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Go Florida Grapefruit Campaign Wins Industry Accolades | 6-2-09

Public relations industry organizations recently recognized the Go Florida Grapefruit campaign of the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) for excellence in public relations and communications. The campaign was developed in conjunction with GolinHarris and The Richards Group to encourage women ages 25 to 44 to discover the invigorating health and beauty benefits of Florida grapefruit and grapefruit juice.

“The Go Florida Grapefruit campaign incorporates attention-getting graphics and edgy humor to appeal to a target audience of young women,” explained Leigh Killeen, deputy executive director of marketing and public relations. “We are very excited to have industry groups recognize the outstanding efforts of our marketing team and partner agencies, but even more thrilled to witness how this marketing campaign has helped to increase grapefruit consumption.”

The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) awarded the Bronze Anvil in the Advertorial Category for “Florida Grapefruit Graces the Glossies” which appeared in People, InStyle, Cooking Light and Self as a successful component of the overall strategic Go Florida Grapefruit campaign. PRSA commended the collaborative efforts of FDOC, GolinHarris and The Richards Group to secure and create the award-winning content.

The Go Florida Grapefruit Campaign was also one of five finalists in the Marketing to Women Category of the national 2008 Gold Sable Awards bestowed annually by The Holmes Report to recognize Superior Achievement in Branding and Reputation.

Regionally, the Publicity Club of Chicago honored the Go Florida Grapefruit campaign with a Trumpet award, the most prestigious public relations and communications awards in the Midwest. Go Florida Grapefruit earned a Silver Trumpet in the Marketing Category for excellence in planning, creativity and execution.

The FDOC’s grapefruit – drug interaction program also garnered national attention. PRSA gave a Bronze Anvil Award of Commendation to the educational guide “Enjoying Grapefruit: A Patient’s Guide to Potential Drug Interactions with Grapefruit.” The brochure was recognized by PRSA for unifying scientific information with eye-appealing design and understandable language to engage healthcare professionals and consumers.

“FDOC strives to execute exceptional marketing programs for Florida growers,” said Killeen. “These industry awards support the independent analysis by Marketing Accountability Partnership which showed a 2:1 benefit to cost ratio for the Go Florida Grapefruit campaign. We will continue to utilize the latest intelligence and agency expertise to expand our grapefruit marketing efforts and positively impact sales.”

Click here to read the original article from FDOC Grower.