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www.iabc.com/cw Communication World • July–August 2010 15

THE 2010

GOLD QUILL AWARDS

With their outstanding

entries, this year’s winners

join an exclusive club of

legendary communicators

16 Communication World • July–August 2010 www.iabc.com/cw

2010 gold quill awards

Category: Government Relationsaward level: Merit● Time to Hang Up

Geraldine Vance, APR, with Rob Hulyk, ABC, Vince Lee and Sharon Shore

BC Medical AssociationVancouver, British Columbia

Category: Community Relationsaward level: Merit● Let’s Talk Transport Planning

AECOM and SKM as JV Partnersin the ConnectWestConsortium supported by Phillips Group for theDepartment of Transport and Main Roads

Queensland Department ofTransport and Main Roads

Brisbane, Australia

Category: International Communicationaward level: Merit● Best Job in the World

Steve McRobertsTourism QueenslandBrisbane, Australia

Category:Media Relationsaward level: Excellence● Potatoes: A Nutritional

Gold MineAmanda C. WoodbridgeIdeas Shop and Potatoes

New ZealandWellington, New Zealand

award level: Merit● Johnson & Johnson’s

Poly to Go 2009 Public Relations CampaignEdelman CanadaToronto

about the awardsToday’s top communicators

are demonstrating their worththrough smart thinking, creativity

and innovation. The 2010 IABCGold Quill Awards showcase thebest examples in business com-

munication from around theworld and place the winners in an exclusive club of legendary

communicators.

Indeed, this annual internationalcompetition is the highest level

of professional acknowledgmentin business communication today.

For more than 35 years, the GoldQuill Awards program has testedthe work of professional commu-

nicators, from strategists to tacti-cians, and recognizes the best ofthe best. This year, IABC receivednearly 900 entries from 28 coun-tries. Winners went through two

rigorous rounds of judging byprofessional communicators, andin the end the international panel

of judges awarded 32 ExcellenceAwards, 71 Merit Awards and

three Student Awards.

We congratulate all the winners for their outstanding

achievements in the field of business communication.

For more information about the2010 Gold Quill Awards, visit

www.iabc.com/awards/gq/.

Division 1 ● Communication Management

● becoming a legend…Feel Good RippleEntrant’s name: Marlene McNaughtonCreative thinking about your business and your community canhappen in the same breath. This campaign not only helped a busi-ness grow its brand, but it developed action and teachings aroundhow each person can make an impactful, kind gesture to thosearound them. It is a program that gets everyone to make decisionswith their head and their heart, which aligns perfectly with thebrand values of Servus Credit Union.

This entry takes the insightful and creative approach thatexemplifies a Gold Quill Award winner.

Legendary because: You can build your business and be a goodcommunity partner at the same time.

—Jeffrey Ory, ABC, APR, and Michelle Gurney, ABC


● Orange Everyday Fee-Free BankingDavid Breen ING DIRECT AustraliaSydney

Category:Multi-audienceCommunicationaward level: Merit● Children’s Healthcare

of Atlanta Takes on the FluCommunications Team Children’s Healthcare of AtlantaAtlanta

Category:Marketing Communicationaward level: Excellence● Best Job in the World

Steve McRobertsTourism QueenslandBrisbane, Australia

● Feel Good RippleMarlene McNaughtonDDB Canada, Servus Credit UnionEdmonton, Alberta

● Get Smart TorontoToronto Hydro-Electric System

Ltd.Toronto

● Summer Session MarketingCampaign

Barby Grant, Debra Kovach,Stephanie Birdsall and MichaelDambrowski

Arizona State University Collegeof Liberal Arts & Sciences

Tempe, Arizonaaward level: Merit● Expanding the Soy “Health

Halo” to Health ProfessionalsS. Poole, L. Kelly, D. Steeble,

R. Zackery, S. Ries, K. Robinson,E. Daly, D. Milam, A. Assouad

Publicis Consultants | PR with SmithBucklin andCommuniqué Inc. for theUnited Soybean Board

Seattle

becoming a legend. . . Throughout this section you’llfind comments from our BlueRibbon Panel judges on whatmade some of this year’s awardwinners legendary. For a list ofthe judges, please see page 23.

● becoming a legend…Summer SessionMarketing CampaignEntrant’s name: Barby GrantSimple research was imple -mented to identify what theaudience wanted and needed.The research not only directedthe planning and implementa-tion, but also allowed for astrategic implementation thatsaved more than US$15,000.Two things this entry showsare that phenomenal results do not need to be expensive,and that primary research targeted to your discrete audience does not need to be expensive, yet can provideyou with a smart direction that will lead to success.

Listen to what the researchtells you, and you can create astrategic, smart and budget-conscious plan that will bringphenomenal results.

Legendary because: It is slap-in-the-face simple.

—Jeffrey Ory, ABC, APR, andMichelle Gurney, ABC



Category:Issues Management and Crisis Communicationaward level: Excellence● Peanuts in Crisis: An Industry

Responds to North America’sLargest Food RecallDaniel Tisch, Alison George, Janet

Grdovich, Robert Mathis andKatie Conover

Argyle Communications andOgilvy PR

Toronto and Washington, D.C.award level: Merit● Get Smart Toronto

Toronto Hydro-Electric System Ltd.Toronto

● Project Eclipse—HostileTakeover Defense

Meredith Moore and Lori Neuman

NRG Energy Inc.Princeton, New Jersey

● We Messed with Texas: IALDThwarts Ban on Lighting DesignJennifer JonesInternational Association

of Lighting DesignersChicago

Category:Employee/MemberCommunicationaward level: Excellence● Bayer B-Green Sustainability

ProgramRobbie Brown, Megan Caulfield,

Stephen Hale, Kirsten Impey,

Sabrina Herbrik and Pip KellyOgilvyEarth at Impact Employee

Communications (Ogilvy PRAustralia) and Bayer Australiaand New Zealand

Sydney ● Cisco Leadership Quarterly

MeetingMichele RagonCisco SystemsSan Jose, California

● Driving a Great Result for Ford AustraliaTamsyn SandemanImpact Employee

Communications, Ogilvy PR Australia

Sydney

● becoming a legend…Peanuts in Crisis: An Industry Responds to North America’s Largest Food RecallEntrant’s name: Daniel TischThe one thing that commu nicatorsshould look to in this entry thatshowcases the best of the best is the audience description. Telling us not only the audience characteris-tics but also their “state of mind” as it relates to your need or oppor -tunity is brilliant and insightful. Allcom municators/entrants should follow this model.

This was a pleasure to read andreview. Thank you for doing, andsharing, good work.

Legendary because: The strategywas built on everything it should be, including solid research, an out-standing audience description, busi-ness-focused goals and measurableobjectives. It had everything wewanted in an entry!

—Jennifer Wah, ABC, MC, and Shirley King, ABC


● Employee Communication for Australia Post’s Mail andNetworks Division Janice D. MasciniAustralia PostMelbourne, Australia

● “It’s All About Her…Who Is SHE?”Sujit M. Patil, Budaraju Sudhakar Tata Chemicals Ltd.Mumbai, India

● REI GPS Goes OnlineLorraine LarssonRecreational Equipment Inc. (REI)Kent, Washington

● United Way: Look What One Extra Quarter Can DoInternal CommunicationsWalt Disney World ResortLake Buena Vista, Florida

award level: Merit● Automatic E-mail Purge

ImplementationSusan L. Straub Alliance Data

Dallas, Texas● Cisco’s “We Are Cisco”

CommunityCisco’s Internal Communications

TeamCisco Systems Inc.San Jose, California

● IAMGOLD’s Ounce by OunceProgramKaren Jury, Tania Richard,

Jennifer Wright IAMGOLD Corp.Toronto

about the judgingEntries are composed of twoparts: the work plan and thework sample. They are judged ontechnical excellence, creativityand innovation, effectiveness inidentifying and responding to anorganization’s or community’sneeds, the delivery of measura-ble outcomes, and the overallsuccess of the project.

Judges score the above criteriaon a scale of 1 to 7, which givesa weighted calculation for thecriteria depending on the divi-sion. All entries scoring 5.25 andhigher in the first-tier judgingare advanced to second-tierjudging. At the second tier,entries are judged again, sepa-rately, by a different set ofjudges called the Blue RibbonPanel. The majority of BlueRibbon Panel judges have beenrecognized for excellence inbusiness communication; all ofthem meet as a group at IABCheadquarters in San Francisco toselect the winners. Any entryscoring between 5.25 and 5.74receives a Gold Quill Award ofMerit. Entries scor ing 5.75 andhigher receive a Gold Quill Awardof Excellence.

● becoming a legend…CityGT iPhone AppEntrant’s name: Paul TierneyWith really smart analysis of the situation and a cre-ative, engaging and well-executed campaign, thisentry showcases how to maximize the opportunitiespresented by technology to engage a target audience.

Legendary because: It uses technology to engage an audience andmanages to deliver a serious message in a fun and entertaining way.

—Melissa Dark and Kate Stebbings, ABC



● One Company, One Plan:DIRECTV 2010 Health andWellness Benefits OpenEnrollmentMichael Ambrozewicz DIRECTVEl Segundo, California

● Qualcomm Internet Services:Enabling Virtual and InstantCommunicationKate E. Hardman QualcommSan Diego, California

● Supporting BusinessTransformation at RentokilInitialMalcolm Padley, Rentokil Initial

Communications Team andHelen Coley-Smith

Rentokil Initial PLCGatwick, U.K.

● Transforming Town Halls toCreate a More Involved andProductive WorkforceGinger KuenzelThermo Fisher Scientific,

Dulye & Co.Waltham, Massachusetts

Category: Human Resources & BenefitsCommunicationaward level: Excellence● Inova Annual Enrollment

CampaignPartnerComm TeamPartnerComm Inc./Inova Health

SystemArlington, Texas

award level: Merit● Creating a Culture of Health

at HeinzJeff Miller, Michele Silverman and

Ben HelfrichTowers Watson, H. J. Heinz Co.Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

● Four Seasons HotelsRecruitment StrategyMark AttardLivewire CommunicationsToronto

Category: Strategic CommunicationProcessesaward level: Excellence● Communicating on the Euro

Gellis CommunicationsEuropean Commission, DG ECFINBrussels

award level: Merit● Raise Your VOICE: Using

Communications to DriveBusiness in NovozymesJeppe Glahn, Ann Catherine

Talbro, Marie-Louise KraghNovozymes A/SBagsværd, Denmark

● SAIC Channel Effectiveness Test CampaignAllison Glass VanguardWayne, Pennsylvania

Category:Brand Communicationaward level: Merit● A New Brand for a New Era

Susan NakhleOntario Shores Centre for

Mental Health SciencesWhitby, Ontario

Category:Special Events—Internal or Externalaward level: Excellence● Itak Dz̆afest

Ula SpindlerPRISTOP d.o.o., Mobitel d.d.Ljubljana, Slovenia

● Juniper’s Next Decade—Employee Launch Event andEngagement CampaignJ. Liu Brookshire, S. Clark Ohara,

C. Roberts, M. Spearman,

Blue Beyond ConsultingJuniper NetworksSunnyvale, California

● Minnesota’s GreatestGenerationSuzanne Fedoruk HerrickFedoruk & Associates Inc., The

Minnesota Historical SocietyMinneapolis, Minnesota

● New Delivery of the AGM—VirtuallyDyna VinkCanadian Research Knowledge

NetworkOttawa, Ontario

award level: Merit● Big Boston Warm-up

Michele Casper, Suzanne Fedoruk Herrick

Lands’ End Inc., Fedoruk &Associates Inc.

Dodgeville, Wisconsin● Canada Day at Canada Place:

Welcoming the World toCanada’s GamesCanada Place Corp.Vancouver, British Columbia

● Destination: HealthAmber K. Spencer Dixie Regional Medical CenterSt. George, Utah

● Marty Peters RetirementKim Hoch and Kathy HoganUPSAtlanta

● Panasonic: Sharing the PassionEventAmy Gillespie, Ryan Lockhart,

Liz CarsonEnvironics CommunicationsToronto

● Party with a CauseEva Aljanc̆ic̆Si.Mobil d.d.Ljubljana, Slovenia

award divisionsDivision 1: Communication

Management includes projects,programs and campaigns defined

by a communication strategy.Award winners have demonstrat-ed the full range of planning and

management skills—research,analysis, strategy, tactical imple-

mentation and evaluation.

Division 2: Communication Skills includes communication

elements (publications, advertis-ing, web sites, newsletters, etc.)

that showcase technical skillssuch as editing, writing anddesign. Award winners have

demonstrated strategic align-ment, the creative process and

measurable results.

Division 3: CommunicationCreative includes elements that

showcase creative talent anddesign through an essentially

communicative function. Awardwinners have demonstrated

innovation, creativity, strategicalignment and effective graphics

communication.


● becoming a legend…Driving a Great Result for Ford AustraliaEntrant’s name: Tamsyn SandemanThis entry showed that you shouldn’t be afraid to tackle problemshead-on with your strategy. Thoroughly research your businessneed, audience and objectives, and then you’ll make clear-headeddecisions on your strategy. A well-defined strategy features tacticsthat work for your audience and business objectives; be clear inwhat you decide to do, when and how. That’s it.

Legendary because: Given how the current economy has put the brakes on the auto sector, this program runs on all cylinders. A real business need was met. They knew their audience cold.Objectives were specific and measured. Budget, while not bargainbasement, was money well spent. Potential problems were welldefined and avoided.

—Connie Ernst, APR, and Annette Martell, ABC, MC

Category: Social Responsibilityaward level: Excellence● CityGT iPhone App

Paul TierneyVicRoadsKew, Australia

● WRC Challenges Men to Walk a Mile in Her ShoesJenn Duggan, Lorna Freeman,

Nick RodrigueEnvironics Communications Inc.,

The White Ribbon CampaignToronto

award level: Merit● Assess the Risk Injury

Prevention CampaignSara WilliscroftChangeMakers Marketing

Communications, WorkersCompensation Board ofManitoba

Winnipeg, Manitoba● byobags.com.au—South

Australia’s Plastic Bag BanMarcia HewittZero Waste SAAdelaide, Australia

● EkokvizVesna Škrbec, Saša Muzga,

Nelida Turk, Metka ZabretFutura PR d.o.o., Telekom

Slovenije, d.d.Ljubljana, Slovenia

● GREEN AT WORKHeath Applebaum The Cadillac Fairview

Corporation Ltd.Toronto

● Out of the Wrong Hands/Medication SafetyCommunity Relations,

Internal Communications and Public Relations Teams

Cardinal HealthDublin, Ohio

● Relief in SightCommunications TeamAusAIDCanberra, Australia

● Support4Sport AwarenessCampaignM. Allen, N. Angel, K. Bedford,

L. Blank, C. Everett, K. Grant, L. MacLachlan, R. McIsaac, M. Mullally, J. Simpson, D. Stortini

Revolve, Nova Scotia Gaming Corp.Bedford, Nova Scotia

Category:Electronic and DigitalCommunication—Managementaward level: Excellence● Creating One New Intranet

for BupaKelly Pryn and Natalie WheelerBupa AustraliaHawthorn, Australia

award level: Merit● Qualcomm Internet Services:

Enabling Virtual and InstantCommunicationKate E. Hardman

QualcommSan Diego, California

● The Way ForwardCindy Quinn J.P. Morgan Retirement Plan

ServicesEnglewood, Colorado

● Toronto Hydro Earth Hour 2009:How Low Can We Go T.O.?Toronto Hydro-Electric System Ltd.Toronto

Category:Social Mediaaward level: Excellence● Blog Facts and Data: Shifting

the Source-Press RelationshipParadigmGilberto Puig MaldonadoPetrobrasRio de Janeiro



sponsorshipIABC could not orchestrate

this world-class awards programwithout the generous support of

friends like our Platinum GoldQuill Awards sponsor, Towers

Watson. Thanks to TowersWatson for all they do for thisprogram, for IABC and for the

communication profession.

Towers Watson is a leadingglobal professional services com -

pany that helps organizationsimprove performance through

effective people, risk and financialmanagement. With 14,000 asso -

ciates around the world, theyoffer solutions in the areas of

employee benefits, talent man-agement, rewards, and risk and

capital management.

● becoming a legend…Itak Dz̆afest Entrant’s name: Ula SpindlerThis entry successfully engaged Millennials (Gen Y) andshowed how to build community in the 18–30 age group. It also demonstrated the use of social media to strategicallysupport this event.

Legendary because: This was a big idea, perfectly pitchedand executed for its Gen Y target audience. It strategically

used social mediato create agroundswell ofinterest andinvolvement in the event, and tocreate a loyal fanbase to benefit the company’sfuture marketingactivities after the event.

—Beth Ryan, ABC, and Lelde McCoy


● Engaging Flickr Photographersfor Web and Print PublicationsIsa M. Polt-JonesEast Bay Regional Park DistrictOakland, California

award level: Merit● 2009 Susan G. Komen Global

Race for the CureBrian C. PenrodSusan G. Komen for the CureDallas, Texas

● Army Strong StoriesWeber Shandwick and U.S. ArmyMinneapolis, Minnesota

● Best Job in the WorldSteve McRobertsTourism QueenslandBrisbane, Australia

● Building an Online Communityfor E-retailer mimovrste=) Using Social MediaMiha Rejc

mimovrste d.o.o. Jesenice, Slovenia

● Taste the Fire ChallengeEl Pollo Loco and The Rogers

GroupLos Angeles

● What Would You Do for a Klondike Bar Now?GolinHarris / Unilever KlondikeChicago / Englewood Cliffs, New

Jersey

2010 gold quill awardsblue ribbon panelSpecial thanks to Ezri Carlebach,2010 Gold Quill Awards chair,and our 2010 Blue Ribbon Panel,who conducted all final judging in San Francisco.

Tim Buckley Melissa Dark (2010 Gold Quill

Awards vice chair) Nick Durutta, ABC Connie Ernst, APR Mark Estes, ABC John Finney Joel Fisher John Fleming, ABC Michelle Gurney, ABC Amanda Hamilton-Attwell, ABC Todd Hattori, ABC Shel Holtz, ABC Allan Jenkins Michelle Keller Shirley King, ABC James Lynch, ABCAnnette Martell, ABC, MCPaul Matalucci, ABC Wilma Mathews, ABC Robin McCasland Lelde McCoy Dave Meyer Igor Mintusov Margaret O’Hanlon Jeffrey Ory, ABC, APR Sujit Patil John Robertson Beth Ryan, ABC Paul Sanchez, ABC, APR Mark Schumann, ABC Kate Stebbings, ABC Sergey Trofimenko Jennifer Wah, ABC, MC Brad Whitworth, ABC Ryan Williams Carlos Wirth, ABC

Category: Electronic and DigitalCommunication—Skillsaward level: Merit● A New Era of Medicine: 2008

Scripps Health Annual ReportMike Godfrey, Christina BarrilaScripps HealthSan Diego, California

● FedEx Manage Your Money E-SeriesKeena King and Katie McGladeFedEx and VanguardMemphis, Tennessee, and Valley

Forge, Pennsylvania

Category: Audiovisualaward level: Excellence● BARA Videos

for Parkland PursuitDianne B. CliftonBalfour Beatty ConstructionDallas, Texas

Division 2 ● Communication Skills



● Dreams of Youth in NeedDiane Asyre, Asyre

Communications LLCYouth in NeedSt. Louis, Missouri

● Green Steve Video SeriesMichele RagonCisco SystemsSan Jose, California

● NETcast: A Quarterly RaytheonVideo WebcastNCS CommunicationsRaytheon Network Centric

Systems

McKinney, Texasaward level: Merit● Thermador Real Food Vignette

SeriesMartine Levy, Sarah Waldock,

Emily WardDDB Public Relations, BSH Home

Appliances Ltd.Toronto

● Vh2am—The Voice of NRMAInternal Communications TeamNRMA Motoring & ServicesNorth Strathfield, Australia

Category: Publicationsaward level: Excellence● Kickstart Your Health: 2010

Salaried Open EnrollmentJill Havely, Vanessa Pineda and

Keri Delaloye (Towers Watson);Jill O’Leske (Impact Design); Erin Weber-Holloway (Harley-Davidson)

Harley-Davidson Motor Co. and Towers Watson Inc.

Chicago

● becoming a legend…Blog Facts and Data: Shifting the Source-Press Relationship Paradigm Entrant’s name: Gilberto Puig MaldonadoAfter the Brazilian Senate challenged Petrobras with aParliamentary Inquiry Commission, the company created aninternal “Facts and Data” blog to keep employees informed.Within days, Petrobras CEO José Sérgio Gabrielli authorizedthe blog to be made public, where it became the center of all communications related to the inquiry.

We deeply admired the audacity of Petrobras. They quickly trusted the value and benefit of full transparency.During the six months of the inquiry, Petrobras used theblog to broadcast the inquest live and to post all inquestdocuments and minutes. Petrobras also hired a tweeter to attend all commission sessions and to post informationdirectly from the government chambers.

They also published reporters’ interview questions as well as Petrobras’ responses. In some cases, the juxtaposition revealed where the story had been distorted and/or partially reported. The technique generated some guff from reporters who were used to controlling the dialogue, but eventually the choiceearned Petrobras the respect of both journalists and the public.

Legendary because: Faced with a reputation crisis,Petrobras turned adversity to their advantage anddemonstrated through both action and words thattransparency pays. Petrobras prevailed.

—Paul Matalucci, ABC, and Wilma Mathews, ABC


award level: Merit● Barrick News

Janet Wile, ABCBarrick Gold Corp.Toronto

● Comunicas?Jenny Hoefliger Grupo BPMOBarcelona, Spain

● Intersections NewsletterNancy Painter, ABC, and Eduarda

Hodgins, ABC, InsuranceCorporation of British Columbia

Jennifer Wah, ABC, MC, ForwordsCommunication Inc.

North Vancouver, British Columbia● Swinburne Magazine

Dorothy Albrecht and JulianneCamerotto, SwinburneUniversity of Technology

Coretext Pty Ltd.Melbourne, Australia

● Techlife MagazineS. Krastel, K. Vernon, D. Lue,

D. Begin, A. Yury, D. BachmanSmith, T. Koscielnuk, S. Riener

NAITEdmonton, Alberta

● TELUS 2008 Annual ReportMiriam Trottier and

Dianne Trach, ABCTELUS Corp. and Geneva

Ventures Inc.Edmonton, Alberta

Category: Writingaward level: Merit● Network Pioneers Intranet Story

SeriesJ. Liu Brookshire, S. Clark Ohara,

C. Roberts, M. Spearman, Blue Beyond Consulting

Juniper Networks

Sunnyvale, California● Pirating Publicity Through

a High-Visibility AwardMaria DiecidueInitiate, an IBM Company, with

Tech ImageChicago

● The Hartford Drivability Survey News ReleaseMM2 Public Relations with

The HartfordDallas, Texas

● Values SeriesNancy Painter, ABCInsurance Corporation of

British ColumbiaNorth Vancouver, British

Columbia

2010 gold quill awardscoordinatorsSpecial thanks to our category,regional and language coordina-tors, who organized the first-tierjudging of the Gold Quill Awardsentries and managed more than350 judges around the globe.The awards program would notbe possible without their leader-ship and dedication.

Linda Andross, ABC Rob Brittain, ABC Keith Brooks, ABC Pamela Bulman Shawna Cass, ABCPat Chamberlain Melissa Dark Mark Estes, ABCDerrick Fennell Julie Piper Finley, ABCOlivia Gadd LaKisha Geans Katherine George, ABCJuan-Andres Rincon Gonzalez Todd Hattori, ABC Jennifer Herber Shel Holtz, ABC Sue Johnston, ABCShirley King, ABC Don Klausmeyer, ABC Linda Lee, ABC, MCMari LeeLynne Lightsey Paul Matalucci, ABC Wilma Mathews, ABC Tanja McMorris, ABCPaul Omodt, ABC Jeffrey Ory, ABC, APR Yvonne Callaway Smith Bill Spaniel, ABC Sergey Trofimenko Claire Watson, ABC, APR Rob Way, ABC Cathleen Wolf, ABC

Category: Publication Designaward level: Excellence● cinch

Elizabeth M. WilliamsBuck Consultants, Tween BrandsLos Angeles

● NSLC Annual Report 2008/2009:The Faces of the Nova ScotiaLiquor CorporationRick D. PerkinsNova Scotia Liquor Corp.Halifax, Nova Scotia

award level: Merit● 2008 Annual Report

T-Jay Upper The Corporation of the

City of BramptonBrampton, Ontario

● AisleONE…The Benefits Portal—2009 DesignTracy Lindwedel Buck Consultants/Safeway Inc.St. Louis, Missouri, and

San Francisco● Intersections Newsletter

Brandon Brind, Jennifer Wah,ABC, MC, Nancy Painter, ABC,Eduarda Hodgins, ABC

ImageStudio CreativeCommunications Inc., withForwords Communication Inc.,for the Insurance Corporationof British Columbia

Vancouver, British Columbia● Small Capital Omnibus

Sophia Dower Words'worthJohannesburg

Category: Other Graphic Designaward level: Excellence● Communication Is the New

Community for AmericanExpress Human ResourcesJames D. Lynch, ABCAmerican Express

New York Cityaward level: Merit● Let’s Grow

d’na (dakis & associates)xpedxToronto

● Weiss Memorial Hospital Nurse Recruitment Direct MailWords&Pictures Inc.Chicago

Category: Interactive Media Designaward level: Merit● Mission Tuition

Stacey Oxner, Fiona Gibb, Chrissy Matheson, HeatherHindle, Kim Buckle, JeffOvermars, Rick Alexander,Susan Shephard

Communications Nova Scotia—Nova Scotia Come to Life

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Division 3 ● Communication Creative



special awards

All Gold Quill Award winners are consideredfor the IABC Research Foundation’s JakeWittmer Research Award and for the BusinessIssue Award.

The Jake Wittmer Research Award recognizesoutstanding research commissioned or devel-oped by an organizational communicator toeffectively develop a successful communica-tion program or project. This year’s JakeWittmer Research Award went to:

● Summer Session Marketing CampaignBarby GrantArizona State University College of Liberal

Arts & SciencesTempe, Arizona

Doing your homework is a normal part of com-pleting any college course. This year’s WittmerAward honoree, Barby Grant, and her team

did theirhomework in advance ofa marketingproject forArizonaStateUniversity.The simple,targeted

research translated to great results for theschool and students in ASU’s College of LiberalArts & Sciences.

Due to state budget cuts and other eco-nomic issues, the college was challenged tofind new ways to increase student enrollmentand boost revenue streams. Grant learned thatrevenue from the winter and summer sessionsgoes directly to the academic colleges, basedon enrollment, and that increasing studentenrollment during the summer months mightbe the revenue solution the college needed.She began her project with a survey of the col-lege’s 1,922 winter session students to learn

how they like to receive information, and to

determine the key factors behind their desireto take courses during the condensed summeror winter sessions. The response rate was nearly 30 percent, and among the results weretwo key points: Students paid the most atten-tion to e-mails versus other communicationformats, and many took condensed-sessioncourses to complete basic requirements in a shorter time period.

Grant and her team had been givenUS$20,000 to conduct the marketing cam-paign, but armed with their research, theyknew that they didn’t need to spend the bud -get on advertisements or other common mar-keting methods. They created a series of e-mailmessages targeted to current undergraduates,incoming freshmen, community college stu-dents and alumni. They used a cost-effectivesystem to send and track the targeted e-mails.The team spent about US$4,000—a fraction of the original budget—to complete the cam-paign, and results exceeded the goals. One goal was to enroll at least 14,554 students inthe college’s summer classes; in fact, 15,242enrolled. The college captured a 47 percentshare of ASU’s total summer enrollment, whichexceeded the team’s goal by 3 percent.

The Business Issue Award recognizes an entrythat exemplifies the most outstanding workand strategic involvement on a critical, currentbusiness issue that poses a significant threatto the economic well-being and/or continuedviability of the entrant’s organization. Theentry must present a clear, effective and inno-vative resolution with measurable results, andserve as a model for other communicationprojects focusing on this specific businessissue. The 2010 Business Issue Award went to:

● Driving a Great Result for Ford AustraliaTamsyn SandemanImpact Employee Communications,

Ogilvy PR AustraliaSydney

It’s no secret that the past couple of years havebeen challenging for the auto industry. From

the economic meltdown to changes in con-sumer tastes to environmental considerations,car makers have had some tight turns to navi-gate and major issues to confront. So whenFord announced in 2009 that due to these con-ditions, it was reversing a decision to manufac-ture its new family car, the Focus, in Australia,the on-site communicators were faced withsignificant challenges: how to clearly explainthe business rationale and impact without rais-ing unnecessary fears among employees,unions and the buying public. As often happensin our profession, these communicators had towalk a perception tightrope: how to tell thecomplete story in a clear and compelling waythat would yield understanding and avoid skep-ticism or harsh judgment.

To make certain the message was pitch perfect, the communicators invested signifi-cant time in securing current insight into theaudience—including leading a comprehensiveworkshop with leadership at the outset toidentify potential issues, sensitivities and aspi-rations. This insight—so critical to effectivecommunication—provided a foundation ofknowledge for the organization to personalizethe message without frightening the audi-ence. Such a balancing act enabled Ford tocarefully “thread the needle” as they describedthe situation with authenticity and, moreimportant, respect for the range of internalaudiences. They made a business issue humanby focusing on how people would react. And,no surprise, their careful approach yielded asuccessful result. Follow ing the announce-ment, there were no industrial actions, nodrops in productivity and no disruption inongoing negotiations between employees and their representation.

The winner of this year’s Business IssueAward embodies what we all strive for in ourwork each day: a clear, compelling messagethat respects its audience by basing theapproach on real insight into the audience. AsSinead McAlary, Ford’s public affairs manager,said, “A strong, well-planned, well-executedprogram ensured this has been seen as one ofthe best internal results in Ford world.”


● Venomocity: Brought to You by AddictionMary Ehlert-Kleinoeder, ABCArizona Department of Health

Services—BTCDPhoenix, Arizona

Category: Advertising (Conventional Media)award level: Merit● “Heroes” commercial

The Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences,with filmmakers G. East and K. Paputts

Toronto● MISSION: Zero TV commercials

Jim Aho, ABC Brown Communications Group,

Saskatchewan Workers’Compensation Board

Regina, Saskatchewan● Stand Up for Your Life

Social Marketing Campaign:Television VignettesHealth Marketing Alberta Health ServicesCalgary, Alberta

● St. Anthony Hospital Campaign Franciscan Marketing and

Communications Team Franciscan Health System,

GA Creative, JayRay Tacoma, Washington

● Venomocity: Brought to You by AddictionMary Ehlert-Kleinoeder, ABCArizona Department of Health

Services—BTCDPhoenix, Arizona

Student Division Communication Campaigns● Bachelor in Professional

Communication—PeerMentorshipJeremy P. WhittingstallRoyal Roads UniversityAirdrie, Alberta

● Green PreparednessAlexa Pendzich

Grant MacEwan UniversitySt. Albert, Alberta

● Students Love CampusCommunity Television: NUTV “YES” Campaign Deanna Cameron DubuqueRoyal Roads University, New

University Television (NUTV)Calgary, Alberta

The Sharon Berzok Student Award is the most prestigious student award given by theIABC Research Foundation. All student entriesare considered for this award, which is judgedon overall excellence and creativity. The winnerreceives US$500 for education or professionaldevelopment. Sharon Berzok was a communi -cation consultant who served IABC on severalcommittees and as a chapter president andboard member. Berzok’s family, colleagues andfriends established this award in her name torecognize talent in young professionals.

This year’s Sharon Berzok Student Award went to:

● Bachelor in Professional Communication—PeerMentorshipJeremy P. WhittingstallRoyal Roads UniversityAirdrie, Alberta

Excitement and anticipation are common feel-ings among students leaving home to begin col-lege. Just as common are feelings of isolationand fear in new surroundings. Without peer sup-port, some students drop out before ever begin-ning their college courses. Berzok Award honoreeJeremy P. Whittingstall developed a peer mentor-ship program to support students in the profes-sional communication degree program at RoyalRoads University in Alberta.

Whittingstall addressed such new-studentissues as a lack of a sense of campus commu -nity, lack of initial interaction with faculty and

infrequent connection with other students who have experienced the same feelings. Hisproposal included presentation materials andspeeches reinforced with dropout statistics andother evidence to make the case for the pro-gram. He recommended mentorship programguidelines and outlined plans for a communityevent patterned after the reality television pro-gram The Amazing Race.

For the event, seasoned students were part-nered with new ones, thus creating the firstmentor-mentee relationships. Local businessesparticipated, donating prizes and even becom-ing part of the “race” itself. The event allowedstudents to get acquainted while having fun,and at the same time, new students becamefamiliar with community businesses thatdepend on their patronage. Ongoing commu -nication after the program launch was designedto include use of such social media tools asFace book, Twitter and Moodle.

The concept was first presented to uni versityfaculty and staff to gain their buy-in, and thento potential program participants.

Overall, roughly CDN$550 was spent fromRoyal Roads University Student Associationfunds to launch the program.

Forty students—more than half of those in the communication program—participated in theevent. Community businesses were pleased withthe turnout and interaction with students. One ofthe best results was the return of a student whohad previously dropped out of the program, andwho cited the program as a reason for staying.Whittingstall himself has committed to remain as a peer, to ensure continued program success.

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