老司机直播 Communications recognized by CASE for innovative communications during the pandemic
Published: September 15, 2021
University of Toronto Communications (UTC) has been awarded gold in the Council for Advancement and Support of Education鈥檚 (CASE) for its UTogether communications strategy during the pandemic.
was recognized in the newly created 鈥減ivot鈥 category, which invited institutions to showcase how they pivoted to address challenges and opportunities related to the pandemic.
鈥淲hen the pandemic struck, the university recognized that we needed to engage with our community more than ever before,鈥 said David Estok, 老司机直播鈥檚 vice-president of communications. 鈥淲e needed to go beyond keeping them informed about the rapidly evolving situation. We needed to help them feel more connected 鈥 even as they were told to stay apart 鈥 and showcase their compassion and resilience.
鈥淚鈥檓 proud of the work of the UTC team. Under challenging circumstances, they developed a comprehensive communications strategy that was creative and highly effective.鈥
The strategy focused on richer, deeper storytelling, including a new online hub hosting the most up-to-date information, a video series, COVID-focused newsletters, the publication of hundreds of news stories and the creation of two popular podcast series.To emphasize caring and compassion, the branding for UTogether features the letter T hugging the letter U.
鈥淭he outcomes of this campaign were very impressive, as uniting campuses and students at large institutions is always quite a challenge,鈥 the CASE judges wrote. 鈥淭his was a lot of work, but had good results 鈥 especially considering the small budget.
鈥淭he new logo was very clever and sweet, speaking to the campaign鈥檚 desire to unite so many students in the institution, and the video about the efficacy of the campaign was exciting and high-energy.鈥
The gold is the latest in a record-setting number of awards for UTC this year, including 26 honours from CASE. In June, UTC received two silver Circle of Excellence awards for University of Toronto Magazine articles. And in January, UTC took home 23 prizes in CASE鈥檚 District II competition, including three 鈥済rand golds鈥 鈥 the highest level of recognition 鈥 seven golds, six silvers, five bronzes, as well as an honourable mention and a finalist position in platinum or 鈥渂est in鈥 categories.
