In 2020, UWI St Augustine teamed up with advertising agency Caribbean Ideas Synapse (CIS) for the 2020-2021 “Game Changers” campaign. That campaign caught the eye of the judges of the 2021 Caribbean Advertising Federation’s (CAF) Awards, earning the team an “ADDY” award.
UWI St Augustine’s Marketing and Communications Office worked with CIS to create a campaign that highlighted the outstanding work of the campus community.
“We really wanted to focus on the amazing people on this campus and the outstanding and important work they do,” said Wynell Gregorio, Campus Director of Marketing and Communications. “The campaign showed prospective students what they can achieve if they invest in an education at UWI St Augustine. It also allowed the public to see the university’s commitment to its students and to society.”
Game Changers profiled high-achieving students taking part in academic and outreach activities for the betterment of local and the national community. It shared impactful campus events such as the graduation ceremonies. The campaign outlined many of UWI St Augustine’s initiatives in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to support contact tracing and testing, public awareness and policy advice, and a unique manufacturing effort to provide safety and medical equipment for health workers, patients, and the public.
The ADDYs are the creative award show of the American Advertising Federation (AAF), of which the CAF is a member. 550 entries were submitted across all categories for the 2021 competition, and against a field of 17 winners (12 silver, 5 gold), the Game Changers campaign copped a prestigious Silver ADDY Award for Social Media.
Selection of the most creative entry in each category is affected by a scoring process in which a panel of judges evaluates all creative dimensions of every entry. Entries that are considered outstanding and worthy of recognition receive a Silver ADDY. The number of awards given in each category is determined by the judges and is based on the relative quality of work in that category.
“Inspiration for the theme came from all the game-changing lecturers, students, staff and alumni who continue to inspire us every day,” said Mrs Gregorio.
Brevard Nelson, CEO of Caribbean Ideas Synapse, commented that “We’ve had such a great experience collaborating with The University of the West Indies and are delighted to share this award for the Game Changers campaign.”
He added, “Our agency believes that integrated marketing and cross-channel storytelling are essential capabilities for the modern marketer. This campaign really proved that by effectively showcasing real students and their stories, we were able to achieve impactful results."
