Adams & Knight Wins PRWeek 2026 Best in Integration Award for “Pizza Capital of the U.S.” Campaign

Agency beats out finalists from Coca-Cola, Kraft Heinz, Hasbro, and Unilever!

Avon, Conn. (March 13, 2026) — Integrated marketing agency Adams & Knight, in partnership with its client, the Connecticut Office of Statewide Marketing & Tourism, has won PRWeek’s 2026 Best in Integration Award for the nationally recognized “Pizza Capital of the U.S.” campaign.

The PRWeek awards are widely regarded as one of the most prestigious honors in the PR and communications industry. Adams & Knight and Connecticut were recognized in one of the show’s most competitive categories — the Best in Integration — beating out other finalist campaigns from The Coca-Cola Company, Hasbro, Kraft Heinz, and Unilever.

During the awards ceremony at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City, PRWeek highlighted Adams & Knight’s “exceptional use of rage bait and the way the campaign tapped into the tribal emotional reality of pizza lovers.” The year-long campaign ultimately generated more than 4,000 media placements and over 19 billion earned media impressions nationwide.

“This campaign proved that great destination marketing is about storytelling that resonates,” added Anthony Anthony, former Chief Marketing Officer for the Connecticut Office of Statewide Marketing & Tourism. “It worked because it invited people into the debate, and when the public becomes part of the story, the impact multiplies.” 

Launched with a provocative “Welcome to Connecticut — Home of the Pizza Capital of the U.S.” highway sign installed at the New York border, the campaign ignited a spirited national rivalry over pizza supremacy and was strategically built into a year-long cultural moment spanning earned media, social conversation, branded content, experiential events, and tourism initiatives.

The campaign delivered extraordinary results, including:

• 19+ billion earned media impressions
• 4,000+ media placements
• A viral cultural moment on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
• A 68% increase in nationwide Google searches for “Connecticut pizza”
• A 37% increase in long-distance visitation (500–3,000 miles)
• The largest positive brand perception shift in Connecticut’s history

“The real power of public relations is that it can turn a single idea into a national conversation,” said Michelle Bonner, Vice President of Public Relations at Adams & Knight, who led the earned media strategy for the Pizza Capital of the U.S. campaign. “We built a year-long strategy around one unmistakable idea — and kept returning to it in new ways so that the story never lost momentum. Sustaining that kind of attention is what earned the scale of coverage the campaign achieved.”

The PRWeek recognition adds to a growing list of industry honors for Connecticut’s tourism marketing efforts. Last month, Adams & Knight and the Connecticut Office of Statewide Marketing and Tourism earned seven top HSMAI Adrian Awards in the world’s largest global travel marketing competition for three different campaigns — including Platinum, Gold, and Best of Category recognition. 

“All of this recognition reflects the power of the great partnership we have with our client — and the integrated strategies that fuel the work we do together,” said Adams & Knight CEO Jill Adams. “This kind of alignment between client and agency — and across every channel within the marketing ecosystem — is what really drives results.”

The PRWeek U.S. Awards recognize the most innovative communications campaigns and organizations across the industry, honoring excellence in public relations strategy, creativity, and measurable impact.