Monarch magazine, Old Dominion's main alumni publication, received two Merit Awards, in the categories of "magazines" and "creative writing."
By Phil Walzer
Old Dominion University's Office of Strategic Communication & Marketing recently won three Pinnacle Awards from the Hampton Roads Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.
Reign Responsibly, the University's messaging campaign emphasizing shared responsibility and best health practices during the pandemic, received an Excellence Award for "COVID-19 campaign." Monarch magazine, Old Dominion's main alumni publication, received two Merit Awards, in the categories of "magazines" and "creative writing."
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Austin Agho said: "Reign Responsibly and Monarch magazine exemplify the diverse strengths of our branding and communication initiatives, and I appreciate PRSA's recognition of the excellence of our work."
Giovanna M. Genard, assistant vice president for strategic communication and chief marketing officer, added: "Our team developed innovative and comprehensive communication strategies to help keep the University well-informed and safe in the face of an unprecedented health challenge and to engage alumni with our high-quality magazine."
The University launched Reign Responsibly at the onset of the pandemic, providing information about health protocols and campus operations to help ensure the safety of the University's 23,000 students, faculty and staff, as well as visitors to campus.
The four pillars of Reign Responsibly are: stay informed, follow guidelines, care for self and care for others. The campaign employs multiple media, including social media, emails, videos, and indoor and outdoor signs.
The goal is to empower every member of the Monarch community to take an active role in reducing the spread of COVID-19. For instance, 20 videos have been posted, featuring administrators, student leaders and Big Blue providing information about safety protocols. Students have also been invited to share their methods for staying safe.
The integrated campaign has frequently adapted since 2020, incorporating changes in COVID-19 trends, updated information about testing and vaccines, and the reopening of campus this fall. The websites developed for the campaign garnered a total of more than 211,000 visits between February 2020 and June 2021.
For more information about Reign Responsibly, go to https://www.odu.edu/blueprint/reign-responsibly.
The magazines award recognized the summer 2020 and spring 2021 issues of Monarch magazine, as well as the December 2020 version of Monarch Extra, an interactive e-magazine. The issues can be seen at www.odu.edu/monarchmag.
The creative writing award went to editor Philip Walzer's profile, in the spring 2021 issue, of alumnus Serkan Golge, a physicist at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Golge, falsely accused of participating in a 2016 coup in Turkey, was imprisoned in solitary confinement for three years. To maintain his mental balance, he prayed, meditated, did pushups and read history books. "If you experience something like this, and I hope not, I would recommend: Don't give up," he said in the article. "You've got to stay strong."
This was the third consecutive year Monarch magazine was recognized by the PRSA.
Strategic Communication & Marketing coordinates marketing and advertising, news and media relations, web and digital strategy, social media, publications, videography and photography for Old Dominion.
The other honors received this year by the office include:
- Silver Addy Award for Cross Platform Ad Campaign for ODU brand.
- Gold Collegiate Advertising Award for Crisis Management during COVID for #ReignResponsibly campaign.
- Gold Collegiate Advertising Award for #ODUAtHome social media campaign.
- Graphic Design USA Award for spring 2021 issue of Monarch magazine.
- Honorable mention from PR News and The Social Shakeup for #ODUAtHome campaign.
- Bronze Award for Digital Video from Education Digital Marketing Awards for "Let's Build Our Dominion of Possibility."
- Merit Award for Digital Video from Education Digital Marketing Awards for a video feature on a ODU nuclear medicine technology major & U.S. military veteran.
- Merit Award for Social Media Content from Education Digital Marketing Awards for "ODU At Home: Building a Community During a Pandemic."
