STUDENT WORK - PUBLIC RELATIONS

THE SHAUN BRUCE FOR MAYOR CAMPAIGN

by Jennifer Rideout
Fourth Year Media Studies, Public Relations

In the fall of 2006, fourth-year Public Relations student Shaun Bruce ran for Mayor of Toronto in the municipal elections. Bruce entered the race after a discussion with classmate Andrew Brander and encouragement from public relations Professor Scott Langdon and his classmates. Over 30 students participated in Bruce’s campaign, dividing themselves into a formidable team with media relations, canvassing and outreach, policy development, media monitoring, website development and financial operations. Their campaign goal was to increase youth voter turnout in Toronto by building a platform focused on youth issues.

During his campaign, Shaun appeared in over 60 media interviews and articles and grabbed the attention of Toronto. He appeared three times on the highly-rated 102.1 The Edge Dean Blundell morning show, had an in-studio interview on MTV Live, and was the focus of four articles in the Toronto Star. In all of his appearances, Shaun focused on the importance of politics and encouraged all youth to vote on Election Day.

On November 13, 2006, Shaun Bruce received 2,820 votes and finished ninth out of 38 candidates for Mayor. His campaign was a resounding success and he received accolades from Mayor David Miller, the Toronto Star and Eye Weekly for his courage as a youth advocate.

Since the election the Shaun Bruce campaign team, comprised solely of fourth-year Guelph-Humber public relations students, has been awarded both nationally and internationally for their achievements. The Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) has given the team an ACE Award in the Student PR Campaign of the Year category, and the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) has announced their only Gold Quill Award in the Student Division will go to these students. To win both awards in the same year is an achievement that very few practitioners, professional or otherwise, will ever achieve.

For more information on these awards, please visit:

CPRS: http://www.cprstoronto.com/
IABC: http://www.iabc.com/

Students from the Shaun Bruce for Mayor campaign were announced as recipients of a 2007 Gold Quill Award from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) in April. The Award marks the first time students from the University of Guelph-Humber have won an international honour.

Each year the Gold Quill Awards competition attracts more than 1,000 entries from IABC members and non-members crossing communication disciplines. For more information visit http://www.iabc.com/awards/gq.

SAMPLES OF ATTAINED MEDIA DURING CAMPAIGN

October 7, 2006 – Interview on Global News

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October 11, 2006 - Live Interview on SUN TV

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October 13, 2006 – Live interview on 102.1 The Edge Dean Blundell Show

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Shaun and his campaign team were also the focus of an episode of the national television show “Punched up!” on The Comedy Network. The episode, titled “Shaun Bruce For Mayor,” aired on February 21, 2007.

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April 19, 2007 - Toronto Star

He's not Mayor but his team is tops

 

Related information:

Press Release I

Press Release II

Public Relations Students Good As Gold

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