SLU Garners Educational Marketing Awards
06/12/2019
Saint Louis University’s 200-Years-in-One Challenge garnered two awards at the third annual Educafestival, an international educational advertising competition.
This year, 84 marketing campaigns were submitted to the festival, which aims to increase the visibility of educational advertising and its contribution to making a more just, equal and responsible society. The 200-Years-in-One Challenge earned bronze in the relational marketing category and gold in the integrated marketing campaign category. In addition, SLU’s campaign was shortlisted for the event’s highest honor, the Gran Buho award, which recognizes the year’s most distinguished marketing campaign among entries in all categories.
The gala took place in Madrid’s Caixa Forum, a center for sociocultural events located in the heart of Madrid’s Golden Triangle of Art – the area where the Prado, Reina Sofia and Thyssen-Bornemisza museums are located. This year’s hosts were Irene Villa, a Spanish author and journalist, and Luis Larrodera, a well-known Spanish comedian, actor, and TV/radio host. Winner of various international magic and illusion competitions, Jorge Luengo also livened the gala by performing various tricks.
SLU-Madrid’s Marketing and Communications Department represented the University at the gala, accepting the two trophies on behalf of the all of those involved in developing and carrying out a campaign unlike any that had ever been done.
“It was an honor to represent SLU at the festival,” said SLU-Madrid director of marketing Ángel García López. “This innovate campaign not only mobilized the SLU community and increased brand awareness, but also aligned with our institutional mission to serve the greater good. The awards were well-deserved. I extend my congratulations to all of my colleagues in St. Louis as well as the entire SLU community.”
About the 200-Year-in-One Challenge
As one of the country’s premier Catholic, Jesuit universities, Saint Louis University wanted to celebrate its bicentennial anniversary not just by looking back — but by giving back.
The idea behind the 200-Years-in-One Challenge was to empower the entire community to help others by giving back the equivalent of 200 years of volunteer service—more than 1.75 million hours — all in one year. Through advertising, events, social media and direct outreach to alumni, faculty, staff, students and other supporters, the University urged constituents to volunteer and log the hours on slu.edu/200years or to download an app that track hours of service.
Once submitted, volunteer hours were added to the running total on a large, illuminated clock on campus and were also visible on the campaign website. This initiative allowed all of the community, no matter where they live or how frequently they get back to campus, to be a part of the bicentennial.
Ultimately, participants logged more than 225 years of service—the equivalent of nearly 2 million hours.