Higher education overall, particularly among business schools, is ferociously competitive. So competitive that the Educational Advertising Awards were established to recognize advertising and marketing efforts that stand out in the academic space, where messages tend to look the same.
Robinson’s Office of Marketing & Communications (OMC) placed in two categories in this year’s Educational Advertising Awards: gold for a digital video ad of less than two minutes, and silver for electronic advertising. This year, more than 1,000 higher education institutions and high schools submitted more than 2,000 entries. Only 410 of the entries were designated as gold and 256, silver.
“Our work is unlike what you’d typically see produced by a college of business,” said Monica Cooper, chief marketing and communications officer. “The intent was to break the mold and stand out. Our unique, inclusive culture and roots in innovation coupled with our achievement in student success helped us to capture the magic that is Robinson.”
The OMC team collaborated on both pieces with its agency of record, BVK. The gold-winning brandscape video encapsulates Robinson’s elevated brand positioning and showcases our culture, with campus b-roll and eye-catching animation. The final script represents the collective effort of faculty, staff, students, alumni, and Robinson’s Board of Advisors, all of whom share the belief that Robinson transforms lives, business, and society.
A collection of sponsored ads landed Robinson a silver recognition. Deployed on LinkedIn, the ads include animation, “power shots” of alumni, and brief copy that commands attention. They also drove created applications: Master’s program applications have increased by approximately 36 percent year over year.
The panel of judges comprised higher education marketers, advertising creative directors, and marketing and advertising professionals from across the United States.
“The annual Educational Advertising Awards is an opportunity for industry professionals to test their programs and campaigns against the best in the country,” said Derek Lok, vice president of HMR Publications Group, the organization that sponsors the competition. “Robinson showed creativity, marketing execution, and message impact in their digital video and advertising.”