A media relations campaign for a Toronto jazz festival that faced a potential loss of government funding has won a Best of the Best Gold Quill in external communications from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).
The award was given to DDB Public Relations last week during a ceremony in San Francisco for last year’s 26th Annual Beaches International Jazz Festival campaign. DDB has had the account since 1991.
Overall, entries from Canada won four of seven Gold Quill special awards, given out by the IABC for work it considers to be the pinnacle of the communication profession.
Last year, the jazz festival “was faced for the first time with an interruption in grant funding, creating an unstable future for the much beloved, free festival,” says Martine Levy, managing director of DDB Public Relations. A $125,000 grant, in place for the last six years, was threatened.
DDB shifted communications priorities to develop a plan of action that focused exclusively on the need for funding.
After key stakeholders – media, municipal politicians and festival–goers (via a Change.org petition) – voiced their support for the festival, the Ontario government reversed course and helped secure the festival’s funding.
The festival’s core media relations campaign was targeted at Toronto-area media with a message of city pride and celebrating the diverse jazz landscape. The goal was to position the festival as a leading Canadian music event that generates an economic impact of $65 million for the city of Toronto.
Last year’s campaign generated more than 462 media hits in print, TV, radio and online and generated 179 million media impressions, with a qualitative MRP score of 84.42% and a cost-per-contact of $0.00010.
As well, with minimal advertising support, last year’s 10-day event attracted more than 900,000 people. This year, the festival will run for 16 days to overlap with the Pan Am Games.
Other Canadian Best of the Best Gold Quill winners were:
• Vancouver Coastal Health in internal communications for a documentary series filmed in one of its hospitals’ emergency departments
• The Canadian Society of Medical Laboratories in communication skills for a campaign that sent custom designed pocket protectors to key influencers to raise public awareness of medical labs
• A student award to Ryerson University’s School of Professional Communication for helping a restaurant manage online content
