JUNE 18, 2008

Phoenix—McMurry, the largest independent marketing communications firm in Arizona, won 17 awards at the 2008 IABC Phoenix Copper Quill Awards, the most of any company. Fifty-three of the awards, which honor excellence and creativity in strategic business communications, were handed out and McMurry received 32 percent of them. The awards bring McMurry’s total number of industry wins to 1,238. Sixteen of the Copper Quill Awards honored McMurry’s content marketing products, such as The Ritz-Carlton magazine and one award honored media coverage garnered by McMurry’s public relations team for Accessories Marketing Inc., creator and manufacturer of Slime tire sealant products. International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) chapters in Atlanta, Detroit, Fort Worth, Pittsburgh and Virginia judged the Phoenix chapter entries, with two professionals evaluating each entry.

“Seventeen awards at one event is outstanding,” says Beth Tomkiw, vice president/creative director at McMurry. “These awards of excellence and merit prove that not only are we producing stellar work in the content marketing field, but that by producing quality always and embracing change with our products, two of our eight core values, we also are effectively impacting what strategic business communications can look like. Our business model of creating innovative content marketing strategies is continuing to impress the industry and is pushing the industry’s capabilities further.”

“The award of excellence gained by the PR team for its media coverage is awesome proof of how seriously McMurry takes the responsibility of keeping its clients in the public eye,” says Stan Fields, president/agency at McMurry. “In one year, our team secured more than 250 pieces of coverage and 20 editorial placements in key media outlets for Slime. As a result, awareness of the product has grown 86 percent in the past two years and the client’s business has grown tremendously. To be honored for this achievement by peers in our industry proves once again the strength of our teams’ capabilities in helping to build our clients’ businesses.”

The 17 awards of excellence and merit are listed below.

Media Relations
Excellence: Media coverage results for Slime (Accessories Marketing Inc.)

Magazines
Excellence: HealthEdge, Winter 2007
Merit: Aon One, Q3 2007
Merit: Haven Preview Issue

Newsletters/Newspapers
Merit: The Ritz-Carlton Experience, Naples, Fall 2007
Merit: Healthwise Connection, Winter 2007

Magazine Design
Excellence: HealthEdge, Winter 2007
Merit: The Ritz-Carlton magazine, Vol. 3 No. 4 2007
Merit: Aon One, Q3 2007
Merit: Massage Envy, Summer 2007
Merit: Pechanga Play!, July/August 2007

Photography
Merit: Elevate, “Boy’s Life,” Spring 2007
Merit: Haven Preview Issue, “Sheer Beauty”

Illustration
Excellence: Vim & Vigor, “Ticker Tech,” Fall 2007
Excellence: Vim & Vigor, “Quiet Desperation,” Winter 2007

Features
Merit: Vim & Vigor, “Get ’Em While They’re Young,” Spring 2007

Electronic Newsletter
Merit: Inside McMurry, Summer 2007

About McMurry
McMurry (mcmurry.com), with three offices in Arizona and New York, offers a complete line of marketing communications services to a variety of clientele, including GlaxoSmithKline, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co., Amtrak, CBS, Aon, CVS Caremark, Waste Management, USAA, 24 Hour Fitness and Thomson Reuters, as well as resources to more than 10,000 corporate professionals. The company has specialized practices in healthcare, finance and insurance. It is among the largest independent marketing communications companies in the U.S. and is recognized by the Great Place to Work Institute and Society for Human Resource Management as one of the top five “Best Small Companies to Work For” in the U.S.

 

Katie Haney, Strategic Communications Specialist

P: 602-395-5850
E: KATIE.HANEY@MCMURRY.COM