BANGALORE: Cisco Systems awarded George P. Johnson (GPJ), the number one ranked event and experience agency, its prestigious Innovation Award for design and activation of the brand's experiential activities worldwide. GPJ representatives were on hand at Cisco's Annual Supplier Days to accept the award held at the technology leaders' headquarters in San Jose, CA.

Every year Cisco's marketing and procurement leaders evaluate agency partners based on performance and contribution to the brand's business priorities. The awards go to a select few strategic partners in one of four categories: Innovation, Partnership, Quality and Overall.

A number of Cisco-GPJ collaborations contributed to the recognition, most recently the Cisco House experience at the London 2012 Olympic Games. An interactive, media-driven installation that played host to thousands of Cisco customers, partners and other VIPs, Cisco House was later named the best B2B sponsor activation of the Games by industry trade magazine Event Marketer.

The Innovation award also recognizes GPJ's contribution to Cisco's business success through the management of diverse corporate and consumer experiences such as the annual Cisco Live! conference, the groundbreaking virtual-hybrid Global Sales Experience for 20,000 global employees and a one-of-a-kind B2C immersive experience, the Cisco Pavilion, created for the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.

In recognizing GPJ with the Innovation Award, Nancy Neipp, Cisco's Senior Director, Global Events said, "Every year we push our partners to bring new ideas to the table, challenging us to make our marketing as impressive and disruptive as the technology we offer. This award acknowledges the kind of big thinking and execution we expect from a truly unique client-agency relationship, one that time and again translates unique brand experiences into business results."

GPJ has partnered with Cisco worldwide for more than 16 years, helping one of the world's great experiential brands continually invent new ways to communicate with, educate and inspire audiences worldwide. The collaboration has produced numerous industry awards over the years, honoring concept and design as well as measured performance.

"This recognition means a great deal to the teams across the world at GPJ as well as those at our sister agencies G7, Spinifex and JUXT Interactive within the Project: WorldWide network, all of whom regularly contribute their talents," said Tara Higgins, SVP and General Manager of GPJ's San Carlos, CA office. "It reinforces for us the fact that great clients need and expect game changing ideas from their agencies, as well as the ability to make those ideas a reality."

"To me this Innovation Award from Cisco speaks volumes about how we are living in a digital era where all brand experiences are global, and that the conversations we start through events nearly always take on a life of their own online regardless of time, place and culture," said Rasheed Sait, VP and Managing Director of GPJ India. "Our client Cisco understands this at a DNA level, and it's been a pleasure working with them to furnish ideas and activations that position them as the undisputed leader in their space through a unique communications approach."

About George P. Johnson (www.gpj.com)

GPJ is the #1 ranked experience marketing agency enabling leading brand marketers to create great ideas and bring them to life through integrated experiential programs that leverage online, mobile and physical brand interactions. Clients in technology, healthcare, consumer goods, finance and other fields rely on GPJ to help them compete more effectively on a global basis by creating and accelerating relationships with customers, employees, partners, media and other influencers. GPJ is part of Project: WorldWide, the leading independent engagement marketing solutions network (www.project.com). Follow GPJ at www.twitter.com/georgepjohnson.

About Cisco

Cisco, (NASDAQ:CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com.

Primary Media Contact: Rasheed Sait, VP, Managing Director, rsait@gpj.com, 91-9886038898