PSA Campaign To Encourage Hosting Foreign Exchange Students Wins Prestigious Award

(I-Newswire) November 13, 2009 - ALEXANDRIA, VA - November 2009 - The International Academy of the Visual Arts awarded the joint CSIET/U.S. State Department hosting campaign two International Davey Awards, which recognize outstanding creative work from the best small advertising firms worldwide. The Plowshare Group developed and implemented the campaign, which included radio and print public service announcements informing the public of the benefits of hosting international exchange students. Since the campaign was launched in May, the radio PSAs have aired 26,000 times on some 190 stations across 40 states, generating over $3 million in donated airtime.

The Silver award-winning "Family Meeting" spot focuses on an average family that is considering hosting an international exchange student and the enriching experience hosting an exchange student can have on a host family. To listen to the radio spots and view the Host Exchange Students campaign, go to www.hoststudents.org.

The print advertisement, which features an exchange student having breakfast with her host sister under the tagline "Share your pancakes with a kid from Cairo," received an honorable mention.

"This is an exciting honor given that it's our first attempt to use a PSA campaign to get our message out. We have learned a great deal from our media partners at The Plowshare Group," stated John Hishmeh, CSIET Executive Director.

The Davey Awards is the largest and most prestigious awards competition exclusively for smaller advertising firms. The Davey is judged on intelligence, out-of-the-box thinking, and exceptional execution, without large budgets. This year, winners were selected out of some 4,000 entries.

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About CSIET: The Council on Standards for International Educational Travel (CSIET) is a not-for-profit organization committed to quality international educational travel and exchange for youth at the high school level. The purpose of CSIET is to identify, promote, and support reputable international youth exchange programs. For more information, visit www.csiet.org.

About the Award: The Davey Awards advertises, "David defeated the giant Goliath with a big idea and a little rock - the sort of thing small firms do each year. The annual International Davey Awards honors the achievements of the ‘Creative Davids' who derive their strength from big ideas, rather than stratospheric budgets." The Davey is sanctioned and judged by the International Academy of the Visual Arts, an invitation-only body consisting of top-tier professionals from acclaimed media, advertising, and marketing firms. Entries are judged to evaluate distinction in creative work. For more information, visit http://www.daveyawards.com/.

About The Council on Standards for International Educational Travel:
The Council on Standards for International Educational Travel (CSIET) is a not-for-profit organization committed to quality international educational travel and exchange for youth at the high school level.

The purpose of CSIET is to identify reputable international youth exchange programs, to provide leadership and support to the exchange and educational communities so that youth are provided with meaningful and safe international exchange experiences, and to promote the importance and educational value of international youth exchange.

Company Contact Information
The Council on Standards for International Educational Travel
Laura Peters
212 South Henry Street
22314
Phone : 703-739-9050