PLDT Group bagged a total of 24 trophies, including Company of the Year – first runner-up for wireless subsidiary Smart Communications (Smart), at the recently concluded 17th Philippine Quill Awards. 

Organized by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), the annual recognition program honors outstanding communication research, programs, skills, and creative work from both public and private sector organizations nationwide. Each bid is evaluated using IABC’s premiere global standard that evaluates and determines exemplary programs and projects in the business communication industry among professionals, with a separate program for students. 

With over 800 entries reviewed by esteemed evaluators for this year’s run, corporate business group PLDT Enterprise received Awards of Excellence for the 2018 leg of the Philippine Digital Convention and business lifestyle publication HOT JOE Online, as well as a Merit Award for its Beyond Satisfaction campaign. Core brand PLDT HOME and PLDT’s Data Privacy Group bagged Awards of Merit for the At Your Service and Handle With Care programs, respectively. 

Leading wireless services provider Smart hauled 18 Philippine Quill awards, led by the Ka-Partner Rewards Program and Smart Millenniors. The incentive program for electronic load retailers and technology enhancement program for senior citizens, respectively, were among the Top 5 Programs under the entire Communications Management division. 

Other Award of Excellence recipients included the Smart Communities program, which serves as the subsidiary’s division for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Excellence awardees under the said umbrella group include LearnSmart mother tongue-based literacy apps, which earned two wins for both the CSR and Audio-Visual Tools categories, as well as the TNT Tropang Ready disaster preparedness program. Smart Communities’ social media program and Kultoura Digital Tourism of Smart, InnoPub Media, and National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) also won Merit trophies under the Communication Skills division. 

Brand campaigns for Smart LTE Nation, TNT SurfSaya, TNT GigaSurf50, and the Free YouTube Everyday projects of Smart and TNT each bagged Excellence Awards. Value brand Sun Cellular received an Award of Merit for their Para Nimo Cebu relaunch campaign, while TNT Tropa Trip Summer Music Fest won a Merit citation under the Special Events category. 

Lastly, various programs under PLDT’s International and Carrier Business Group received Awards of Merit. These included PLDT Global’s FreeBee Day and E-Grad projects, as well as Smart World’s Roam Free campaign. 

The Philippine Quill is considered as one of the country’s most prestigious awards program in the field of business communications. The group has been bestowing its seal of approval to the most reputable organizations and corporations in the nation for almost two decades, emphasizing the use of excellent communication to achieve business goals, and to make a difference in society.