MTSU Marketing and Communications team earns 17 TCPRA awards

Middle Tennessee State University’s “We Are Music” marketing campaign, which highlighted the music industry work of current students and alumni in three colleges, was awarded Best of Show honors recently by the Tennessee College Public Relations Association.

The Best of Show honor, issued at the TCPRA annual conference in Maryville, was one of 17 awards MTSU received for excellence from TCPRA for projects during the 2018-19 academic year.

The university’s marketing and communications efforts in 2018-19 also received nine honors from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), four nods from the Nashville chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and two national Telly Awards.

The “We Are Music” campaign highlighted excellence by students and alumni in the College of Media and Entertainment, College of Liberal Arts and the Jones College of Business. It attracted attention from Kate Snow, weekend anchor and national correspondent for NBC Nightly News, who came to the MTSU campus to tell how MTSU alums are often nominees and winners in the Grammy Awards.

“We work every day to tell the stories of how MTSU makes a difference in a broad variety of discipline and programs,” said Andrew Oppmann, MTSU vice president for marketing and communications. “We are happy that multiple organizations share our enthusiasm for stories of MTSU’s excellence.”

TCPRA honors received by MTSU include:

• “We Are Music,” Best of Show;
• Fermentation Science advertising by David Foster and Keith Dotson, Gold;
• MTSU President’s Newsletter by University Publications and Creative Marketing Solutions, Gold;
• MTSU “Out of the Blue” TV Program, Gold;
• “We Are Music” media relations campaign, Gold;
• Daniels Center Annual Report by Brian Evans, Silver;
• “Ready to Work” billboard campaign by David Foster and Keith Dotson, Silver;
• “We Are Music” print advertisement by David Foster and Keith Dotson, Silver;
• “MTSU One the Record” radio show by Gina Logue, Silver;
• School of Journalism and Strategic Media “Art of Storytelling” campaign by John Goodwin, Silver;
• “MTSU Out of the Blue” podcast, Silver;
• Spring 2018 commencement photography by Andy Heidt, Bronze;
• Outreach to prospective students by David Foster, Bronze;
• Media relations campaign for Iraq War vet shot 13 times by Randy Weiler and Jimmy Hart, Bronze;
• College of Graduate Studies digital marketing by John Goodwin, Bronze.

Also, in awards issued by the Nashville PRSA Parthenon Awards, MTSU was honored for:

• “MTSU Student Voice Embraces Student-Centric Media,” led by John Goodwin and Student Producer Kobe Hermann, who led the effort to produce first-person content themed for Admissions.
• Graduate Studies Campaign Puts the Focus on Digital, led by John Goodwin, David Foster and Rob Janson;
• MTSU President’s Newsletter, led by Drew Ruble and Kara Hooper;
• MTSU “True Choice” Admissions book, designed by Micah Loyed, which received the one of the top Nashville PRSA Parthenon Awards.

And, CASE awards for MTSU included:

• “True Blue Titan,” cover story of MTSU Magazine, Award of Excellence, CASE National Platinum;
• Graduate Studies campaign, Special Merit, CASE National Platinum;
• Potential College of Law support, Award of Excellence;
• “We Are Music: campaign, Special Merit;
• “Don’t Underestimate Me” TV commercial, Special Merit;
• True Choice book for Admissions, Special Merit;
• Research Magazine cover, Special Merit;
• Giving Back campaign for University Advancement, Special Merit;
• Emergency Preparedness/Crisis Management, Special Merit

Oppmann and Janson received a Bronze Telly Award for MTSU’s “Don’t Underestimate Me” TV commercial (see below). Janson also received a bronze Telly Award for his video promoting the MTSU Creamery in the School of Agriculture.