MANILA, PHILIPPINES — DDB Group Philippines was named the winner of two Gold Stevie® Award in The 18th Annual International Business Awards.
DDB Group Philippines won a Gold Stevie Award for “Company of the Year” in the Advertising, Marketing, & Public Relations – Medium-size category, and another Gold Stevie Award for “Most Exemplary Employer” in the COVID-19 Response category.
“We are deeply honored to receive these recognitions which we consider the fruits of all we have worked hard for during this pandemic. We are able to turn this crisis into opportunities to provide even greater value to brands while taking care of our people, and being of help to sectors affected by the pandemic,” said DDB Group Philippines Chairman & CEO Gil G. Chua.
Stevie Award winners were determined by the average scores of more than 260 executives worldwide who participated in the judging process from June through early August, 2021.
Capturing the essence of the integrated marketing communications group’s winning “Company of the Year” entry are some of these judges’ comments:
“Bravo! A very comprehensive growth, not just in terms of financial growth, but also in the team spirit, contribution to the community, and overall corporate culture. It is an excellent demonstration of the DDB worldwide vision too.”
“A people-first approach was refreshing and produced commercial success in difficult times. Setting a new blueprint for the industry.”
“The people-oriented culture of DDB paid off in this time of great difficulty.”
Here are also some of the judges’ comments on DDB Group Philippines’ winning “Most Exemplary Employer” entry:
“Company has very clear COVID-19 policies and protocols, highlighting the People First approach. Very impressive level of communication, actions, and initiatives to support their employees and business. Quickly creating a very comprehensive and detailed playbook while experiencing it for the first time is a result of DDB Group Philippines’ People First Culture.”
“The company has used all means of digital communication to reach its audience successfully. They are also good at localizing global response to COVID-19 by taking into account differences in cultural and work environment. Adaptation to new conditions has been processed with good planning and implementation.”
“Company took many proactive actions towards their employees’ work from home arrangements and was keen on keeping them updated on company news, COVID-19 cases, and precautionary measures, as well as in giving health tips, mental health counseling, and work-life balance hacks.”
DDB Group Philippines Chief Culture Officer Anna Chua-Norbert said, “Performing our duties with agility, and putting focus on the well-being of our people through policies, programs, and activities that keep them safe, happy and engaged are our foremost priorities. Our biggest win is the continuing proactiveness of our people to keep everyone informed and safe during these unprecedented times,” said Chua-Norbert.
The International Business Awards are the world’s premier business awards program. All individuals and organizations worldwide – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small – are eligible to submit nominations. The 2021 IBAs received entries from organizations in 63 nations and territories.
“What we’ve seen in this year’s IBA nominations is that organizations around the world, in every sector, have continued to innovate and succeed, despite the setbacks, obstacles, and tragedies of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” said Stevie Awards president Maggie Gallagher. “All of this year’s Stevie Award winners are to be applauded for their persistence and their resilience. We look forward to celebrating their achievements with them during our 8 December virtual awards ceremony.”
As the ongoing COVID-19 crisis will prevent winners from receiving their awards on stage during a traditional gala IBA banquet, winners will be celebrated instead during a virtual ceremony on Wednesday, 8 December.
More than 3,700 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted this year for consideration in a wide range of categories, including Company of the Year, Marketing Campaign of the Year, Best New Product or Service of the Year, Startup of the Year, Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year, and Executive of the Year, among others. This year’s competition also featured a number of categories to recognize organizations’ and individuals’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Details about The International Business Awards and the lists of Stevie Award winners are available at www.StevieAwards.com/IBA.
