DEY. Wins Stevie Gold Award for Extreme Heat Campaign

DEY. Ideas + Influence earned a Gold Stevie® Award for its communications campaign addressing the growing global threat of extreme heat. Recognized in the Communications or PR Campaign of the Year – Media Relations category, the campaign demonstrated how strategic storytelling can elevate an underreported climate risk into a central public and policy issue.

The campaign, known as “Tackling the Threat of Extreme Heat,” was developed in partnership with the Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center, a leader in climate adaptation and resilience. While climate change is often discussed in terms of storms and rising seas, extreme heat remains one of its deadliest yet least understood consequences. DEY.’s work aimed to reframe heat as an urgent, human-centered crisis requiring immediate and long-term solutions.

The primary goal was to elevate extreme heat from a seasonal weather concern to a recognized global risk with serious social, economic, and health implications. DEY. focused on influencing policymakers, journalists, and the public by highlighting how extreme heat disproportionately affects vulnerable populations, including outdoor workers, older adults, and low-income communities, especially in urban areas.

To achieve this, DEY. executed a strategy  targeting media relations and thought leadership strategy. This included research-driven narrative development and high-profile placements such as an op-ed in Foreign Affairs, which helped position extreme heat as a geopolitical and economic issue. The campaign also generated sustained coverage in major outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and TIME.

DEY. further advanced the conversation by promoting innovative policy solutions. The campaign highlighted the role of Chief Heat Officers and supported the launch of the Extreme Heat Resilience Alliance, a global coalition focused on addressing urban heat challenges.

The campaign’s impact extended beyond media coverage. It helped shift public and policy conversations, encouraging governments and cities to treat extreme heat as a critical infrastructure and public health issue. The Gold Stevie® Award recognized the campaign’s strategic clarity, narrative strength, and measurable influence in advancing global awareness of one of climate change’s most pressing challenges.