Agency Wins International Award for Excellence in Business Communications

TORONTO, 12 April 2011―The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) today announced that it has selected Toronto-based Broad Reach Communications for a Gold Quill Award─the highest level of professional acknowledgment in business communication today. Broad Reach won this award for its media relations campaign entitled “Creating Eminence for Deloitte Canada by Leveraging its 2010 Technology, Media & Telecommunications Predictions.”

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. To win this award, Broad Reach competed against nearly 900 entries from 26 countries, including Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, Mexico, New Zealand, Netherlands, Philippines, Russia, Slovenia, South Africa, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the U.S. Of these entries, only 100 were selected to receive awards—34 Awards of Excellence, 65 Awards of Merit and one Student Award.

“The Gold Quill Awards is one of the few opportunities for communicators to have their work recognised at a global level,” says Melissa Dark, ABC, chair of the 2011 Gold Quill Awards. “The awards recognize work done in the many and varied facets of the business communication profession, but in all areas it is primarily concerned with demonstrating how the communicator has added value to their business through strategic, innovatively-executed and thoroughly measured communication activity. As in previous years, this year we had entries from all across the world, in four different languages from communicators all keen to see their work evaluated against the gold standard of IABC’s awards program. Those who have won can be justly proud of having their work recognized at this international level.”

All entries went through two rigorous rounds of judging by a team of leading 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.

“The entire Broad Reach team is honoured and thrilled to be recognized with the highest level of professional acknowledgement in business communications today,” says Andrea Lekushoff, President, Broad Reach Communications. “This IABC Gold Quill Award is a both a testament and tribute to the bench strength of our team and our approach to client service: Seasoned practitioners with a relentless passion for results, a desire to exceed client expectations, and a strong commitment to maintaining our track record of success on behalf of many of the world’s most powerful brands.”

In late 2009, Broad Reach was tasked with developing and executing a national Canadian media relations program on behalf of Deloitte Canada for its 2010 Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) Predictions report─an annual series of insights showcasing the emerging global TMT trends expected to significantly impact businesses and consumers in the coming year. To achieve program objectives, Broad Reach conducted extensive media outreach on the program’s global launch date across print, radio, TV and online media in major markets across the country. Broad Reach generated a second wave of coverage while co-ordinating a cross-Canada regional media tour over a period of two weeks after the launch. Tailored media materials and strategic outreach helped ignite a national discussion around emerging TMT trends, featuring Deloitte’s Predictions and its spokespeople prominently and positively in stories.

Media relations results exceeded all campaign goals and expectations, creating an unprecedented volume and quality of media coverage for the program and for Deloitte Canada: 210 on-message stories generating more than 92 million audience impressions across print, TV and online outlets. High-profile media stories appeared nationally and regionally, with all coverage highlighting Deloitte’s eminence in this area and building its profile among key stakeholder groups across the country. As a result, Broad Reach was presented with a Gold Quill Merit Award in the highly coveted “Communication Management: Media Relations” category.

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 2011 IABC Gold Quill Winners

Gold Quill Award-winning projects must demonstrate strategic thinking by setting clear objectives that support business goals. They must show an understanding of audiences, contribute value and measurable benefits to the organization, and measure program outcomes to prove that it successfully achieved its stated goals. Entries 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. Winners will be recognized at the Gold Quill Awards gala at IABC’s 2011 World Conference, to be held June 13, 2011 in San Diego.