Batchy Prize Adds to Qorvis Team's Award-Winning Record for the Lottery

WASHINGTON, Oct. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL) announced that it has named the Virginia Lottery the winner of its prestigious Batchy Award in the Best Radio Advertising category. The award, presented at the NASPL 2008 conference in Philadelphia on September 25, was bestowed for a commercial from the campaign entitled "Pop Quiz," which was designed to make Virginians more aware of the billions of dollars the Lottery raises to improve public education. The commercial was created by Qorvis Communications, along with creative partner SmithGifford and media partner Spurrier Media Group on the account.

The specific radio spot from the "Pop Quiz" campaign that was Qorvis' winning ticket was an advertisement entitled "Bones" that was based on a question in the "Pop Quiz" series: "How many bones are in the human body?" The "Bones" commercial was recognized by NASPL for best advertising and communication in the beneficiary/corporate awareness category. The coordinating television advertisements can be found at www.valottery.com/money.

"With the 'Pop Quiz' campaign, Qorvis and its team created a compelling concept to bring attention to the billions of dollars raised for the Commonwealth's public education system through the Virginia Lottery. These funds have given thousands of students new opportunities and a lifetime of possibilities," said Karen Gauthier who manages the communications team working with Virginia Lottery.

"Pop Quiz" is also an online game in which players test their knowledge rather than their luck. It consists of actual test questions students have to answer in class, based on the Virginia Public Schools' Standards of Learning. Virginians can log on to www.VaPopQuiz.com and learn how the Lottery money is used to better educate students. Qorvis worked with the Lottery and the Virginia Department of Education to design and develop the game's web site. The site was one of five finalists for the prestigious NASPL Hickey Award.

The overall integrated media campaign designed and implemented by Qorvis and its partners has increased Virginians' awareness of the Lottery's $3.9 billion dollar investment in education since 1999, which includes $455 million in fiscal year 2008. The Virginia Lottery campaign has also received two prestigious ADDY awards for excellence in creative work performed by the Qorvis-lead team.

About Qorvis Communications

Qorvis Communications is one of the nation's largest independent communications firms. Formed in August 2000, Qorvis has offices in Washington, DC, and McLean, VA, and provides its clients with expertise in the areas of advertising, public and media relations, marketing communications, Internet campaigns, investor and financial relations, public affairs, grassroots and research and opinion surveys. For more of the interactive and advertising work performed by the Qorvis team, please visit Qorvis.com/portfolio.

About SmithGifford

SmithGifford is a full-service advertising agency in Falls Church, VA just outside Washington, DC. We're a group of smart people who do really nice work. Sometimes we are referred to as a group of nice people who do really smart work. Over the last five years we've attracted a handful of carefully-selected clients who want to build strong brands using highly-creative thinking. We are proud of the work we have done for them and even more proud of the results. For more info, go to www.smithgifford.com.

About Spurrier Media Group

Spurrier Media Group is a premier media management company working with agencies and clients to provide strategic media solutions locally, regionally and nationally. We (they) specialize in creative media planning with a focus on traditional and new media integration for clients including Virginia Lottery, University of Richmond, Identity Guard, Bakers Square, Ariel Preferred Retail, Virginia Housing Development Authority and Browns Auto Group, among others. Spurrier Media Group is a VMFA 2008 Muse Award Finalist.

SOURCE Qorvis Communications