Breaking Through the Noise: Meet the Winners of the 2024 Clear Communicator Awards
The Clear Communicator Awards, a new initiative recognizing excellence in HR Tech marketing, debuted this year with an incredible response from the industry. Marketers from across the HR Tech landscape brought their best ideas, boldest campaigns, and most innovative strategies to the table. The result? A showcase of extraordinary creativity and impact that set a new benchmark for what’s possible in this space.
These submissions were evaluated on message clarity, uniqueness of the offering, problems solved and measurable results. Category winners were then selected by top score, with the overall innovation winner chosen through a combination of scores and the judges’ feedback. After fierce competition and a wealth of impressive submissions, five standout teams were celebrated for their achievements in 2024.
Without further ado, here are this year's Clear Communicator Award Winners!
Braintrust (Overall Innovation): Braintrust’s viral video campaign proved that even with a limited budget, big impact is achievable. The campaign captured the attention of nearly 1 million viewers on YouTube, creating a buzz that extended to notable media coverage in outlets like Fortune. By integrating storytelling with a deep understanding of their audience, Braintrust not only enhanced brand visibility but also generated a robust sales pipeline, demonstrating the effectiveness of their strategy.
50skills (Brand – Small Company): With a focus on building connections and increasing community engagement, 50skills implemented a multi-channel marketing strategy that included digital advertising, content creation, and strategic partnerships. These efforts led to impressive metrics, including a significant boost in online traffic and increased interaction across platforms, solidifying their brand presence in the HR Tech space.
Employ Inc. (Brand – Large Company): Employ Inc. refined its messaging to clearly differentiate its product offerings while addressing the specific needs of its diverse customer base. This approach resulted in widespread recognition, with substantial coverage from industry media and analysts. Their ability to cut through market noise and create clarity around their solutions made them a standout in this category.
HackerRank (Campaign): HackerRank took a deep dive into pressing industry topics with proprietary research on AI and developer skills. Their findings were shared through impactful reports and amplified with sold-out in-person events, offering valuable insights to their audience. This dual approach of research and real-world engagement established HackerRank as a trusted thought leader in the HR Tech sector.
CollabWORK (Event): In an industry often dominated by formal gatherings, CollabWORK’s casual networking meet-ups offered a refreshing change. By creating welcoming spaces during major conferences, they left a lasting impression on attendees, fostering meaningful conversations and establishing new customer relationships. Their innovative approach to events established their brand in the marketplace as a memorable and impactful presence.
We'd also like to take a moment to offer our sincerest thanks to our panel of judges for lending their time and industry expertise to our inaugural proceedings:
Alicia Knoop, Vice President, Speaker Bureau and Awards, The Devon Group
Sara Heald, DMCP, owner of the corporate event planning firm Sara in the City
Ryan Leary, Editor, Analyst, and Host at WRKdefined Podcast Network
George LaRocque, founder and Principal Analyst at WorkTech, the leading source of market intelligence and strategic advice for the work tech industry.
Award-winning alent acquisition expert, business leader and tech entrepreneur Jeanette Leeds served as an impartial alternate judge.
Relfecting on her experience as a judge, Alicia Knoop shared, “In its inaugural year, the Clear Communicator Awards attracted a slew of strong nominations, representing various aspects of talent acquisition and human resources technology. Ultimately, we looked for marketing teams able to cut through the noise and stand out as distinctly as possible. It isn’t about being splashy; it’s about being impactful with your buyer in mind. Kudos to all our winners, and congratulations to Braintrust for winning the top prize.” Wise words for teams hoping to submit in 2025!
The Clear Communicator Awards will be back next year, with submissions scheduled to open on or around October 1st, 2025. For more details, contact info@devonpr.com.
Thank you to everyone who submitted, every award came down to a difference of just a few points. We look forward to seeing continue to innovate next year, and hope you will share your successes with us.
Congratulations again to our 2024 winners for setting a new standard in HR Tech marketing!