As we look ahead to 2021, we’re taking one look back at the unprecedented year that was 2020 and sharing some of our top media hits and favorite campaigns.

In The News: Best of 2020

• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts chief marketing and consumer experience officer Kathy Klingler connected with Forbes CMO Network contributor Blake Morgan to discuss how the largest health plan in the Commonwealth is bringing more clarity to the healthcare industry and how Klingler’s department has led the charge in reimagining the customer experience at Blue Cross. Read more

• Ahead of what would have been the 2020 Olympic Games, Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, two USA Basketball Legends, joined TODAY to discuss the women’s game and the National Team’s quest for a 7^th straight gold medal. Watch the interview

• Boston Red Sox and Fenway Sports Management chief marketing officer Adam Grossman joined the Forbes CMO Summit to share how the team adapted to the “year of the bubble” and what’s to come for 2021. Watch the full episode

• On Giving Tuesday, co-founder and CEO of Givinga Joe Phoenix shared his perspective in the Boston Business Journal on how the business community can play a leading role in revolutionizing and modernizing how we give by mobilizing wider engagement of both employees and consumers, making Boston a national leader in philanthropic innovation. Read Joe’s full byline

• With restaurants transitioning in early summer to al fresco dining at the peak of the Coronavirus pandemic, RODE Architects principal Kevin Deabler spoke with WBZ Radio’s Jordan Rich on his Connoisseurs Corner podcast to discuss how the Boston-based architecture firm has helped local restaurants update designs to accommodate customers in the COVID-19 era. Listen to the full podcast episode

• New England Revolution forward Gustavo Bou is no stranger to the spotlight, scoring a team-high three goals in the 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs, becoming the second different Revolution player to record a postseason brace. Off the pitch, Bou is known as one of Boston Common’s Men of Style, and according to writer Abby Bielagus, “His style actually fully embodies his spirit—well-tailored essentials like a camel overcoat exist comfortably in his wardrobe next to a leather moto jacket with a bedazzled cammo skull on the back. He might be killing it on the field, but there’s a cuddly kitten inside that panther.” Read the full feature

• Ahead of the 2020 Presidential Election, Pine Street Inn executive director and president Lyndia Downie spoke with CBS News about how the largest homeless services provider in New England ensured homeless individuals had the access and resources to vote in this year’s Election, including holding voter registration drives at several of its shelters. Downie stressed the importance of homeless men and women having a voice in elections despite not having a permanent address. Watch the full interview

• Natalie Morales of NBC’s TODAY stopped by the ALS Therapy Development Institute to hear about its partnership with Google and how new technology is helping people with ALS record their voices through Project Euphonia. Watch the full feature

The Year of the Bubble

• As Major League Baseball postponed its season due to the pandemic and Fenway Park shuttered its doors, the Boston Red Sox stepped up to the plate to support its community in numerous ways. On National Nurses Day, the team’s grounds crew mowed a simple yet powerful thank you into the outfield of America’s Most Beloved Ballpark: We Love Nurses. The scene was shared across the globe thanks to timely image capture, generating more than 85 million earned media impressions and nearly 600 placements, including on ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, CBS Evening News and the Daily Mail.

• In early 2020, Elevate kicked off an engagement with USA Basketball and its Women’s National Team designed to generate a national discussion about the team and it’s athletes ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games. While the Olympics were ultimately postponed, Elevate executed an impactful integrated media relations program that brought USA athletes into the spotlight, generating over 160 million earned media impressions with more than 87 interviews booked across news, sports and lifestyle media outlets that propelled a dialogue, both on and off the court.

• With players back at home awaiting the restart of the season, the Boston Red Sox capitalized on the opportunity to leverage team-produced content to showcase player interests and personalities off the diamond and generate earned media coverage. Elevate secured features in top lifestyle media, including GQ, Men’s Health and House Beautiful, generating more than 46 million earned media impressions.

Leveraging Sponsorships to Support the Community

As the largest health plan in the Commonwealth, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts stepped up in a big way in 2020, continuously supporting its members and community through an unprecedented health crisis. Utilizing all of its assets, Blue Cross leveraged its title-sponsorship of Bluebikes, Boston’s public bikeshare system, to offer free rides during several key inflection points during the Fall to help remove barriers and support public health, including Election Day, World Mental Health Day, and National Influenza Vaccination Week. The three campaigns generated nearly 19 million impressions across 105 media placements and 94 influencer posts along with more than 15,500 social media engagements.

Topping Things Off in the Seaport

A year after breaking ground on its future home in Boston, MassMutual and The Fallon Company hosted a commemorative “topping off” ceremony alongside Mayor Marty Walsh at 10 Fan Pier Blvd, with the final beam being autographed before being raised. Despite the pandemic, MassMutual’s vision for its new home remains the same, according to CEO Roger Crandall: “employees will be able to work inside the new 17-story commercial tower in the Seaport District, spending their lunch breaks alongside joggers, tourists and other wanderers on the plaza that will face the Fan Pier Marina and Boston Harbor.”