Feintuch Communications and NCSolutions Win Four PRSA-NY Awards for Campaign Detailing the Country’s Growing “Sober Curious” Movement

Winning Program Drove Significant Business Results and Highlighted NCS’ Expertise in Consumer-Packaged Goods and Beverage Markets

The Public Relations Society of America’s New York Chapter (PRSA-NY) has honored NCSolutions and tech PR firm Feintuch Communications for a multi-year, cross-platform campaign highlighting the nation’s growing “Sober Curious” movement.

In total, the organizations won four honors, presented at PRSA-NY’s annual Big Apple awards gala, for their campaign – “From Cocktails to Mocktails: How NCS Drove the Sober Curious Conversation.”

Big Apple for Integrated Communications (B2B)
Big Apple for Marketing Business-to-Business (campaign budgets <$200k)
Honorable Mention for Media Relations (cross-platform)
Honorable Mention for Reputation/Brand Management & Engagement

The Sober Curious campaign is a testament to how the NCS in-house team operates — grounded in insights, elevated by creativity and always tied to results,” said Deirdre McFarland, chief marketing and communications officer at NCSolutions. “In partnership with our agency collaborators, we spotlighted a cultural shift in consumer behavior and translated it into insights that helped CPG brands connect more meaningfully with their audiences. These PRSA Big Apple Awards recognize not just the work, but a philosophy of marketing that resonates well beyond this campaign.”

The campaign, which started in early 2023 and ran through 2025, delivered strong results across many channels. During the award entry period (Jan. 2024 – February 2025), the team achieved numerous wins. Below are a few of the highlights:

Media: Captured 500 articles, including features in top outlets like USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Convenience Store News, The New York Times, CNN, Beverage Industry, Craft Brewing Business, Tasting Table, Forbes, Fox Business, and Convenience Store News and more. Total press impressions exceeded 6.3 billion, with overall impressions growing 1,426%.
Search & Digital Growth: The campaign boosted website domain authority by 14%, driven by 356 high-quality backlinks, drove 17,000+ organic visitors, and generated over 20,000 website sessions.
Client & Business Impact: CPG companies integrated NCS beverage insights about sober curious into their marketing strategies, reinforcing NCS’ industry influence.

Proud award winners (l. to r.) Tony Cheevers, customer success officer, Researchscape; Deirdre McFarland, chief marketing and communications officer, NCSolutions; Henry Feintuch, president and Doug Wright, vice president, Feintuch Communications.

“Our six-year partnership with NCSolutions has resulted in several high-profile and award-winning campaigns,” said Henry Feintuch, president, Feintuch Communications. “This year alone, the Sober Curious campaign received recognition from PRSA National in the form of a Bronze Anvil as well as honors at the Shorty Awards.”

Close collaboration with NCS’ agency partners made the Sober Curious campaign possible. Digital Third Coast provided an SEO strategy that amplified discoverability, while Version A delivered compelling writing and content services to bring the narrative to life. Researchscape supported the initiative with custom survey research that grounded the campaign in fresh consumer insights. Bob Buchanan Design added creative design that visually elevated the story across channels. The Feintuch Communications team was led by Henry Feintuch and Doug Wright, vice president. Together, these contributions helped ensure the program resonated with the program’s audiences.