Affairs award for their campaign that drove $80 million in state and federal government funding commitments for infrastructure works for the Princes Highway in western Victoria.

McCo Group managing director Leigh McClusky said the campaign had focused on uniting councils to respond to the issue.

“Creating the Princes Highway West Action Alliance (PHWAA) brought the councils together under a single banner and we created a campaign that relied heavily on video and digital content to highlight the impacts of the poor condition of the highway on local communities and families, and key regional industries like the dairy industry.”

PHWAA spokesman Scott Cavanagh praised MoCo Group for how swiftly they acted.

“It (the campaign) engaged with our community and the broader South West Victoria region and in very short time developed a massive ground swell of support,” he said.

They specifically targeted the federal and state governments in the lead up to their elections.

The PHWAA’s campaigning saw the federal government dedicate $60 million to upgrades on the Princes Highway between Warrnambool and Port Fairy, and $20 million from the Traffic Accident Commission for upgrades between Warrnambool and Panmure.

Ms McClusky said she was delighted her team had received the recognition.

“It was a terrific win and a fitting accolade for my team that worked so hard on developing and implementing this campaign, which is still ongoing.”

As well as their Geelong office, McCo Group has offices in Melbourne and Adelaide.