Stop and smell the roses.

• Position: Public Relations - Brief Article

Institution: Camden National Bank, Camden, Maine

Assets: $800 million; 12 locations

This heartfelt public relations program was developed by the bank itself, without an agency, to commemorate the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 tragedy. "We wanted to give each person a means to demonstrate appreciation for what is truly important in life: valued relationships with family, friends and neighbors," says Carol Achterhof, the bank's vice president of marketing.

The commemoration worked like this: Each bank employee presented each person encountered that day (whether in the bank, with friends or family, or out on the street) with two white roses and a note that read: "Let's take the time to stop and smell the roses. We encourage you to offer the second...