Cleveland, Ohio, June 18, 2021 – Washington University in St. Louis, Department of Athletics, has won four Best Of 2020-21 awards from the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA), the organization announced last week.
WashU was the only Division III institution placed in any of the categories, receiving two silver and two bronze awards.
“We are pleased that our focus on education and awareness, which simultaneously highlights the experience of both students and athletes and increases the recognition of their athletic achievements through campaigns, features, videos and other multimedia elements, has gained national recognition,” said the head of athletics, Anthony J. Azama. “It speaks volumes about the way our student-athletes and staff have worked together year-round to present the WashU experience.”
The bears received silver in the categories of intro or hype video and multi-platform branding campaign as well as bronze in the categories of digital video segment and virtual or in-venue student advertising.
The Bears’ WashU Nike Reveal was awarded silver in the Intro or Hype Video category, while the WashU Nike / BSN announcement won silver in the multi-platform branding campaign. The video and branding campaign revealed WashU’s multi-year partnership with Nike through BSN Sports, the first departmental apparel deal in WashU’s sports history.
WashUs “The Last Chapter” Video received bronze in the Digital Video Segment category. The video served as a tribute to WashU’s class of 2020 student athletes after their senior season was badly hit by COVID-19.
Finally, the bear’s SU #REDOUT promotion won bronze in the Virtual or In-Venue Student Promotion category. This was WashU’s largest promotional game of the season for the men’s and women’s basketball programs for the 2019-2020 season. Attendance at the time of the game was 2,042, higher than any other Division III game of the 2019-20 season and more than many Division I and II games.
“I am very proud of the team that have worked diligently to make this recognition a reality, and I thank Jack Besser and Marco Quaroni for their contributions,” said Associate Director of Athletics for External Operations, Chelsea Petersen. “It’s a great honor to tell the stories of our Scholar Champions and to work with campus and community partners to improve our brand and share deeper stories across multiple media.”
Since its introduction in 2003, the NACMA “Best Of” award program has recognized outstanding achievements in marketing and promotion every year. There are 16 prize categories and each category is divided into three groups based on school size.
WashU has collected five “Best Of” awards in the last two years and won gold in 2020 for the United Pursuit campaign in the multi-platform branding category. Out of nearly 900 submissions across all NCAA divisions, WashU was the only NCAA Division III school to be recognized as a finalist or winner in any category. This was also the first “Best Of” award in WashU Athletics history.
About NACMA: NACMA provides the tools, training, and network for college sports marketers to successfully generate revenue, manage brands, and develop fans. For more information on NACMA, see www.nacma.com. NACMA is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), which is in its 56th year. For more information on NACDA and the 17 member organizations that fall under its umbrella, see www.nacda.com.
