2012 Award Winners 

Recognition is an important part of internal engagement at Johnson. As the company grows, recognition and finding new and unique ways to do so is important. In the spring of 2011 Johnson introduced a new interactive web-based rewards program – ‘High Five’ which helps further strengthen morale among employees. To ensure the effective roll-out of this new program and to help share the message of this very exciting program, the communications team developed and implemented a successful internal launch campaign.

Husky Energy’s Atlantic Region earned an award in the Employee/Internal Communications category for their work on revitalizing their employee town halls. Held every quarter, these events are opportunities to bring together employees and build understanding of the organization’s strategy and demonstrate how every department contributes to the company’s success. Using everything from hula hoop competitions to Jeopardy-style games, Husky is using team building to drive learning and employee engagement.

Community Relations

In 2011, Nalcor Energy saw an opportunity to engage in discussion with our stakeholders through social media. Social media was uncharted territory for the company, and it embarked on a significant amount of research into how to best develop and execute a strong social media strategy. With leadership support, in mid-2011, Nalcor and its base subsidiary brand, Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro, went live on social media. The team exceeded the objectives they had set for themselves in 2011, and have found a tremendous amount of value in having an opportunity to engage with their stakeholders through social media.

Marketing Communications

Memorial University is actively recruiting undergraduate students across Canada. The further we go, the less people know about the experience of Memorial. To raise awareness, a highly targeted online advertising campaign segmented by geography, interest category and age was created. Memorial University went directly where students are – to Google with search engine marketing, to YouTube, and to targeted websites with high prospective student traffic. The campaign used clever and cheeky copy focused on humour, pop culture, and internet memes directly related to the Memorial experience to grab future student’s attention in the noisy online world. The combination of creative messaging and a highly targeted strategy made Memorial University stand out from the crowd in the competitive Canadian university landscape.

Electronic | Audio Visual | Interactive Communications

Unions across Canada and internationally have been instrumental in promoting and advancing social and economic justice for all workers. Yet, more and more we hear there is no longer a place for unions in the workforce. Given the increasing difficulty of engaging members and the growing rhetoric surrounding the relevance of unions, NLNU felt compelled to take active measures to demonstrate the relevance of unions and the importance of our members taking an active role in their union. NLNU developed a video which illustrated the role and value of unions in an innovative and effective way and called it ‘Unions, why bother?’ They have received strong positive feedback from their members, nursing students, and other provincial and national unions.

NLNU has had a members only section on its website, called myNLNU, for a number of years and it is very popular with its members. However technology had advanced significantly since the site was created and many features were outdated. Given the popularity of myNLNU and the increasing use of the internet as a means to communicate and receive information among members, NLNU saw redesigning myNLNU as a great opportunity to enhance myNLNU’s capacity to support member engagement and communications. One measure of success has been the level of positive feedback from union representatives, general membership, staff, and other provincial nursing unions. In fact, several provincial nursing unions have adopted some of the new myNLNU features into their own website designs.

Photography

The 2011 summer edition of Eastern Health’s employee magazine, Connect, featured an article on the diagnostic imaging team and the advancements in technology that support accuracy and efficiency, all while maintaining a focus on client care. Taking a page from the popular television program CSI, photographer and graphic designer Phil Simms and art director Angela Lawrence created a cover image of the team that is compelling and engaging. Techniques including camera placement, the use of a wide angle lens, image processing and the signature CSI flashlight all contribute to the dramatic feel of image and hint at what the team does; Eastern Health’s diagnostic detectives.

The main goal of the Dare To photography was compelling storytelling with a consistent look and feel. The intent was for the photos to evoke a personal quality and to inspire the viewer to read the accompanying story or stories. The photography highlighted how Memorial’s people and programs have impacted others’ everyday lives in positive, daring, and lasting ways. Memorial’s new branding guidelines and colour palette was the inspiration and the creative concept and photography needed to be “daring”.

Publication Design

The president’s report is an annual report for Memorial University, highlighting events, outcomes and activities, Memorial’s overall strategic direction and leadership. The 2011 president’s report was a follow-up to Dr. Kachanoski’s inaugural report and was an opportunity to not only further communicate the new presidential leadership of Memorial but also communicate that it was a year of change, a year of doing things differently. It was a celebration of success and a roadmap of Memorial’s strategy. It was a stake in the ground; the communication of new direction. It was important to do this in a confident and unwavering manner to further instill that same confidence and continue to build trust in the new leadership of the university. Great Minds Think Differently plays up the exuberance of the Memorial brand and embraces the unique personality of the university. It tells our story.

Awards of Merit

Brochures | Special Publications 

Memorial University is undertaking a $50 million private sector fundraising campaign, as part of an overall redevelopment initiative totaling over $250 million. Dare To: The Campaign for Memorial University focuses on student financial support, academic excellence, and physical infrastructure, that will enable the university to continue to build a first-rate, world-class learning and research environment. Dare To is the most ambitious private sector fundraising campaign to be undertaken by Memorial University to-date. The primary goal of the publication was to introduce the campaign, to share with target audiences the campaign progress made to-date, and to identify the needs moving forward.

Newsletters (Print)

Memorial’s employee newsletter The Communicator is the official voice of Memorial University’s diverse and large employee and retiree communities. It’s an award-winning publication, published quarterly, that evolves to meet the needs of its readers. The Communicator succeeds in bringing together people with stories that have appeal across academic and administrative boundaries, and features profiles, campus news pieces, stories about retirees, etc.

Writing

The Chair of the St. John’s Board of Trade is given the opportunity to write a column once a month in the Telegram. In the provincial election campaign of 2011, the Chair’s message appeared twice, commenting on the long term priorities that voters would want to ensure provincial leaders acted upon. This was consistent with the Board’s priorities of debt, demographics and diversification as the vital public policy issues of today.

Special Events

In 2011, Eastern Health started an internal celebration to recognize employees. Special events to mark Recognition Week were planned throughout the organization including a marquee event at the St. John’s Convention Centre to present the first annual CEO Awards of Excellence. Working collaboratively with staff in Human Resources and a team of volunteers from across the organization, Corporate Communications developed a multi-faceted strategy that included video messages, a peer-led “Shout Out” initiative, e-cards, star walls, cakes, and advertising. The week theme – “You Make A Difference!” – demonstrated to employees the organization’s commitment to recognize the many valuable contributions they make to health care in the province.

Husky Energy’s Atlantic Region earned an award in the Special Events category for their work on revitalizing their employee town halls. Held every quarter, these events are opportunities to bring together employees and build understanding of the organization’s strategy and demonstrate how every department contributes to the company’s success. Using everything from hula hoop competitions to Jeopardy-style games, Husky is using team building to drive learning and employee engagement.