Blue Raiders win four marketing awards

Marketing Director Brad Smith and his staff will have four of their promotions placed in a practice manual for athletic departments throughout the country. ()

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - The National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA) has selected its 2007-08 award winners and Middle Tennessee was chosen in four different categories and was the only Sun Belt Conference school honored.

There were over 1,300 entries in the 'Best of' competition for 2007-08 with the Blue Raiders winning a Gold, Silver, and two Bronze awards. The winners will be compiled into a Best Practices manual that can be used by other universities and athletic departments throughout the country.

"It is great to be recognized by your peers and colleagues from around the nation for all the hard work that we are putting in for Middle Tennessee Athletics," said marketing director Brad Smith. "These are definitely not only marketing department awards but also athletic department awards because we all work together to provide safe, clean fun for the entire family. The secret is out." The Blue Raiders won a Gold in the "Best of Student Promotion" category for Mardi Gras night where the big attraction was a parade made up of student organizations and alumni during halftime of a basketball game. The Blue Raiders beat out Notre Dame and Auburn for the top prize.

In the "Best of New-Revenue Generating Idea" category, the Blue Raiders earned a Silver for the Family Fun Zone to finish just behind Michigan and ahead of Kansas. The Fun Zone is an area inside Floyd Stadium that was created to specifically target families with children activities like inflatables, face painting, and balloon artistry.

The Blue Raiders also captured Bronze awards for the "Best of Single Day Attendance Promotion-Football" and "Best of Ticket Sales Piece". The single day attendance promotion was for KidFest which is a pregame hospitality function that includes a skills challenge, concert, and games targeted toward young families. The Blue Raiders finished just behind Florida State and Boise State for the award.

The sales piece was a brochure designed by Bradley Lambert and Brad Smith geared toward group ticket sales and included football and men's and women's basketball. Illinois and Indiana grabbed the Gold and Silver in the category.

"I really appreciate the hard work and dedication put forth by our marketing department," added Director of Athletics Chris Massaro. "It is an honor for our university and athletic department for them to receive national recognition because they are very deserving."

Initiated in 2003, the NACMA Awards program honors outstanding achievement in marketing and promotions. Awards are presented in 18 categories, with each category divided into three groups based upon school size and conference affiliations to promote fairness.

The winners were presented their awards during NACMA's 17th Annual Convention, June 9-12 in Dallas, Texas. The awards ceremony occurred on Tuesday, June 10.