From the Nominator

"On October 29, 2012, Superstorm Sandy hit New Jersey with devastating force, upending lives and leaving a $30 billion trail of destruction. Its aftermath revealed the vulnerability of and challenged the viability of coastal communities. But in Sandy’s wake, Rutgers has led the search for long-term and sustainable solutions. Rutgers’ Office of Communications and Marketing (R-Comm) created a digital campaign to commemorate the impact of Sandy on New Jersey and showcase how the university supported post-storm recovery, mitigation and adaptation. The campaign ran from October 24 to November 4. What follows is an overview of campaign planning, execution and outcomes.   

R-Comm sits at the top of the university’s communications funnel. Our content is designed to stand alone, be used by other university departments for their own communications planning, and generate external media coverage. On all three measures, the Sandy campaign was a huge success.  

The timing of our package was optimal, coming on the heels of Hurricane Ian, which struck landfall a few weeks before the Sandy anniversary. This raised interest in the topic and drew journalists from around the country to our package.  

In total, we counted more than 40 pieces of content, stories and interviews in some of the country’s most influential media outlets, from ABC’s Good Morning America to Politico. It was, in other words, a bullseye for Rutgers’ missions—leveraging research expertise for the benefit of humanity."

From the Judges

This ambitious entry demonstrates clear goals and successful outcomes with CTAs that will continue the conversation on climate change. The story selection covers various academic units, plus faculty and staff. Great execution of a complicated topic. "In Sandy's Wake" was both accessible to readers in the community and was able to reach a broader audience through press pickup it garnered.