TCU Marketing & Communication and TCU Admission are making big impressions with work that celebrates TCU’s bright future with creativity and personality. The efforts were recognized by industry leader Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) with a grand gold and three silver awards.
“These awards are a testament to the hard work, creativity and dedication of our team,” said Merianne Roth, vice chancellor of marketing and communication. “Out of thousands of entries, only a fraction were recognized for being truly stellar. This speaks volumes about the quality of our work, and it’s only the beginning.”
Teams from 600 institutions in 28 countries entered the awards, submitting 4,223 entries. CASE recognizes the work of universities worldwide in advancement services, alumni relations, communications and marketing.
A Golden Secret
The Five Secrets Search Campaign earned a grand gold award in the online advertising category. Prospective students were encouraged to confirm their information to receive their “five secrets” admission guide in the mail. It provided a pivotal engagement point to initiate meaningful dialogue. The TCU Admission project was aided by TCU Marketing & Communication creative, and the collaboration impressed the judges.
"We praised TCU's in-house search campaign for its personalized, cost-effective approach,” they wrote. “The campaign's strategic timing, personalized messaging and interactive elements stood out as effective engagement strategies. Overall, it sets a high standard for higher education marketing."
Silver Stars
Three endeavors earned silver from CASE, including Lead On, Courageously: Katherine Beattie. This video told the story of the 2008 alumna, one of TCU’s Sesquicentennial mural subjects, who is a wheelchair motocross participant, TV writer/producer and advocate for disability representation in media.
According to the judges, “This nicely paced video stands out, due to a unique and modern feel.”
Also part of its Sesquicentennial celebration, the university was awarded for the Bright Future installation in the environmental graphics category. The light exhibit closed out the 150th festivities with uplighting and other light installations around campus.
“This bold and impactful event effectively celebrates the ‘Bright Future’ concept with a fun and engaging showcase, drawing people to campus. The project skillfully balanced the simple use of color with the more complex projection mapping onto facades and white banners. The integration of student, faculty and staff images adds a personal touch and subtly incorporates more colors.”
The sponsored campaign First Impressions Matter was recognized in the online advertising category. The core was a long-form multimedia piece in the Chronicle of Higher Education that showed how TCU’s intentional first-year experience bolsters student retention. The piece was pushed through social and performed extremely well.
“Exceeding page-view targets by 36% demonstrates the campaign’s effectiveness in reaching and engaging their target audience,” said the judges. “This success sets a standard for elevating reputation through strategic marketing.”
TCU’s University Advancement also earned a silver award for alumni relations with its Horned Frog Fair, a TCU Alumni Association event that connects alumni and supports scholarship and alumni-owned businesses.
“This initiative not only saw a significant turnout but also facilitated engagement with an array of businesses,” wrote the judges.