iCOMM winners exemplify best in benefits communication

The benefits profession’s best communicators were celebrated yesterday at Employee Benefit News’ Benefits Forum & Expo in Phoenix.

Now in their fourth year, EBN’s i-COMM Awards seek to honor the best in the internal communication of benefits. With the 2012 winners, EBN nods to initiatives that advance strategic goals of an organization while specifically addressing the objectives of HR and benefits departments.

Jennifer Harvey, a director of marketing and communications for American Express, takes the iCOMM for Best Overall Communications Campaign. Harvey oversaw an effort to consolidate in one place American Express’ four separate faces of benefits offerings – Healthy Living, Smart Saving, Work-Life and Reward Blue – for its employees.

“We wanted to take the four benefits brands and be able to integrate one message into one place that tells a whole story … it’s about overall health,” Harvey says. “We wanted to do it in a fun and dynamic way.”

The result was “For Your Benefit,” a quarterly magazine that highlights programs that fit with the season and/or are underutilized. The summer issue, for example, contained Weight Watcher recipes, talked about employees who had recently graduated after using AmEx’s tuition reimbursement program and featured an article on how to find summertime child care.

AmEx’s international offices are talking about adopting “For Your Benefit” as a global communications platform.

The other 2012 iCOMM Award winners:

  • Best Print or Online Employee Newsletter: Will Scarboro, research associate and webmaster for FBMC Benefits Management
  • Best Intranet/Employee Portal Design and Usability: Hertz benefits team
  • Best Use of Social Media: Michelle James, health communications manager at Intel

All of the winners were invited to EBN’s 25th annual Benefits Forum and Expo, continuing through Tuesday in Phoenix. Profiles of all four are available in the Sept. 1 EBN.

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Benefit communication
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