WMU marketing efforts win series of professional association awards

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Four Western Michigan University marketing initiatives won accolades in four categories of the 2017 Pride of Case V competition sponsored by the upper-Midwest district of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.

Winners of the annual competition were announced in late October, and awards will be presented at CASE V's conference in Chicago in December. The Pride of CASE V Awards showcase best practices in alumni relations, fundraising, advancement services, special events and communications. Experts from all disciplines outside of District V judge the entries.

WMU awards

• In the best student recruitment video category, the Haworth College of Business brought home the gold for its "Behind Every Moment" video. Indiana University and the University of Wisconsin took second and third places, respectively, while the University of Michigan earned an honorable mention. The WMU entry was conceived and produced by the business college's marketing staff.
• In the best commercial category, WMU took silver with its "Strike Gold" 30-second spot. The University of Michigan took gold, Marquette University also took a silver, and Michigan State received a bronze. The WMU video, which was used throughout the 2016-17 academic year, was produced by the Office of University Relations.
• WMU took a second silver in the excellence in design poster series category with its "We are Gold" entry produced by university relations. Indiana won that category, Illinois State placed third and U-M received an honorable mention.
• Finally, an MBA brochure produced by the Haworth College of Business marketing staff was awarded an honorable mention in the single brochure category. 

"Our creative, talented campus marketers have once again proven to be fierce competition to institutions with more resources, agency relationships and beaucoup budgets," says Chris Hunt, WMU director of marketing communications, who coordinated several of the entries.

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education is an international association of education advancement officers, who include alumni administrators, fundraisers, public relations managers, publications editors and government relations officers. Its District V covers the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.

For more WMU news, arts and events, visit wmich.edu/news.