Note to Correspondents

DPI, INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC RELATIONS ASSOCIATION TO HONOUR

 

PUBLICITY CAMPAIGNS FROM SWITZERLAND, TURKEY

 

A World Heart Day Campaign aimed at raising women’s consciousness about heart health has been chosen for the 2004 United Nations Grand Award for outstanding achievement in public relations.  The award will be presented as part of the 2004 Golden World Awards at a ceremony on Thursday, 21 October 2004, at Merchant Taylors’ Hall in London.  Tina Micklethwait, a former Senior United Nations public information official who most recently served at the United Nations Information Centre in London, will present the award.

Jointly sponsored by the Department of Public Information (DPI) and the International Public Relations Association (IPRA) the annual award was established in 1990 to recognize excellence in public relations campaigns that address priority issues before the United Nations.

The Grand Award winner is the World Health Federation, with Cohn and Wolfe Switzerland, for its 2003 World Heart Day Campaign, “A Heart for Life”, launched on Valentine’s Day with the news angle, supported by science, that love is good for the heart.  This was followed by themed press releases, leading up to World Heart Day (28 September), advising women on the cardiovascular effects of physical activity, nutrition and passive smoking.  British actress Jane Seymour served as a spokeswoman for the campaign.

Yapi Kredi Emeklilik, with TEMA Turkey (Turkish Foundation for Combating Soil Erosion, for Reforestation and the Protection of Natural Habitats), received an Honourable Mention for “Saffron”, a campaign to encourage farmers in rural Turkey to switch from cotton and other traditional crops to more sustainable alternatives, including the cultivation of saffron.  The pilot crop-change programme was intended to reduce water usage and soil degradation while increasing income and employment opportunities for the community and promoting the education of young girls.

For more information on the awards, please call (212) 963-7346 or (212) 963-9480.

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