Welch Allyn Earns Three MarCom Awards from Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals

Welch Allyn, a leading medical diagnostic device company that specializes in helping clinicians improve patient outcomes, today announced it has received two Platinum MarCom Awards and one Gold MarCom Award from the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP). The company received a Platinum Award for its public relations efforts around the launch of the Welch Allyn iExaminer™ and another for the promotion of its inaugural Welch Allyn 5k Race and Fun Run/Walk, which took place as part of the company’s fourth annual “A Show of Hands” volunteer initiative. Welch Allyn also won a Gold Award for the creative design of the official t-shirt for the 5k Race and Fun Run/Walk. There were more than 6,500 entries in the 2013 MarCom Awards competition from throughout the United States, Canada and several other countries. Only 19 percent of the entries won Platinum Awards, the organization’s highest honor.

MarCom Awards is an international competition that recognizes outstanding creative achievement by marketing and communication professionals. The competition is administered and judged by the AMCP. The international organization consists of several thousand creative professionals and oversees awards and recognition programs, provides judges and sets standards for excellence. Judges are industry professionals who look for companies and individuals whose talent exceeds a high standard of excellence and whose work serves as a benchmark for the industry. Welch Allyn received two Gold MarCom Awards in 2012 and three Gold MarCom Awards from AMCP in 2011. Welch Allyn also received a Communitas Award from the organization for its annual “A Show of Hands” volunteer initiative in 2011.

“We are honored to be recognized by our peers in the MarCom industry for the third year in a row,” said Matthew Chadderdon, vice president of marketing communications, global brand management and shareholder relations at Welch Allyn. “Even though we are a small department within a company that manufactures medical devices, we have a lot of extremely talented individuals on our team who have tremendous vision, dedication and creativity. These awards are the result of a real team effort across multiple disciplines.”

Welch Allyn received a Platinum MarCom Award for public relations activities involving traditional media, trade show and social media campaigns in support of the launch of the Welch Allyn iExaminer. The company engaged with end users and reporters through various outlets to distribute facts behind why it is important for all frontline care providers, not just ophthalmologists, to clearly see the retina of the eye to help diagnose a variety of conditions such as hypertension and diabetic retinopathy; teach physicians how images can be rapidly sent to specialists if further care or advice is needed; and educate physicians how the iExaminer can be used as a tool to help improve patient compliance.  The public relations effort resulted in more than 400 articles involving the iExaminer in major trade and consumer publications.

The company earned a second Platinum MarCom Award for the promotion of its first annual Welch Allyn 5k and Fun Run/Walk benefitting Clear Path for Veterans, which was an extension of the company’s annual “A Show of Hands” volunteer initiative. Welch Allyn communicated the event to both employees and the local communities surrounding the global headquarters in Skaneateles Falls, N.Y. Traditional tactics such as road signs, press releases, social media posts and flyers, were used to promote the race. A dedicated website, www.WelchAllyn5k.com, was also created that could be accessed by both employees and community members and contained all the details of the race, including the ability to register and view photos at the completion of the event. More than 190 people participated and $8,000 was raised to support Clear Path for Veterans. Additionally, the Welch Allyn 5k and Fun Run/Walk won a Gold MarCom Award for the creative design of the official race t-shirt.