CHICAGO (June 30, 2003) — The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) has named the National Pork Board’s Hispanic public relations program a winner of the 2003 International Gold Quill. The program was designed and implemented by The San Jose Group, the National Pork Board’s Hispanic marketing agency. The prestigious Gold Quill Awards program is an annual international competition that offers professional communicators an opportunity to have their work evaluated by expert judges.
The winning National Pork Board program, with the theme “El Cerdo es Bueno” (Pork is Good), successfully educated the Hispanic market on health and safety misperceptions surrounding pork, by focusing on relevant values and traditions. Research showed that the Hispanic consumer was concerned about these issues, based on pork production practices in Hispanic consumers’ countries of origin.
“We were able to effectively reach the Hispanic market with a foundation of research and by exploring the needs of the market,” explained Dallas Hockman, vice president, Demand Enhancement for the National Pork Board. “The results, both in the market and via these types of competitions, have shown us that we took the right approach.”
“We are honored and humbled that our peers judged our program as being excellent as judged alongside general market entries,” explained George L. San Jose, president and COO of The San Jose Group. “Likewise, we are thankful for clients like the National Pork Board, who place their trust in us to grow their businesses.”
For more than 25 years, IABC’s Gold Quill Awards program has been the hallmark of excellence in business communication. This year’s winners competed against entries from Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Philippines, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, United Kingdom and the United States. This year’s judging panel included top senior communicators from various countries, who judged 1,051 entries, of which 39 received top awards for excellence. Winners will be honored at IABC’s 2003 international conference.
About IABC
IABC is a network of professionals committed to improving organizational effectiveness through strategic communication. With more than 100 chapters, IABC serves 13,500 members in 60 countries and 10,000 organizations.
About National Pork Board
National Pork Board has responsibility for Checkoff-funded research, promotion and consumer information projects and for communicating with pork producers and the public. Through a legislative national Pork Checkoff, pork producers invest $0.40 for each $100 value of hogs sold. The Pork Checkoff funds national and state programs in advertising, consumer information, retail and foodservice marketing, export market promotion, production improvement, technology, swine health and pork safety. More information on communications programs for consumers can be found on www.otherwhitemeat.com or www.elcerdoesbueno.com (Spanish-language).
About The San Jose Group
The San Jose Group is a consortium of marketing communications companies specializing in reaching the Hispanic and non-Hispanic markets in the U.S. and Latin America. The Group’s expertise, services and resources transcend domestic and international markets. More about The San Jose Group can be found at www.thesanjosegroup.com.