Adrian College website receives bronze in national competition
Posted Tuesday, April 02, 2024
Author: Mickey Alvarado
Adrian College recently received a bronze award from Collegiate Advertising Awards after the company that helped develop the institution’s new, secure, interactive website entered it into the national website design contest. Collegiate Advertising Awards honors excellence in marketing and advertising, specific to the field of higher education.
Collegiate Advertising Awards ranked Adrian College’s website in the top 16 percent in the nation. To receive a bronze award, the institution had to score between 85-89 points out of 100. Submissions were reviewed by a national panel of industry experts.
Rachel Kribbs of FORM, from Chagrin Falls, Ohio, entered Adrian College’s website redesign into the contest and was confident it would rank in the top of the charts. She said a few of the reasons the group selected Adrian College’s website was because of its unique layout and design with emphasis on outstanding photos and videos.
Adrian College Marketing Director Claire Simpson led the creative team to the new look and feel sought after by the college’s administration. The project was a top priority due to the direct impact it has on the recruiting and enrollment process. Simpson said it is the main channel students use when seeking a college or university.
“The site is very easy to navigate, and the high-quality photos and videos make the new website really stand out to visitors,” Simpson said, adding that 95% of prospective students say the design of a website impacts their impression of a college or university.
“I knew that video storytelling makes a much higher impact on Gen Z than any other form of media,” Simpson said. “Video has become a tool that portrays our brand in an authentic and compelling way. Because of that, we decided a video montage of the college would be the first thing visitors of the website were greeted with.”
The 2023 Collegiate Advertising Awards received many entries from the United States and Canada, representing small community colleges to very large schools and universities. The elite program recognizes higher education organizations for excellence in communications, marketing, advertising, and promotions of their schools across the nation.
Adrian College’s entries competed against similar-sized organizations in its specific groups and categories. Judging criteria included creativity, layout and design, functionality, message effectiveness, production quality and overall appeal.
All the award winners are posted on the Collegiate Advertising Awards website at www.collegiateadawards.com.
