Honors follow Boston/New England Emmy Award win
BOSTON -- June 3, 2015: The University of Massachusetts system's Here For a Reason multi-media marketing and advertising campaign today was honored with Gold and Silver medals in this year's Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) "Circle of Excellence" competition.
The UMass system campaign won Gold in the overall advertising campaign category and took a Silver award, the highest given out this year, in the Individual Ad category.
The CASE awards come on the heels of the University's 60-second Here For a Reason television ad this past weekend receiving an Emmy at this year's Boston/New England Emmy Award competition.
"I am pleased that this campaign has been so well received, because I believe it makes an essential point about the University of Massachusetts and the critical contribution it makes to the Commonwealth and its citizens," President Robert L. Caret said.
"We believe that it is important to note that in a state blessed with many fine colleges and universities, only one university, UMass, was established for the specific purpose of serving the citizens of the entire state," President Caret said.
"This is a mission and a birthright that we take very seriously, and UMass works to the utmost to move the Commonwealth forward by educating 73,000 students a year, through research that fuels the state's innovation economy and by providing service to citizens in every corner of the state. We are 'here for a reason,' and we're proud to be the Commonwealth's public research university," he added.
The Here For a Reason campaign, which debuted last fall, was the UMass system's first multi-media marketing and advertising effort, blending together print, television, radio and digital advertising elements.
The campaign was developed by the UMass President's Office communications team - Robert P. Connolly, Ann Scales, Jan Brogan, Colin Murphy and JoAnn Conley - working in partnership with Boathouse Inc. of Waltham, an advertising/marketing firm with a national client base.
"We have been delighted to play this role in telling the UMass quality and impact story," said Boathouse co-founder John Connors. "We want the people of the Commonwealth to fully appreciate the faculty and student stars you readily find at UMass and really root for their public research university. We want people to take notice and cheer."
The judges who awarded the Gold medal in the overall advertising campaign category said: "This campaign includes innovative use of media with outstanding execution, strong copy that conveys mission and value, and meaningful results." Referring to one of the Here For a Reason television ads, the judges said: "The spot leaves one in awe of the scope of what's happening at the university while at the same time giving a warm feeling about the institution. It's rare to see a campaign work so well in TV and print."
The Individual Ad Silver medal was based on the wrap of the Boston Globe that kicked off the Here For a Reason campaign on November 13, 2014.
A judge in that category observed: "An all-text approach, beautifully crafted to read like a poem. It starts off with an intriguing line, "One university woke up thinking about Massachusetts this morning."
Another judge observed: "The ending of the ad is what makes it especially powerful, "Here for the future of our Commonwealth. And the common good." That line makes it rise above many of the other ads we saw because it does such a great job of connecting the people of Massachusetts to the University on an emotional level."
For more information on the CASE awards: https://www.case.org/awards/2015/2015-circle-excellence-award-winners-institution
Contact: Alex Bloom, 617-646-1013; Laura Wareck, 978-660-9587