Company: Quinn & Co. Public Relations, New York, NY
Company Description: Quinn & Co. Public Relations specializes in real estate, travel and food, wine + spirits. Our strategic innovative initiatives, which garner significant publicity and have resulted in a number of industry firsts, are recognized among the media and within our industries. Our culture of teamwork, innovation and accessibility fosters a highly productive atmosphere. We pride ourselves on our results.
Nomination Category: Corporate Communications, Investor Relations, & Public Relations Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Communications or PR Campaign of the Year - For a Non-profit Purpose

Nomination Title: Tourism Queensland’s Best Job in the World Campaign

Tell the story about this nominated campaign since January 1 2008 (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

Tourism Queensland tapped Quinn & Co. Public Relations to promote their first
global marketing campaign “The Best Job in the World” in North America.
Conceived and developed by Tourism Queensland and their ad agency CumminsNitro
Brisbane, it was executed in the United States and Canada by Quinn & Co.  The
groundbreaking campaign calls for an international candidate search for a real
six-month job paying about $100,000 and requiring the selected “island
caretaker” to live on Hamilton Island rent-free, travel the Islands of the
Great Barrier Reef and report back via video and blog to Tourism Queensland’s
head office and the world. Other key partners were XCom Media (digital agency)
and Livingstones Australia (human resources). The public relations goal of the
campaign is to create global consumer awareness for a minimum investment and to
promote the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef as an aspirational destination
and to establish the concept of “Life Above The Reef.” 

The story broke with Quinn & Co.’s Reuters placement around sunrise in
Australia on Jan. 12, 2009, and by breakfast time in London, AP was
interviewing Tourism Queensland’s UK director for a broadcast package which
turned up later that day on the morning shows in the U.S.  Within two days,
Tourism Queensland’s monitoring service had found 1,100 TV placements in the U.S.
alone.

About 34,684 candidates from more than 200 countries posted one-minute video
applications explaining why each should be chosen as island caretaker. As of
March 18, 2009, the Web site for the “Best Job in the World”
(www.islandreefjob.com) had a total of 6.7 million visitors, with 26 percent or
1.7 million visitors logging in from the U.S. These totals blasted past Tourism
Queensland’s original goal to get 400,000 new visitors to the Web site over the
course of the one-year campaign. Global interest also sparked increased
visitation to all Tourism Queensland Web sites and doubled monthly
registrations for TQ’s Image Gallery online.

A social networking frenzy began with 336,000 Facebook-referred Web site
visits, more than 3,170 @Queensland followers on Twitter and over 338 members
on the campaign’s Wiki (islandreefjob.ning.com). By March 18, a total of
423,000 people (including 210,000 from the U.S.) had voted for their favorite
top-50 finalist.

“Best Job in the World” marries a great creative idea with perfect timing and
execution. The campaign launched during Northern Hemisphere winter when many
people were dying to get out of the snow and during a global economic crisis,
when about 10 percent are unemployed in the U.S. alone. The island caretaker
competition provided the media with a coveted piece of “good news” during this
gloomy period.

Quinn & Co.’s work promoting “The Best Job in the World” campaign in North
America continues to produce powerful exposure in the significant broadcast,
print and online media, with total U.S. audience impressions equaling
627,230,154 and a growing total publicity value of $11,087,630.

List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:

Links to sample news stories secured by Quinn & Co. in North America:

•             USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2009-03-04-australia-best-job_N.htm?csp=34

•             MSNBC.com: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28641803/

•             U.S. News & World Report:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_AUSTRALIA_WORLDS_BEST_JOB?SITE=DCUSN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

•             FOXNews.com: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,479747,00.html

•             National Geographic Traveler:
http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/intelligenttravel/2009/01/paradise-found-the-best-job-in.html

•             Chicago Daily Herald: http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=264077

•             CNN.com:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/03/04/queensland.australia.dream.job/  and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yetH_nnakck&feature=related

•             Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE50D15K20090114

•             Concierge.com:
http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/blogs/80days/2009/01/best-job-in-the.html

•             Dallas Morning News:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/running/stories/032709dnspofetterman.3582929.html

•             Los Angeles Times: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-on-bestjob14-2009jan14,0,3756332.story

•             San Diego Tribune:
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jan/13/72459081452-best-job-ever/

•             The Star Phoenix:
http://www.thestarphoenix.com/technology/Seven+Canadians+shortlisted+Best+World/1348508/story.html

•             Globe and Mail:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/Page/document/v5/content/subscribe?user_URL=http://www.theglobeandmail.com%2Fservlet%2Fstory%2FRTGAM.20090303.wreefjob0303%2FBNStory%2FInternational%2F%3Fpage%3Drss%26id%3DRTGAM.20090303.wreefjob0303&ord=34301432&brand=theglobeandmail&force_login=tru
•             Yahoo.com:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090303/ap_on_re_au_an/as_australia_world_s_best_job

•             Jaunted.com:
http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/1/12/164221/715/travel/Dream+Jobs%2C+Nightmarish+Storms+And+Yet+Another+Fare+Sale

•             Huffingtonpost.com: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/13/australia-offers-best-job_n_157451.html

•             About.com: http://jobsearch.about.com/b/2009/01/12/the-best-job-in-the-world.htm

•             AOL.com: http://video.aol.com/video-detail/worlds-best-job-offered-in-australia/3441471391/?icid=VIDLRVNWS05  

•             TechCrunch: http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/01/12/australia-offers-best-bloggingsnorkeling-job-in-the-world/

Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader(s) of the team that carried out this campaign:

John Frazier, executive vice president with more than 25 years' experience in
travel public relations, has won dozens of HSMAI awards including Gold,
Platinum and Best of Show (three times). John runs a highly motivated and effective
travel team, helps with new business and serves on the Executive Committee. His
clients have rewarded the agency with additional business many times over.

John has conducted successful PR campaigns for the following destinations: The
Cancun (Mexico) Hotel Association, the "I Love New York" campaign, the State of
Connecticut Tourism Division, the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism, the
Greater New Orleans Tourist and Convention Commission and the Canadian Province
of Newfoundland.

Melissa Braverman, Account Supervisor is a creative thinker who generates top-
tier coverage for travel clients. Melissa has won several HSMAI awards and was
part of the dream team that garnered Quinn & Co. its second Best of Show award
in 2006, for creating Starwood Caribbean’s Procreation Vacation.

Prior to joining Quinn & Co., Melissa worked in broadcast news for seven years,
writing and producing for top outlets such as Fox News Channel, WNBC-TV and
COURT TV. She also contributed to TravelWithVal.com, a leading New York-based
consumer travel web site. Melissa is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College and
received her Master’s of Science in Journalism from Columbia University.