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Work Plans
Work plans must be typed, on 8.5 x 11 pages, no columns, with at least 1/2-inch margins and a minimum font size of 10 points.
- Communication Management work plans must not exceed four pages.
- Communication Skills work plans must not exceed three pages.
- Communication Creative work plans must not exceed two pages.
All entries must be contained within a 1-inch or smaller binder or folder. The only exception is when a single piece of your work sample – such as a videotape, book or 3D item – is critical to the entry and exceeds the dimensions. In these cases, you may package the entry to accommodate your work sample. However, any supporting material must meet the size requirements.
Work Plans Must List These Subheadings
Entrant’s Name
List only one name. This should be the project leader or the person who was responsible for the majority of the development, management and execution of the entry.
Title of Entry
Division/Category
Organization’s Name
Client organization or outside agency (if applicable).
Time Period of Project
The entry must have produced measurable results during 2007. The materials may have been produced in 2006, but the entry must have been implemented in 2007 or the evaluation completed in 2007. If the entry is a multi-year project or program, only the materials related to the measurable results documented in 2007will be considered.
Brief Description
Submit two to three sentences that IABC can use to describe your entry.
Communication Management and Communication Skills Work Plan
For Divisions 1 and 2, complete the core elements of your work plan by providing the following information, using the headings provided:
Need/Opportunity
Describe the need or opportunity that your communication work addressed. Clearly describe the issues the organization faced, outlining any impact on performance, reputation, image, profits, participation, etc. Highlight any formal or informal research findings that supported your analysis of the need or opportunity.
Intended Audience(s)
Identify your primary and other audiences. What was the audience mindset? Describe the key characteristics (needs, preferences, demographics, etc.) that you took into account in developing your solution. Describe any research you did.
Goals and Objectives
Goals describe what you want to accomplish. Choose just one or two key ones. They should be oriented to the future needs of the organization. Goals should be measurable. Very often, the measures are financial, but not always. Objectives should be realistic and measurable by outcomes such as quantity, time, cost, percentages, quality or other criteria.
Solution Overview
Summarize the project, outlining the solution and the logic that supported it. Tell us why you did what you did. The solution should demonstrate your thinking, imagination and approach to problem solving. Discuss how you involved stakeholders in developing the solution. Identify key messages. Present the tactics and communication vehicles you used.
Implementation and Challenges
State your project budget. It does NOT matter if it was small! Show that you made efficient use of money. Discuss time frames. Describe any limitations or challenges that you faced in selling and implementing your ideas (judges look for flexibility and a capacity to resolve problems and negotiate solutions). Note any special circumstances and discuss how they were addressed.
Measurement/Evaluation of Outcomes
How did you measure results? Every result should be linked to one or more objectives. Results must be valuable, thorough and convincing. Measurement should demonstrate outcomes, not outputs. For example, if your media relations campaign was in support of a product roll-out, you should measure attainment of sales targets, the number of qualified sales leads or other bottom-line figures, not just the number of clips and impressions, advertising value equivalent or other output statistics. If your challenge was to improve employees’ understanding of an issue, you must show that their knowledge increased, in part or in whole, as a result of the communication plan you implemented.
Communication Creative Work Plan
For Division 3, your work plan should provide the following information, using these headings:
Project Summary
Give an overview of the project. What business need or opportunity did your creative solution address?
Intended Audience(s)
Identify your primary and other audiences. Describe the key characteristics (needs, preferences, demographics, etc.) that you took into account in developing your solution. Describe any research you did.
Objectives
What were your creative objectives? What outcome did you target? How did your creative objectives contribute to the business need or opportunity?
Key Messages/Theme
What was
most critical to convey? State your
key messages or theme.
Creative Rationale
Summarize the creative solution and the logic that supported it. Tell us why you did what you did. Describe how your solution demonstrates insight and imagination.
Results
In what way did you achieve your objectives? How did your creative solution impact the business need or opportunity? Demonstrate the effectiveness of your creative solution by showing increases in sales, traffic, participation or other quantifiable outcomes. Discuss your budget, resources and time frames, and show efficient use of each.
The Work Sample (All Divisions)
The work sample is the supporting material illustrating your communication program—videotapes, publications, design work, writing series, photography, computer programs, etc. You may also include
scripts, an executive summary of the research results, the media buy, etc.
Your work sample should represent the scope of your work.
Please send the highest-quality samples you can afford.
Technical Specifications
Electronic/digital elements
Electronic and interactive work samples should be viewable on Windows or Macintosh equipment and/or software. For web sites, provide the URL or IP address of the site in your entry. For intranets or “limited, secured access” sites, provide registration instructions, account name or password.Consider submitting a “Tour of Work Sample” (of five minutes or less) on a CD-ROM if access could be a barrier to evaluation, or if the site will change after submission.
Electronic entries will be disqualified if they contain viruses, if they disable or require disabling of any part of the computer system used in the judging, or if judges cannot view or install work samples using the instructions provided.
Summarize your CD-ROM, DVD or other electronic medium (a screen shot with caption, a storyboard of select scenes, etc.) in your work plan.
Large and heavy items (displays, billboards, sculptures, etc)
Send color photographs (no larger than 8 by 10 inches) of large and/or heavy items.
Publications
Submit three consecutive issues as one entry (this is for both printed and electronic versions). For semi-annual publications, submit both issues. For annual publications, including annual reports, submit one issue. Indicate the frequency of the publication (monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, etc.) in your work plan.
Publication formats are defined as follows:
- Magazines—Printed on coated or glossy paper, generally 8.5 by 11 inches, saddle-stitched or perfect bound.
- Newspapers—Printed on newsprint, most are approximately 16 by 23 inches.
- Magapapers/tabloids—Printed on coated or high-quality paper, generally 12 by 14 inches or larger.
- Newsletters—Printed on newsprint or glossy paper, smaller in size than newspapers or magapapers, generally
four to eight pages on 8.5 by 11 inch paper.
Photography
Submit your entry in the context in which it was used. For print media, submit the spread or story in which the photograph(s) appeared (a tear sheet is preferable). For photos used in displays or bulletin boards, or other cases where size is prohibitive, send an 8 by 10 inch photograph of the entire project and one close-up photo.
Programs and campaigns
Submit a complete, concise entry. Enclose representative samples of multiple program elements. Submit color photographs
(no larger than 8 by 10 inches) of large
or bulky samples.
Writing samples
Provide a tear sheet or other evidence of use. For recurring features or columns (Category 19), send three different samples as a single entry. For scripts (Category 18), submit typed entries on 8.5 by 11 inch paper.
Videotapes
Use NTSC-standard. In all areas, use half-inch VHS.
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