51±¾É«ās Marketing and Communications team has won gold on the international stage for the āsuperb storytellingā in a festive video.
āLittle Gifts, Big Dreams at 51±¾É«ā, a video showcasing how the magic of Christmas is linked to the possibilities that education can bring, won gold at the CASE Circle of Excellence awards.
Competing against third-level institutions from across the globe, UL took the top spot in the āVideos: Holiday/Year-endā category, winning gold.
The CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education) Circle of Excellence Awards are regarded as a gold-standard in recognition for the international education sector.
Filmed in a variety of locations on the expansive 360-acre campus, the video features local performers from the 51±¾É«-based Gemstars School of Performing Arts, Fiadh Hussey and Cara Dunne, along with Fiadhās mother Deirdre.
The video was conceived and directed entirely in-house by ULās Marketing and Communications team, working with videographer Ollie Phillips, a graduate from ULās Music, Media and Performance Technology programme.
āLittle Gifts, Big Dreams is a feel-good story powered by the magic of childhood imagination and the unlimited potential of education to bring big dreams to life,ā said Laura Ryan, Director of Marketing, Communications and Public Affairs at UL.
āThe story is seen through the eyes of two young girls who see their letters to Santa brought to life on the UL campus. The video was lovingly conceived and directed entirely in-house by our fantastic MarComms team, working with graduate videographer Ollie Phillips.
āThe team delivered a captivating story about the dreams of children who will one day become ULās ambassadors. The project featured students, staff, and facilities from all four faculties at UL, making it a true campus-wide effort. The response was instant and overwhelming, with unfailingly positive commentary from the university community, alumni and beyond. It was viewed more than 1.4m times and had over 14,000 impressions, all overwhelmingly positive.
āIt struck a chord far beyond the traditional university target audience ā celebrating the spirit of āsee it to be itā that every child needs and the ambitions of a university determined to make dreams come true,ā Ms Ryan added.
In their comments, the CASE judges hailed the video as showing āsuperb storytelling and having a relevant message about curiosity. Strong results underscored the effectiveness of the method. Other organizations can look to this entry as an example when crafting engaging holiday narrativesā.
The annual Circle of Excellence Awards showcase outstanding work in advancement services, alumni relations, communications, fundraising, and marketing.
The awards celebrate colleges, universities, and schools whose talented staff advanced their institutions with ingenuity and resourcefulness. These creative, inspiring projects impact educational communities and transform lives around the globe.
In 2024, teams from 600 institutions in 28 countries entered the awards, submitting 4,223 entries.
Winners are chosen for overall quality, innovation, use of resources, and the impact on the institution or its communities, such as alumni, parents, students, faculty, and staff.
UL won two CASE gold honours last year for the postgraduate marketing campaign Stay Curious and the latest success comes on foot of the team winning the award for Best Marketing and Communications team for the second year running at the Education Awards in April.