Athletics Marketing Staff Wins Two Awards

For the fifth-straight year, the Department of Athletics marketing staff garnered a pair of “Best of” awards during presentations at the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA) convention on June 26 in Dallas, Texas. The awards included a silver award for New Revenue-Generating Idea and a bronze distinction in the category of Student Promotion.

The New Revenue-Generating Idea award is the third time the Hawks have earned an honor in that category. This year's honor came in recognition of the Cow Chip Raffle. The Cow Chip Raffle, run by the Athletics Marketing Department, was a fundraiser benefiting the women's soccer team in its initial year and expanded to benefit multiple teams in year two. A highly successful event, the Cow Chip Raffle is held each year during Spring Weekend in conjunction with other athletics events on campus including baseball, softball and lacrosse home contests.

Hartford followed California-Santa Barbara and preceded California-Davis in Group II of the New Revenue-Generating Idea category. Previous New Revenue-Generating Idea awards were received in 2009 for the creation of the Men's Basketball Draft Night dinner and in 2010 for the implementation of the women's basketball season ticket referral program.

The Student Promotion award is the first of its kind in that category and represented the first-ever Facebook Promotion Night. The Hawks' bronze award in Student Promotion followed Samford University and Portland State University, which earned the gold and silver awards, respectively. The Hawks' Facebook promotion allowed for more than 400 new followers to the newly redesigned Hartford Athletics Facebook page. Upon entering the game students who “Liked” Hartford Athletics on Facebook received a free Hartford Athletics t-shirt to show their Hawk Pride.

Initiated in 2003, the NACMA Awards program honors outstanding achievement in marketing and promotions. Awards are presented in 16 categories, with each category divided into three groups based upon school size and conference affiliations to promote fairness. A NACMA record of more than 950 entries were received for the 2011-12 year. The winners were presented with their awards during NACMA's 21st Annual Convention, June 25-28 at the Marriott Orlando World Center.