The EON Group, a Filipino-owned communications firm, was awarded a Gold Quill Award of Merit by the International Association of Business Communicators’ (IABC) for its nationwide research, the Philippine Trust Index 2017. 

The Gold Quill Award is the third award that EON received for the Philippine Trust Index (PTI), but it is the first international recognition for EON’s proprietary study that looks into the levels and drivers of trust among Filipinos. Previously, the PTI of 2014 received a Philippine Quill Award of Excellence and Top Award for Communication Research in 2016, as well as a Philippine Anvil Special Award for Excellence in the Use of Research in Planning, Measurement and Evaluation in 2016. 

“Our seven-year work in the Philippine Trust Index has always been driven by our belief in the value of understanding better the Filipino people and how we build trust-based relationships and even among each other,” EON Group’s CEO, Junie del Mundo, said. “Today, we are being globally recognized for the hard work we have put in since day one in 2011, and we’re very proud of it.” 

The PTI is the EON Group’s multi-awarded proprietary research on trust in the Filipino Society. It is a nationwide survey that cuts across socioeconomic, educational, geographic and demographic backgrounds to discover just how much Filipinos trust the six key institutions in society - the Government, the Business Sector, the Media, Non-Governmental Organizations, the Church and the Academe.

While the PTI was first launched in 2011, it has undergone many changes to remain timely and relevant with every iteration. For the fifth PTI released in 2017, EON turned social media into a pillar of the study by exploring Filipinos’ trust in social media compared to other institutions, and by listening in on social media conversations about trust in the six key institutions to discover whether online discussions truly reflect on-the-ground realities. 

The creativity and expertise that the EON Group has put in has certainly paid-off because “only exceptional work earns an IABC Gold Quill Award”, said Cindy Schmieg ABC, IABC Fellow, chair of the awards committee. “The award winners represent our profession of ethical practitioners contributing to organizational outcomes.” 

For more than 40 years, IABC’s Gold Quill Awards have recognized excellence in strategic communication worldwide and are acknowledged as one of the most prestigious awards programs in the global communications industry. The awards will be presented at the Excellence Gala, held on Tuesday, 5 June 2018, as part of IABC’s World Conference in Montréal. For more information on the Gold Quill Awards, please visit the Gold Quill Awards website.