'NUS Because' wins international award
The ‘NUS Because’ admissions publicity campaign has topped the International Public Relations Association (IPRA) Golden World Awards for Excellence in Public Relations 2016 (GWA) in the Corporate Communications – Inhouse category.
The campaign, which ran for three years from 2012 to 2015, featured the distinctiveness of an NUS education, and its diversity of learning experiences. The central message responded to the perennial question of prospective students: Why NUS?
Said Professor Andrew Wee, Vice President (University and Global Relations), “NUS is delighted with the recognition of this memorable campaign by the global public relations community. The simplicity of the message in this campaign resonated clearly with our prospective students and their parents.”
The campaign, which was conceptualised in-house by the NUS Office of Corporate Relations (OCR), featured bold but versatile taglines such as ‘Because classrooms go beyond four walls’, ‘Because we ignite innovation’, ‘Because you can choose to do more’, ‘Because we care’, among many others. Publicity platforms included the NUS website, web banners, social media, a marketing booklet, videos, print advertisements, as well as other above and below-the-line publicity materials.
'This was a truly outstanding in-house entry, demonstrating a clear objective and creativity with great results in a competitive marketplace," said Philip Sheppard, Secretary General, International Public Relations Association (IPRA).
An independent survey showed that the campaign resonated well with prospective students and influencers. Prospective students felt a strong affinity with the creativity of the message, the versatility of the ‘NUS Because’ tagline, and also found the use of university colours – blue and orange - visually appealing and in keeping with what they perceived of the NUS brand.
“To come out on top in the corporate communications in-house category at the International Public Relations Association’s Golden World Awards for Excellence in Public Relations is a great recognition of the excellent work this team produces. We’re grateful for the honour, and thank our colleagues and friends who have worked with us to make this campaign a success,” said Mrs Ovidia Lim-Rajaram, NUS’ Chief Communications Officer.
The award will be given out during the IPRA GWA Gala Awards Ceremony to be held in Doha, Qatar on 5 November 2016.
IPRA is the leading global network for public relations professionals in the world. Its annual Golden World Awards for Excellence in Public Relations was established in 1990, and each year, it commemorates the outstanding achievements of global communication professionals. Judging is based on several criteria, including research, planning detail and execution.
Earlier awards picked up for NUS initiatives by the OCR team include the Digital Brand of the Year 2016 - Grand Prix at the Brand Digital Excellence Awards Singapore; the Association of Commonwealth Universities PR Awards 2013; and the Singapore Design Awards 2012.
