Tokyo, September 9, 2013 – A communications campaign for the Japanese Red Cross Society undertaken by Dentsu Public Relations Inc. (Dentsu PR) has won its category in the 2013 Golden World Awards (GWA) for excellence in public relations decided by the International Public Relations Association.
Dentsu PR’s campaign was voted the world’s best in the “Internal Communications – Agency” category and this year’s award takes to ten the number of GWA honors Dentsu PR has won to date, including a Grand Prix award in 2005. Dentsu PR was the sole winner from Japan this year. The campaign that earned Dentsu PR its award, entitled “Spirit of Togetherness”, harnessed the communication potential of the 62,000 Japanese Red Cross Society (JRCS) employees to deepen understanding of the organization’s mission and to raise public awareness.
Commenting on the agency’s success in this year’s GWA competition, Takehiko Chikami, President and CEO of Dentsu PR, was delighted that the campaign mounted for the JRCS had received such high recognition abroad. “The ‘spirit of serving the public good’ is something that those of us working in PR should always nurture within ourselves,” he said.
Established in 1990, the GWA is divided into 30 categories, with each category featuring an Agency and In-house award. This year, 325 entries were submitted from around the world, and there was also a United Nations Special Award, judged by a panel of UN officials, to recognize the campaign which most closely followed the aims and ideals of the UN.
Kenji Hanaue, who headed the Communication Design Division at Dentsu PR responsible for the winning campaign, said he realizes more than ever that the basis of corporate communication comes from within organizations. “While the issue of enhancing external communication ability is linked to organizations as a whole, by considering internal coordination and the PR skills of each employee as essential we achieved significant reforms working together with the Japanese Red Cross,” he said. Dentsu PR will be awarded the prize at a Gala Ceremony hosted by the International Public Relations Association later this year.