University of New Haven Marketing and Communications Team Wins Six Collegiate Advertising Awards

For the third year in a row, members of the University of New Haven鈥檚 Office of Marketing and Communications have been recognized in the annual for their creative work and dedication in sharing the University鈥檚 story. This year, the University received six total awards, for their marketing efforts including on logos, social media, newsletters, and the Alumni Magazine. Among those, gold awards were received for Charlie鈥檚 Events Roundup newsletter, the Alumni Reunion Weekend logo, and a digital advertising campaign promoting the University鈥檚 paramedicine programs.

I asked Kaitlyn Pinheiro, the individual behind the Universities newsletters, to share some background information on Charlie鈥檚 Events Roundup, an e-newsletter sent to the University community each week highlighting events happening on campus throughout the semester. Pinheiro explained that before the newsletter was introduced in fall of 2019, students often received, 鈥渄ozens of emails during the week from various Recognized Student Organizations (RSOs), even if they weren鈥檛 interested in a particular group or its activities.鈥�

She also stated that, 鈥渢he Events Roundup was created to condense all those emails into a weekly digest so that students are still getting the important information about how to get involved on campus, all in one place.鈥�

I learned that Pinheiro was a key player in the creation of these newsletters.

鈥淚 actually create the Events Roundup each week during the academic year,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t gets sent out on Thursday evenings at 8 p.m. and gives a look at the happenings that students can get involved in on campus in the week ahead.鈥�

I asked what she believes makes the newsletter stand out among students and staff, and she explained that it helps students discover opportunities they may not have known about otherwise.

鈥淲hen students begin their journey at the University, they are introduced to a whole new way of life,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he best part is that there is such a wide range of opportunities here at the University of New Haven. You just have to know where to look.鈥�

She further explained that the newsletter features a variety of campus activities, including athletics, workshops, and events, which allow students to explore the different opportunities outside of their usual routines.

To gain more insight into the process behind the newsletter, I asked Pinheiro what people might not realize about the work that goes into producing it every week.

鈥淚t does take time and some digging to find out what鈥檚 happening on campus,鈥� she said. 鈥淪tudents have so many outlets they use to learn about activities going on, so aside from events being sent directly to our office, I鈥檓 constantly checking Charger Connection, our University Events Calendar, and social media, especially individual Instagram pages for the various organizations on campus.鈥�

Creating the Events Roundup involves so much more than simply putting together a newsletter each week, as it requires constant communication, research, and attention to what is going on in the campus community.

When asked about her reaction to receiving the award. Pinheiro shared, 鈥淚 was definitely pleasantly surprised! When I submitted our newsletter, I had high hopes, but also realized we鈥檇 be going up against institutions across the country. It was especially meaningful to see our efforts pay off, as the newsletter can sometimes feel small compared to the broader work taking place across the University.鈥�

As the conversation came to an end, I asked the final question, 鈥淲hat does this award mean to you?鈥�

鈥淚 take pride in this newsletter鈥攁s well as the other two I produce each week, The Weekly Roundup and The Weekly Gallop 鈥� especially because it highlights many of the great events happening on campus, which is the result of the hard work and dedication from our students, staff, and faculty.

鈥淭here is so much to do here in Charger Nation, and I often think that if even one or two students read it and decide to attend a workshop or event that they normally wouldn鈥檛 have, then the newsletter has done its job

鈥淕etting involved on campus is just one part of the college experience, but it鈥檚 often where students create their most memorable moments and form lifelong friendships,鈥� she added. 鈥淭o some, it may seem like just another weekly newsletter, but I believe this award helps shine a light on something designed to bring our community together.鈥�

In addition to speaking with Pinheiro, I also had the opportunity to speak with Tyler Hanson, M.S., and Carol Regan, who make up our Digital Marketing and Advertising team, about the digital advertising campaign that earned a gold award.

They created a campaign for the University鈥檚 paramedicine campaign that was recognized the Collegiate Advertising Awards. They submitted search and Meta ads, as well as Facebook and Instagram ads. The campaign focused on promoting the University鈥檚 paramedicine programs, including the online degree completion program, and the two-year and four-year degree programs.

Hanson explained that they have been promoting the online paramedicine degree completion program for more than a few years. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been one of our best-performing paid advertising campaigns,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 seen its most success on social media, especially on Meta.鈥�

I asked both Hanson and Regan about their individual roles in creating and managing the project. Regan shared, 鈥淚 work with Tyler on building our digital advertising campaigns for graduate and undergraduate programs. Since I started about five years ago, our graduate campaigns have been growing.鈥�

Hanson explained that their work is highly collaborative and involves working closely with other departments across campus. He added on to Regan鈥檚 reply by stating, 鈥淐arol and I are the digital marketing team for the University, but we also work really closely with our undergraduate admissions team. It鈥檚 definitely a joint effort between our team and theirs to give us the best chance for success.鈥�

I wanted to know what they believed made the campaign stand out enough to earn such high recognition. Hanson explained that the campaign鈥檚 success came from years of refining and improving their strategy.

鈥淲e knew we had a successful campaign when we looked at how many students we were able to attract to the University to enroll in the paramedicine programs,鈥� he said. 鈥淏eing in the market for a number of years and being able to optimize the campaign, see the changes and fluctuations throughout the year, and adjust how we allocate our budget helped make the campaign the best it could be.鈥�

Both Hanson and Regan shared that the Collegiate Advertising Award recognition felt rewarding, especially considering the level of competition among universities nationwide.

鈥淲e have a great Marketing and Communications team, and we鈥檙e happy to see our colleagues also win similar awards,鈥� Hanson shared. 鈥淚t makes us as a whole group feel great about the work we鈥檙e doing, and it gives us motivation to try to win again in the future.鈥�

Speaking with Pinheiro, Hanson, and Regan gave me a better understanding of the amount of time, creativity, collaboration, and effort that goes into the work produced by the Office of Marketing and Communications. Whether it is creating a weekly newsletter that helps students know what is taking place on campus, or developing ads that that help people find the right programs for them at the University, their work continues to make an impact on the Charger community. The awards not only recognize individual achievements, but the dedication of a team that is committed to telling the story of the University of New Haven in meaningful ways.

Congratulations again to our awardees!

If you would like to contact the Office of Marketing & Communications regarding the Charlie鈥檚 Events Roundup, please reach out via the following links:

Email: internalcommrequest@newhaven.edu