Duty First Consulting (DFC) is proud to announce it is the recipient of three MarCom Awards from the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals for the 2015 competition. DFC received a platinum MarCom Award, the highest honor, for work on behalf of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) eBenefits and electronic claims television Public Service Announcement (PSA) campaign. A gold MarCom Award was received for DFC’s work on VA’s SmokefreeVET: Veterans’ Virtual Champion for Quitting Tobacco video. An honorable mention award was also received for a series of VA Office of Public Health (OPH) newsletters created to educate Veterans on key public health issues impacting Veterans across generations.

MarCom Awards is an international creative competition that recognizes outstanding achievement by marketing and communication professionals involved in the concept, writing, and design of marketing and communication programs, and print, visual, and audio materials. The competition has grown to perhaps the largest of its kind in the world and winners range from individual communicators to media conglomerates and Fortune 500 companies.

About this year’s awards:

1. Platinum Award – eBenefits and eClaims: Online VA Claims Made Simple (Television: PSA Campaign Category)

DFC created a series of national television PSAs for VA featuring NASCAR Champion Kurt Busch, and actor and U.S. Army Veteran J.R. Martinez to promote Veteran enrollment in eBenefits, awareness of the Fully Developed Claims Program, and increased use of electronic claims (eClaims).

MarCom’s Platinum Award is presented to those entries judged to be among the most outstanding entries in the competition. Platinum Winners are recognized for their excellence in terms of quality, creativity, and resourcefulness. About 16 percent won this award.

2. Gold Award – SmokefreeVET: Veterans’ Virtual Champion for Quitting Tobacco (Video/Film: Government Category)

In support of VA’s Office of Public Health, DFC also created a short one-minute video that includes information about its SmokefreeVET program and how Veterans can quit tobacco, and stay smoke free. SmokefreeVET is a free text messaging program that provides daily support, advice, and encouragement to Veterans who are trying to quit smoking.

The Gold Award is presented to those entries judged to exceed the high standards of the industry norm. Approximately 23 percent of the 2015 competition entries were Gold Winners.

3. Honorable Mention – Reaching Generations of Veterans through Public Health Newsletters (External Newsletter: Government Category)

DFC supports VA’s Office of Public Health in publishing three newsletters annually: Post-9/11 Vet, for OEF, OIF, and Operation New Dawn Veterans; Gulf War Newsletter for Veterans who served in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm; and the Agent Orange Newsletter, for Vietnam-era Veterans. These newsletters include the latest information on topics related to public health, and feature clear calls to action for Veterans and their families, as well as information on the benefits and resources available to them through VA.

Honorable Mention certificates are granted to those entries that meet the expectations of the judges. Approximately 10 percent were Honorable Mention winners.