The Vision Council has been awarded the 2015 Golden Quill Award for its media relations efforts to educate against Digital Eye Strain.
Presented by the International Association of Business Communicators, the award recognizes business communication excellence globally, and is acknowledged as one of the most prestigious awards programs in the industry.
The Vision Council joins an elite list of organizations in winning this year’s Golden Quill Award, including Intel Corporation, General Mills, eBay, Lockheed Martin, General Motors, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Allstate Insurance.
“The Golden Quill awards are decided by an international panel of evaluators,” said Priya Bates ABC MC, 2015 International Gold Quill Chair. “Entries are evaluated against IABC’s standard of excellence – unlike many other awards programs, all entries that meet the standard win an award, to encourage excellence rather than competition.”
“Digital devices now permeate virtually every aspect of American life,” said Mike Daley, The Vision Council CEO. “We discovered that fewer than one in five adults were aware of Digital Eye Strain, which refers to the temporary discomfort experienced during prolonged use of digital devices, and The Vision Council saw a clear need to increase consumer awareness about the condition and how they can prevent it.”
The Vision Council established the term “Digital Eye Strain” and has worked to increase awareness of the condition, as well as the availability and use of computer eyewear. In support of this mission, The Vision Council developed the report: “DigitEYEzed: The Daily Impact of Digital Screens on the Eye Health of Americans.”
To maximize the reach of the report and the issue of Digital Eye Strain, The Vision Council developed a substantial presence at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) for the report’s release. To ensure national coverage, The Vision Council and its consumer media relations partner, GYMR, launched a multifaceted print, online and broadcast media plan, reaching both on‐site and off‐site reporters.
These efforts to increase awareness of Digital Eye Strain yielded more than 1,200 stories, resulting in 848.6 million media impressions—more than eight times the original target. The Vision Council’s highly visible presence at CES helped establish the term “Digital Eye Strain” among consumers and provided a timely news‐hook for the launch of the report. Top‐tier print and online outlets covered the topic, both consumer and health, including NBC News, Fox, CBS, ABC, CNN, USA Today, Yahoo, and Prevention.
“We had consistent feedback from evaluators that this year they were seeing some of the best work they’d seen in years,” said Bates. “We’re thrilled to see the industry embracing the significant impact communicators can have on business outcomes… Gold Quill sets out to recognize communication that meets a business need – either solving a problem, working through an issue, or maximizing an opportunity. It’s not just about attractive execution; we look for the strategic impact.”