WDT advertising campaign wins awards
Television and radio ads for Western Dakota Tech’s online program in Business Management and Marketing have won awards in a national competition.
In the Marcom Awards competition, the WDT ads won:
- A Platinum Award for the television campaign promoting the online degree program. The ads tell stories about people in terrible jobs—just as a human piñata—who choose WDT to improve their lives.
- A Gold Award for the radio campaign promoting the online degree program. The radio ads tell stories similar to the TV ads.
The ads can be seen and heard at http://www.wdt.edu/bmmonline.aspx.
“It’s great to have our work recognized, but it’s even better to know that students are using the online program to improve their lives,” Steve Buchholz, WDT marketing director, said.
Robert Sharp & Associates, a Rapid City advertising agency, produced the winning ads.
There were almost 5,000 entries from throughout the United States and several foreign countries in the 2009 Marcom Awards competition. About 18% of the entries won either a platinum or gold award.
MarCom entries come from corporate marketing and communication departments, advertising agencies, PR firms, design shops, production companies and freelancers. The competition has grown to perhaps the largest of its kind in the world. A look at the winners shows a range in size from individual communicators to media conglomerates and Fortune 500 companies. The competition is so well respected in the industry that national public relations organizations, local ad clubs, and local business communicator chapters are entrants.
MarCom Awards is administered and judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals. The international organization consists of several thousand creative professionals. The Association oversees awards and recognition programs, provides judges and sets standards for excellence.
As part of its mission, AMCP fosters and supports the efforts of creative professionals who contribute their unique talents to public service and charitable organizations. Over the past three years, AMCP’s Advisory Board donated over $60,000 in grants to support the efforts of its members. That money was used for marketing materials for homeless shelters, orphanages, day camps, community theaters, art centers, programs for the elderly and for child care and educational endeavors for the underprivileged.
Judges are industry professionals who look for companies and individuals whose talent exceeds a high standard of excellence and whose work serves as a benchmark for the industry.
Winners were selected from over 200 categories in seven forms of media and communication efforts- marketing, publications, marketing/promotion, public service/pro bono, creativity and electronic/interactive.
A complete list of Platinum Winners can be found on the MarCom Awards website at www.marcomawards.com.
Western Dakota Tech is the only technical institute that serves the western South Dakota region. WDT offers more than 20 programs in a variety of fields, including Business and Computers, Construction Trades, Health Services, Legal and Public Services, Manufacturing and Mechanical Trades, and Science and Technology. More than 99 percent of WDT graduates are placed in careers within six months of graduation, and more than 87 percent live and work in South Dakota.
WDT faculty, staff, and administration focus their efforts on helping students gain the skills and experiences they need to succeed. Through hands-on learning, internships, and industry partnerships, WDT students graduate ready to make a real and immediate contribution to their employers and to their communities.
For information about WDT, call (800) 544-8765 or (605) 718-2400 or send an email to admissions@wdt.edu. Visit WDT on the web at www.wdt.edu.