Cork Company Fuzion Communications beat strong competition to walk away with Excellence in Communication CSR Award 2013.

13 September 2013

Fuzion Communications, located on South Mall, Cork City were crowned winners of the Excellence in Communication Award, at last night’s Chambers Ireland Corporate Responsibility Awards 2013.  Beating off some strong competition from big brands including the Dublin Airport Authority, O2 and Ulster Bank, the reputable PR Company won the award based on their highly acclaimed, and now famous ‘safebook’ campaign.

The ‘safebook’ campaign was developed earlier this year in response to the issue of cyber bullying in social media. Fuzion created a simple info graphic which promotes the safe use of social media and provides tips to those who are facing abusive behaviour online. By using a combination of design, PR and social media skills, Fuzion successfully reached out to a massive target audience; reaching 500,000 people globally within its first 48 hours. Fuzion made sure this info graphic was easy to share and since its development; it has been adopted as a resource by the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals and is being rolled out in all schools since the new term began.

Speaking about their win, Greg Canty, Director of Fuzion PR said “The great thing about running our own business is that we can get involved in various pro-bono projects without having to look for anyone’s approval – if it’s something that we feel is a worthy cause and we can make a significant contribution to, we just jump in. We have been doing this for years on many different projects and it is really great that the work we did on the ‘safebook’ cyber bullying initiative, which has made a huge impact in Ireland and abroad, has been recognised by Chambers Ireland.”

This year marked a record number of applications and the largest number of new entrants since the awards began.  John Cunningham, Chair of the judging panel said “These awards continue to give us the chance to recognise the work that the business community does in relation to the local community, their employees, their stakeholders and their overall sustainability. CSR is often seen as going the extra mile and their no doubt Irish businesses have embraced that motto.”

The renowned ‘safebook’ campaign is now being used worldwide;

Currier, Principal of Cornwall Collegiate and Vocational School in Ontario, Canada who used the ‘safebook’ campaign said “Facebook and other types of social media can be very powerful educational resources when used properly.  The ‘safe book’ poster provides all members of our school community with essential information about how to correctly and safely use Facebook.  The important hints that are included in the poster will help students avoid difficult situations and help them deal with any bullying that may occur.  Thanks so much for providing our students with the necessary knowledge that will allow them to avoid serious and possibly harmful circumstances.  Thanks once again for these excellent posters.”

Scott Schaffner, High School Principal, Dubai American Academy, Dubai said “I shared the poster with my staff of 45 teachers.  We are an international school in Dubai and the response has been really positive.  As a principal, I give out information weekly and the safe book poster has gotten the most response by far.”

Terri McCargar, librarian at an independent school in London said “We’ve included it in our posters and assemblies on the anti-bullying theme. It’s a great design – something that doesn’t look patronizing and that they can all relate to, I think. Often posters designed for school-age children can look a bit stuffy or, worse, trying to be down with the kids. I think playing on the Facebook theme but being quite “straight” with a message on how to be sensible online and protect themselves is just the right approach – anything that makes them think about what they’re doing online is a good thing.”

For further information on Fuzion Communications visit  www.fuzion.ie  follow them on Facebook and twitter.

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