Merritt Group and Booz Allen Hamilton Win IABC Silver Inkwell Award
Marks Third Industry Association Award in Last Five Months by These Firms for Year-Long Marketing Campaign That Delivered Results
RESTON, Va. - October 18, 2006 - Merritt Group, Inc., a nationally-recognized communications firm, took a top honor last night from the Washington, DC Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) for its critical role in Booz Allen Hamilton's federal "IT Market Shaping Campaign." The 2006 Silver Inkwell Award for "Communications Plans and Campaigns: Media Relations Plan" recognizes Merritt Group's media relations planning and implementation in a year-long effort that boosted Booz Allen's IT recognition in the federal market by a measurable double digit percentage increase. In just the past five months, Merritt Group and Booz Allen Hamilton have been recognized for this campaign by the three top marketing and communications professional industry associations that draw members from the Washington, D.C. region.
"We are honored to receive this industry recognition for the strategic and insightful work that we perform on behalf of our clients," said Ben Merritt, CEO & founder, Merritt Group, Inc. "Award- winning work is only possible with sharp teams and dedicated clients and we share this accolade with Booz Allen Hamilton."
The Silver Inkwell Award for "Communications Plans and Campaigns: Media Relations Plan" honors the media relations plan that best demonstrates a strategic focus, coupled with clear objectives and measured results. Merritt Group's work with Booz Allen demonstrates the power that a media relations campaign can have when it is aligned to business objectives. The campaign overcame multiple challenges to raise awareness of Booz Allen's IT capabilities in the federal market through a program focused on building relationships between company executives and key IT media, demonstrating thought leadership in industry articles, and tying public relations efforts to business development opportunities that Booz Allen was pursuing.
This is the third time in the past five months that the "IT Market Shaping Campaign" has been honored for its excellence. This multi-pronged effort, which integrated Merritt Group with six Booz Allen teams responsible for separate MarCom activities throughout the federal government, was also recognized by the DC Chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA) with the M Award for "Media and Multi-Media" for its five-part federal radio show series on technology. The Merritt Group and Booz Allen team was also honored by the DC Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) with the Thoth Award for "Integrated Marketing" for bringing together a range of activities in a single, cohesive campaign.
"Merritt Group provided a reservoir of talent throughout our entire campaign," said Steven J. Slater, Booz Allen Hamilton marketing manager for the Federal IT Market Shaping Campaign. "I really can't imagine achieving the phenomenal results from this campaign without their help with the planning and implementation."
About Merritt Group, Inc.
Since its founding in 1996, Merritt Group has helped technology companies drive awareness for their innovations. This includes a unique combination of market positioning, customer-focused messaging, public relations, and market research for established and startup technology companies. Our technology expertise is focused in four practices - Security, Enterprise Technology, Communications and Networking, and Government IT - each with a team dedicated to the issues, trends and influencers relevant to their industry segment. Merritt Group's offices are located in Reston, Virginia and San Francisco, California. For more information, please visit www.merrittgrp.com.