MARYVILLE, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University’s “We Are Music” marketing campaign, which highlighted the music industry work of current students and alumni in three colleges, received Best of Show honors recently from the Tennessee College Public Relations Association.

The Best of Show honor, issued at the TCPRA annual conference in Maryville, was one of 17 awards MTSU received for excellence from TCPRA for projects during the 2018-19 academic year.

The university’s marketing and communications efforts in 2018-19 also received nine honors from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, four nods from the Nashville chapter of the Public Relations Society of America and two national Telly Awards.

MTSU alumnus and Grammy-nominated songwriter/producer Luke Laird, seated at left in a black cap, talks to a group of MTSU recording industry students as NBC Nightly News Sunday anchor Kate Snow, center in black shirt, listens inside the Center for Popular Music in the Bragg Media and Entertainment Building in late January. Standing are Andrew Oppmann, MTSU vice president of marketing and communications, and Beverly Keel, chair of the Department of Recording Industry. A segment about the recording industry department, its successful alumni and annual Grammy Awards outreach aired Feb. 10 before the Grammys telecast on CBS. (MTSU file photo by J. Intintoli)

The “We Are Music” campaign highlighted excellence by students and alumni in the College of Media and Entertainment, College of Liberal Arts and the Jones College of Business. It attracted attention from Kate Snow, weekend anchor and national correspondent for NBC Nightly News, who visited MTSU campus for a story explaining how MTSU alumni are often nominees and winners in the Grammy Awards.

Andrew Oppmann

“We work every day to tell the stories of how MTSU makes a difference in a broad variety of discipline and programs,” said Andrew Oppmann, MTSU vice president for marketing and communications. “We are happy that multiple organizations share our enthusiasm for stories of MTSU’s excellence.”

TCPRA honors received by MTSU include:

• “We Are Music,” Best of Show.
• Fermentation Science Program advertising by David Foster and Keith Dotson, gold.
• The MTSU President’s Newsletter by University Publications and Creative Marketing Solutions, gold.
• MTSU “Out of the Blue” TV Program, gold.
• “We Are Music” media relations campaign, gold.
• The Daniels Center Annual Report by Brian Evans, silver.
• “Ready to Work” billboard campaign by David Foster and Keith Dotson, silver.
• “We Are Music” print advertisement by David Foster and Keith Dotson, silver.
• “MTSU On the Record” radio show by Gina Logue, silver.
• School of Journalism and Strategic Media “Art of Storytelling” campaign by John Goodwin, silver.
• “MTSU Out of the Blue” podcast, silver.
• Spring 2018 commencement photography by Andy Heidt, bronze.
• Outreach to prospective students by David Foster, bronze.
• Media relations campaign for “Iraq War vet shot 13 times” by Randy Weiler and Jimmy Hart, bronze.
• College of Graduate Studies digital marketing by John Goodwin, bronze.

Also, in awards issued by the Nashville PRSA Parthenon Awards, MTSU was honored for:

• “MTSU Student Voice Embraces Student-Centric Media,” led by John Goodwin and Student Producer Kobe Hermann, who led the effort to produce first-person content themed for the Office of Admissions.
• “Graduate Studies Campaign Puts the Focus on Digital,” led by John Goodwin, David Foster and Rob Janson.
• MTSU President’s Newsletter, led by Drew Ruble and Kara Hooper.
• MTSU “True Choice” Admissions coffee-table book, designed by Micah Loyed, winner of a “Special Purpose Publications” Parthenon Award.

And, CASE awards for MTSU included:

• “True Blue Titan,” cover story of MTSU Magazine, Award of Excellence in the CASE National Platinum Awards category.
• “Graduate Studies Advertising Pilot Puts the Focus on Digital” campaign, special merit, CASE National Platinum.
• Potential College of Law support, Award of Excellence.
• “We Are Music: campaign, special merit.
• “Don’t Underestimate Me” TV commercial, special merit.
• “True Choice” book for admissions, special merit.
• MTSU Research Magazine cover, special merit.
• “Giving Back” photo by Andy Heidt for University Advancement, special merit.
• Crisis Issues Management Plan for the university’s preparation for a white nationalist rally near campus, special merit.

Oppmann and Janson received a bronze Telly Award for MTSU’s “Don’t Underestimate Me” TV commercial, which you can watch below. Janson also received a bronze Telly Award for his video promoting the MTSU Creamery in the School of Agriculture.