Ruder Finn Bests Competition to Capture Prestigious Jamaica Tourist Board Account
October 27 2003 - 12:50PM
PR Newswire (US)
Ruder Finn Bests Competition to Capture Prestigious Jamaica Tourist
Board Account 'Genius of Jamaica' Winning Program Stands Out for
Its Ability to Drive Tourism NEW YORK, Oct. 27 /PRNewswire/ --
Ruder Finn bested four other agencies to win the Jamaica Tourist
Board (JTB) account, it was announced today. According to Richard
Funess, president of Ruder Finn/Americas, the two-year contract,
which began on October 1, has an estimated annual budget of more
than $1 million. Headed up by Gail Moaney, executive vice president
and director of the Travel & Tourism practice, the extensive
program involves offices in the U.S., Canada and Latin America.
Dozens of agencies replied to the competitive RFP that culminated
in a "final four" series of presentations in Kingston, Jamaica, by
Ruder Finn, Porter Novelli, Hill & Knowlton and Ketchum Public
Relations. "The winning proposal, 'The Genius of Jamaica,'
spotlights the unique elements that make Jamaica special -- its
architecture and design, art, music, literature, natural beauty,
cuisine, performing arts, sports and its wide variety of
accommodations including small inns, villas and hotels," said
Funess. "The proposal also showcases Ruder Finn's Interactive
capability to create innovative ways to build traffic on the JTB's
new Web site." Understanding the significance of reputation
management and identifying the strategic advantage of focusing
attention on Jamaica's diverse accommodations were key elements
that set the Agency's proposal apart. Media relations, promotions,
marketing partnerships, television and film outreach, special
events, crisis communications and a re-imaging program were
presented as part of an integrated campaign to bring "The Genius of
Jamaica" to life. "Tourism is Jamaica's lifeblood, its number one
industry," said Gail Moaney. "Our goal is to help the country
maintain and increase its edge as one of the Caribbean's leading
tourism destinations. We will also work with the ministries who are
substantively addressing the current challenges facing Jamaica."
"Ruder Finn's program was the overwhelming choice of the 18-member
selection committee," said Paul Pennicook, director of tourism,
Jamaica Tourist Board. "The committee concluded that Ruder Finn had
the best handle on Jamaica's needs, understood our issues, and was
not afraid to talk to us about the good ... and the bad. The
'genius' of this program is its innovative thinking and how it's
applied to increasing tourism in our country. Ruder Finn was agency
of record for the Jamaica Tourist Board in 1981 for six years and
we are excited about this selection." About Jamaica Tourist Board
The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), founded in 1955, is Jamaica's
national tourism agency based in the capital city of Kingston. The
Board is responsible for the worldwide tourism marketing and
promotion for the island country of Jamaica. For almost 50 years,
the JTB's mandate has been to promote Jamaica as a preferred travel
destination, identify new and emerging consumer groups, cultivate
new relationships with travel partners and disseminate timely and
useful marketing information to its offices and travel partners
worldwide. JTB offices are located in Jamaica, Miami, Toronto and
London. Representative offices are located in Dusseldorf,
Barcelona, Rome, Amsterdam and Tokyo. For more information, contact
the JTB toll-free at 1-800-233-4JTB (4582) or visit
http://www.visitjamaica.com/. About Ruder Finn Ruder Finn is a
leading communications, counseling and services Agency with more
than 55 years' experience. The Ruder Finn Group maintains offices
in New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco,
Washington, D.C. London, Paris, Jerusalem, Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong
Kong, Shanghai, Singapore and Sydney. The Agency also works with
affiliates in major markets throughout the U.S., Europe and Latin
America. Ruder Finn recently ranked No. 1 in New York in revenues
and staff size by O'Dwyer's Ranking for 2002, serves the global and
local communications needs of more than 250 corporations and
nonprofit organizations. Additional information about Ruder Finn
can be found on the company's web site (http://www.ruderfinn.com/).
Contact: Richard Funess Gail Moaney Ruder Finn, Inc. 212-593-6400
DATASOURCE: Ruder Finn, Inc. CONTACT: Richard Funess, or Gail
Moaney, , both for Ruder Finn, Inc. +1-212-593-6400 Web site:
http://www.ruderfinn.com/ http://www.visitjamaica.com/ x
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