Agency wins one of only 24 coveted Awards of Excellence
TORONTO, June 25, 2012―The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) today announced that it has selected Broad Reach Communications as one of only 24 winners of the prestigious Gold Quill Award of Excellence − the highest level of professional acknowledgment in business communication today. This is the second year in a row that Broad Reach has won a Gold Quill, this time for writing a Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (Deloitte) thought leadership report entitled Unplugged: Electric Vehicle Realities Versus Consumer Expectations.
For more than 35 years, IABC’s annual Gold Quill Awards program has been the hallmark of excellence in communication. Winners represent the best in organizational communication and their work plans serve as best practices for professional communicators across communication disciplines. Of the nearly 700 entries received this year from 23 countries (including Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Ecuador, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, the U.K., the U.S. and Venezuela) only 78 were selected to receive awards. This year’s competition selected 24 Awards of Excellence and 53 Awards of Merit. Winners were honored today at the Gold Quill Awards gala dinner in Chicago at the IABC 2012 World Conference.
“The Gold Quill Awards is unique in that it’s the only program that celebrates excellence in communication on a global scale,” says Dave Meyer, chair of the 2012 Gold Quill Awards. “The diversity of categories, entries and cultures has become the standard for the best and most effective sharing of thoughts and ideas in the world. Winners of the Gold Quill Awards need to demonstrate that they’ve added value to their organization by measuring their results and being strategic in the best sense of the word. Winners this year have shown that regardless of the economic issues or cultural challenges they’ve faced, the Gold standard of communication can have a tremendous impact.”
Entries are comprised of a work plan and a work sample. They are judged on technical excellence, creativity and innovation, effectiveness in identifying and responding to an organization’s or community’s needs, the delivery of measurable outcomes, and the overall success of the project. Although entries underwent two rigorous rounds of judging by top senior communicators from around the world, the final selection was made by the Gold Quill Awards Blue Ribbon Panel of judges at the IABC world headquarters in San Francisco in March. This year’s panel included 30 communication experts from the U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, China, Mexico and Russia.
“The Broad Reach writing team is thrilled to be recognized with a Gold Quill Award of Excellence as it is the highest level of professional acknowledgement in business communications today,” says Andrea Lekushoff, President, Broad Reach Communications. “We are proud of our work with Deloitte’s Global Manufacturing Industry Group. We also admire their commitment to be the standard of excellence in everything they do, which is why they are considered a global leader in professional services.”
In 2011, Deloitte asked Broad Reach to write Unplugged: Electric Vehicle Realities Versus Consumer Expectations, a 30-page thought leadership report that outlines the findings of a survey of 13,000 consumers in 17 countries. The report looks closely at the results of the survey, paying special attention to geographical differences and similarities in consumer responses. Deloitte’s Global Manufacturing Industry Group used the report to educate policymakers, automotive executives, and electric utility industry executives on current and future consumer expectations for the electric vehicle.
Unplugged quickly became one of the most successful Global Manufacturing Industry Group reports of the last decade and helped Deloitte achieve thought leadership eminence on a global scale. As a result, the report was published in eight languages, dozens of executives around the world contacted Deloitte to learn about the global trends showcased in the report and Deloitte was invited to present the report to senior executives at five international auto shows.
Awareness for this report was further demonstrated by 4,800 webpages views, 2,500 report downloads, and 450 high-quality media stories generated around the world. As a result of the widespread prominence created by the report, executives and government leaders around the world now see Deloitte as a pre-eminent thought leader in the global electric vehicle car market, but more importantly, as a leading professional services firm they can call upon as a trusted advisor in this area.
About IABC
The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) is a global network of communication professionals committed to improving organizational effectiveness through strategic communication. Established in 1970, IABC serves more than 15,000 members in 80 countries. For more information, visit www.iabc.com.
About the Gold Quill Awards
For more than 40 years, IABC has recognized those who are breaking new ground and leading the world with the best, most strategic and most effective communication. The Gold Quill Awards recognize the best in communication management, skills and creativity—in 32 categories for business professionals and students. From internal and external communication to government and customer relations, from human resources to marketing and branding, from publications and writing to social media, every facet of top-tier communication is celebrated. The common thread is the pursuit of excellence. Perhaps the most significant distinction of the Gold Quill Awards is the program’s global reach. IABC is the only organization that recognizes and embraces the international nature of communication by accepting submissions from around the globe, in English, French, Russian and Spanish.
