Camarillo, Calif., March 24, 2014 – CSU Channel Islands (CI) recently earned top national honors from the Collegiate Advertising Awards for its “Together We Innovate – Join Us” advertising campaign. The Collegiate Advertising Awards (CAA) is an elite national program recognizing colleges and universities for excellence in communications, marketing, advertising, and promotions of their schools.
CI garnered a Gold Award, placing it in the top 5 percent out of 800 entries submitted by higher education institutions in the U.S. and Canada. CAA’s expert panel of design and education marketing professionals judged entries based on creativity, layout and design, functionality, message effectiveness, production quality, and overall appeal. Participants’ entries competed against similar sized organizations in their specific groups and categories. Only the top 16 percent of entries earned awards, ranging from the highest – Judge’s Choice – to the lowest – Bronze.
“Under the leadership of President Rush, the staff and faculty at Channel Islands are constantly challenged to innovate and be the best at what we do,” stated A. Michael Berman, Vice President for Information Technology Services. “I'm very proud that our Communication & Marketing team can add this recognition to the dozens of awards received across the campus in our short history."
The “Together We Innovate – Join Us” campaign launched in February 2013, with a blitz of more than 100 ads in over a dozen media outlets, including newspapers, magazines, business publications, online display ads, search engines, social media sites, direct mail, as well as University publications.
The campaign highlights the University’s stellar accomplishments and unique student-centered atmosphere through an inspiring array of ads featuring the photos and stories of real CI students, alumni, faculty and staff. It also makes a compelling appeal to prospective students, donors, and community partners to join in the innovation and advancement that the 12-year-old institution is bringing to the region.
CI enlisted OneWorld Communications, a marketing communication firm in San Francisco, specializing in educational and multicultural communication and branding, for creative strategy and concept development. The ad artwork design and direction, photography, and media placement was handled by the University’s Communication & Marketing team. CI Art faculty member Larry Lytle also assisted with photography.
“We’ve been thrilled by the enthusiastic response to the campaign,” said Nancy Covarrubias Gill, Director of Communication & Marketing. “The ‘Together We Innovate’ message emphasizes the mutually beneficial partnership between our University and the surrounding community. This award is a tribute to the people on our campus and throughout the region who foster that spirit of innovation.”
For more information on the Collegiate Advertising Awards, visit http://collegiateadawards.com/home/.
# # #
About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands(CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more by visiting CI's Social Media.