'Diabetes. Knowledge. Action' campaign shines at GEMAS Awards 2008

ICLDC's public health awareness campaign, 'Diabetes.Knowledge.Action' in partnership with Emirates Foundation, was awarded the Highly Recommended Campaign in the fiercely-contested category 'Best use of Public Relations' at the Gulf Marketing Review Effectiveness in Marketing Awards (GEMAS) 2008 (at Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai).

Johnny Hazboun, Communications Manager at ICLDC said "The acknowledgement of the campaign with this serious PR award is a sure show of support in our belief and vision that a stargeic public relations campaign can lead to an effective communications drive.

We gave the campaign holsitic support and firm commitment in its strategy of using planned publicity to drive public awareness.
We needed the nation to listen, and, more importantly, to act.

In 2007, more than 50,000 people responded to the Diabetes.Knowledge.Action call for nationwide diabetes consultation, with more than 5,000 walking against diabetes in the capital's first-ever walkathon to mark World Diabetes Day."

GEMAS spokesperson, Barry Gray said: "The GEMAS are to recognise marketing excellence, build industry understanding of what marketing excellence means and help individuals and organisations consistently raise the bar on marketing performance.

"Anyone who walks away with an award has really been tested against the best of the market by a high-end judging panel."

The public health awareness drive was a partnership between the ICLDC and Emirates Foundation, Abu Dhabi, under the patronage of Her Highness Shaikha Fatima bint Mubarak.
One out of five people aged 20 to 79 in UAE already lives with this disease, while a similar percent of the population is at risk of developing it.

The campaign brief, is built upon ICLDC's core pillars of education, treatment and research, was directed by ICLDC's marketing manager, Johnny Hazboun, with the PR deployment assigned to Dubai-based Strategic Solutions. The creative direction is the work of Abu Dhabi-based French Vision.

Susan Furness, CEO, Strategic Solutions said: "The campaign resuts speak for themselves. As a PR house, we see ourselves as a bridge to the media on behalf of the camapaign and client. One of our goals for the diabetes drive, is to ensure that ICLDC is seen as the diabetes information voice by the UAE's media corp., and in turn, the mass public.

"On average, we help faciliate four media interveiws per week on diabetes and related topic. This demand by the media is one show of a PR success."

The public health awareness campaign was launched with a royal visit to the Centre (ICLDC) by HRH Prince Charles and HRH the Duchess of Cornwall (in February 2007).