From the Nominator

"Northern Arizona University's social team developed and executed an integrated communications campaign around our two COVID-themed hashtags: #MaskUpJacks and #JacksAreVaxed. During the early part of the pandemic, masks were mandated on campus. With changes in state regulations, we could only recommend vaccinating and masking up as part of our mitigation efforts. 

As a result, we launched a proactive wellness campaign where we (1) sought to inform and inspire all members of the Lumberjack community, and (2) drive adoption of campus COVID-19 protocols.  We focused on making our messaging relatable, sticking to bullet points and utilizing platforms that most engage our audience (Instagram, TikTok, podcasts). We relied on imagery we knew would grab attention--Louie the Lumberjack. We shared this content with our campus community by recruiting influencers to share our messaging and used UGC to create a sense of togetherness and social responsibility. Because of messaging fatigue, we created stickers (digital and print) that would complement existing designs.   

Our COVID wellness campaign was successful, as our content was extremely student-centric and provided multiple ways for students to connect, feel heard, and get questions answered. Our success can be seen in a variety of metrics. In 2021, social traffic led to 8,164 page views on Jacks are Back homepage. This was 60% of site traffic. Our total COVID-related gif sticker views is at 11,942,108 views. Our combined reels views were 100,153, with an average view of 25,000. All Instagram story content saw a greater than 60% completion rate with average impressions at 35,000."

From the Judges

This comprehensive campaign was informational while also being creative and fun! Excellent use of internal resources for a thorough multi-channel, student-focused campaign. This model could be replicated at other institutions.