Mackenzie Fritz, left, influencer marketing manager at Rinck Advertising, accepts an award of excellence from Ann Andrews Morris, Public Relations Society of America 2024 Honors and Awards Committee chairwoman.

LEWISTON — Rinck Advertising has received an award of excellence from the Public Relations Society of America for its behavioral change work with the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention on its Sipping Point Campaign.

The society’s Anvil Awards are the public relations industry’s most prestigious honor, recognizing the highest level of achievement in public relations practices, according to a Rinck news release.

Behavioral change marketing involves strategically influencing individuals’ attitudes and behaviors to achieve positive outcomes.

Alcohol misuse is a longstanding public health concern, with Maine’s binge drinking rates among the highest in the nation. Rinck collaborated with the Maine CDC’s substance use prevention program to develop the Sipping Point campaign. The campaign educates Mainers about the negative impacts of alcohol misuse and connects individuals to resources to cut back or quit drinking.