York University’s “this is my time” communications campaign has won five North American 2014 Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District II Accolades Awards in several categories for its “very well developed and executed marketing campaign directed towards potential future students and current students.”
First launched in September 2012, the campaign features an unconventional twist on testimonials by featuring current York students sharing their visions on how they are positively impacting the world in the future. The comprehensive campaign has been featured on television, cinema, print, transit, and online and has included a ‘Vision Exchange’ allowing current and prospective students to share their own visions. It has also been shared widely on its campuses as a means of raising pride amongst the York University community.
“I am proud of our campaign because it has provided a platform for us to convey York’s distinct brand and to highlight how our rich diversity of perspectives and programming, coupled with a strong sense of social responsibility, is what sets York apart,” says York University President and Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri.
“We are thrilled to be honoured with these prestigious awards recognizing the success of our campaign in raising awareness and advancing recruitment efforts through a range of media platforms,” says Susan Webb, chief communications and marketing officer at York University. “The creative concept that features our students telling their stories about how they will help transform the world with a York U degree has really resonated with both current and prospective students and has generated a real sense of pride here at York.”
The campaign microsite.
“This is my time” received Gold Awards in the Marketing Programs and Multimedia Packages categories and a Silver Award in Institutional Identity/Branding. Video used for broadcast on television and in cinemas received Bronze in the Advertising and Video Features categories, respectively.
Accolades judges lauded this is my time for showcasing diversity in communication materials and for its innovative and creative approach to promote the institution, to attract new students, and to build a sense of pride among community members through effective paid media channels that resonate with high school and university students.
The Vision Exchange featured a “free tuition for a year” contest that was promoted in conjunction with Much Music in the first year is part of the campaign which celebrates the ambition and goals of current and future York U students. In its inaugural run last year, a Human Resources Management student won the contest in the current student category and a future student won the contest for her “education for every girl” vision — she is now enrolled in York’s much sought-after film program. This year, a Kinesiology and Health Science student won the contest for his vision to “make Canada the leader in reversing the growing number of obesity and Type 2 diabetes cases.”
“The this is my time campaign was the culmination of a great collaboration to define and communicate York’s brand positioning,” says Doug Robinson, chief creative officer at doug & serge inc, York’s agency of record. “We are delighted the campaign has been well received by students and their parents. With the addition of accomplished alumni and faculty in the 2013-2014 campaign it will further reinforce the excellence of a York education.”
York University’s daily news website, YFile, received a Gold Award in Web Site: News category, credited as “well organized, easy to read and visually appealing”. Its e-newsletter received honourable mention under Newsletters category. (YFile has two previous Gold Awards and one Silver Award in the Web Site: News category, and one Gold Award, one Silver and one Bronze in the Newsletter category.)
York U also received honourable mention in Design in Print: Specialty Items, for its brand pocket lookbook, Global Thinking, Shaped Here.
The Washington-based Council honoured the award winners Monday evening at a reception during its annual conference in Baltimore, Maryland. The largest of the eight CASE districts, with 700 member educational institutions, District II is a regional association of advancement professionals in the areas of alumni relations, communications, and philanthropy.