College wins silver, bronze and merit awards for marketing and advertising work

Parkersburg, W.Va. (March 22, 2021) – The West Virginia University at Parkersburg Marketing & Communications team was honored with seven awards in the 36th annual Educational Advertising Awards competition, sponsored by the Higher Education Marketing Report.

This is the second year the college has been recognized for its marketing efforts by the country’s largest educational advertising awards competition.
WVU Parkersburg earned a silver and bronze award in the Television Advertising – Single Ad and Ad Series categories, respectively. The single ad “Find Your Future” shows WVU Parkersburg’s continued service to students as faculty deliver engaging and high-quality education in an online format due to the pandemic. The “It Feels Like Home” ad series features students’ testimonies as to why they decided to stay close to home and attend WVU Parkersburg, such as hands-on learning programs, saving $30,000 in tuition, the Veterans Resource Center and Early College program.

The college developed the “It Feels Like Home” series for print, winning a merit award in the Newspaper Advertising – Single category. A bronze award was also given for a single newspaper ad celebrating WVU Parkersburg’s past and future in providing successful educational opportunities to students.

An ad series featuring students in roles as mothers, fathers, veterans, community leaders and coaches won a silver award in the Outdoor Advertising category.
Rounding out the awards, “Dream Big, Stay Local,” an entry in the Magazine Advertising – Single category, won silver as it highlights the Jackson County Center and the many college services available. “Behind Every Mask is a Smile,” a poster with President Dr. Chris Gilmer and Ricky the Riverhawk encouraging safe health practices on campus, won the COVID Response Materials bronze award.

“Being recognized for materials that are created by our marketing team and our student marketing interns is an honor,” said Dr. Torie Jackson, WVU Parkersburg vice president for Institutional Advancement. “However, the greatest honor is the daily job we have of telling the narrative of the many amazing students at WVU Parkersburg and the exciting opportunities that await them on our campus. If you want to know more about WVUP, just ask us. We are always ready to share our story.”

This year, the Educational Advertising Awards received more than 2,000 entries from over 1,000 colleges, universities and secondary schools from all 50 states and several foreign countries.

Judges for the awards competition consisted of a national panel of higher education marketers, advertising creative directors and marketing and advertising professionals.

A full list of Educational Advertising Awards winners can be found at educationaladvertisingawards.com.