Aug. 5, 2004 Dallas - The University of Washington athletic marketing department received eight awards at the 13th annual National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA) workshop in Dallas, Texas. Washington received first place honors for the Best Promotional T-shirt, which was provided to the first 500 students purchasing football and basketball season tickets. "We're excited that our marketing efforts were recognized on such a national stage," said Carol Parrish, Washington's assistant marketing director. "These awards are a reflection of the hard work of all the members of our department." It also won first place for the Best Radio Promotion. The student promotion awarded the first 300 students wearing purple at seven select Pac-10 basketball games an exclusive Hot Mix CD produced by KUBE 93 and Pepsi. Fans could also spin the KUBE/Pepsi prize wheel at these games to win other prizes. The Huskies were awarded first place for the Best Targeted Group Promotion, which was a series of "Hometown Nights" at Husky baseball games. The local communities of many Husky baseball players were targeted, and the area residents were encouraged to see their local stars in action. Washington also received five third-place awards at the workshop. For the Best Activation Program with a Sponsor category, the Huskies were recognized for its Starbucks Stars and Starbucks Grant program. Through a partnership with Starbucks, Washington sponsors an elementary school reading grant program and a program where elementary schools have the opportunity to receive complimentary admission coupons to selected sporting events throughout the year. The Huskies were recognized for the Best Single Day Attendance Promotion in both Basketball and Soccer. The National Girls and Women in Sports Day brought over 6,300 fans to a women's basketball game on February 7, 2004, which marked the second-highest attendance of the year. The Washington State Youth Soccer Day took place on Saturday, October 5 during a Husky men's and women's soccer double-header. Over 1100 youth soccer players attended the event for free and over 1200 group tickets were sold. In the Best Revenue Generating Idea category, Washington was recognized for its Husky Fever Seat Cushion Sales during football games. The program allowed Husky season ticket holders to lease seat cushions for their seats in Husky Stadium. A local youth group maintains the seat cushions throughout the season, and a donation was made to the group for their services. The department was recognized in the Best Promotional Poster category for the Husky Football Senior/Team poster. Initiated in 2003, the NACMA awards program honors outstanding achievement in marketing and promotions. There were over 600 total submissions in a number of categories, and Washington tied with the University of California at Davis for the most awards received. |
