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Best in Class awards__2025

Best-in-Class communications

Axios HQ's awards celebrate organizations that break the mold with their communications. From exceptional staff updates to strong community engagers, the winners earn their readers' trust and engagement.

The world's top brands trust Axios HQ

 

๐Ÿ† See all of our 2025 award winners ๐Ÿ†

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Yahoo

When Yahoo spun out from Verizon in 2021, the tech veteran faced startup-like challenges: establishing a new identity, aligning a global workforce, and building internal communications from scratch. The company partnered with Axios HQ to launch strategic newsletters โ€” "The Weekly Download" for all employees and "Manager Memo" for people leaders โ€” delivering essential updates to build trust and alignment.

The results speak volumes: employee surveys show increased understanding of company direction and trust in leadership, while "The Weekly Download" maintains an impressive 72% open rate. 

Read their story
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CoolIT Systems

When CoolIT Systems' employee survey revealed a clear desire for more executive communication in early 2024, the 400-person liquid cooling technology company turned to Axios HQ to bridge the gap. They launched "The Weekly Pulse," a company-wide newsletter that quickly became the heartbeat of their internal communications, reaching employees across six countries with an impressive 88% open rate.

The success sparked a series of department-specific newsletters and influenced their broader communication strategy, from town halls to presentations. 

Read their story
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Association of Washington Business

As Washington stateโ€™s chamber of commerce and manufacturing association, AWB needed an efficient, engaging way to connect employers and manufacturers with critical policy updates and opportunities.

With Axios HQ, AWB transformed a grueling newsletter process into a streamlined, collaborative strategy powered by Smart Brevity. By simplifying production, enhancing collaboration, and improving engagement, AWB saw membership signups spike โ€” saving time, strengthening member relationships, and empowering businesses to stay informed and take action along the way.

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IES Abroad

Navigating a series of changes โ€” including a global pandemic and leadership transition โ€” IES Abroad revitalized its communication strategy with Axios HQ.

Through newsletters like "In the Loop" and "System Rebuild", they consolidated key updates, fostered transparency, and built morale across their international team of 500+ staff in 30+ locations. The result? Record-breaking enrollment, higher staff engagement, and a stronger sense of global community. 

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Johnson & Johnson

Amid a historic rebrand, Johnson & Johnson consolidated six legacy medtech businesses into a unified Johnson & Johnson MedTech identity.

Partnering with Axios HQ, they streamlined communications, modernized delivery, and simplified complex messaging for employees and stakeholders. Smart Brevity training empowered teams to curate updates effectively, while editorial guidance helped transform newsletters into a single source of truth. 

Read their story
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bp

In 2018, bp faced a critical communication challenge: with 87,000+ employees across 37 countries, information overload was hampering executive effectiveness and employee engagement.

They partnered with Axios HQ to revolutionize their approach, launching "In The Know," a daily newsletter that grew from 10 to 48,000 subscribers, and developing a unique "Smart Brevity Ninjas" training program that has equipped over 5,000 employees with strategic communication skills. 

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2025 Honorable Mentions

Team of the Year: Sallie Mae

Sallie Mae's employee comms team revolutionized their internal communication strategy with innovative strategies, concise and engaging content, and a data-driven approach that fostered continuous improvement โ€” seting a standard for excellence in employee communications.

All-Staff Communications: Rio Tinto

Rio Tinto embraced the Smart Brevity style to in their all-staff communications to enable their teams to authentically share stories and announcements โ€” boosting engagement rates and overall satisfaction with their campaigns.

Community Engagement: Investment Company Institute

ICI utilizes Axios HQ and Smart Brevity for "ICI Daily," a daily communication that goes out to their 25,000 members. Axios HQ transformed ICI's communications โ€” replacing context-free news clips with clear, concise updates that provide essential context and analysis for critical issues affecting the financial sector.

 

Culture Creator: Combe

When Combe implemented Axios HQ, the Smart Brevity approach transformed their communication from long, unread emails into concise, visually appealing, and interactive newsletters โ€” leveraging real-time analytics, segmented messaging, and employee feedback to create an engaging, data-informed dialogue.

Change Management: Calvin University

Calvin University utilized Axios HQ and Smart Brevity for transparent, efficient communication about their "Calvin.edu Reimagined" project โ€” helping to manage expectations, share updates, and encourage staff and faculty engagement for a successful outcome.

Smart Brevity Champion: Johnson & Johnson

J&J championed Smart Brevity to streamline communications, modernize their delivery, and simplify complex messaging. They used Axios HQ's Smart Brevity training and editorial guidance to empower their teams to create effective updates and transform the effectiveness of their newsletters.

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