LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV Athletics Marketing Department earned honorable mention recognition for Marketing Team of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA) and also earned three other awards as the organization revealed its annual honors during a virtual awards ceremony this week.
The Rebels' marketing team was one of just five schools – and the only non-Power 5 program – to claim honorable mention status, with three finalists for the award.
"We are thrilled to be recognized by NACMA and its members as one of the top eight college athletics marketing teams in the country," said
Megan Caligiuri, UNLV's Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Operations. "With innovation and service as two of our guiding core values, our External Leadership Team is continuously championing ideation and using fan feedback to evolve, advance, and better serve our fans. It is also a reflection of the Las Vegas community as the vibrancy and uniqueness of our city champions an avant-garde approach to entertainment and sports."
The Rebels' External Leadership Team consists of marketing, content creation, strategic communications, ticket operations and sales, fundraising, and special events.
UNLV was among the finalists in three different marketing categories. The Rebels won Gold in the Revenue-Generating Idea for the "Guaranteed Giveaway" initiative, and claimed Silver in Single-Game Sales Campaign for "2019 Runnin' Rebels vs. UNR Red Out" and Bronze in Fan Engagement Video for "Animoji Sing-A-Long" feature.
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"Guaranteed Giveaway" provided season-ticket holders the opportunity to purchase a one-time, $30 add-on to their tickets, which featured five T-shirts themed after the five decades the Rebels had played football at Sam Boyd Stadium; and a commemorative coin representing the team's final appearance at the 49-year-old facility and upcoming move to Allegiant Stadium in 2020.
Throughout the men's basketball season, the marketing department focused on making the best games even better. By offering incentives and packages surrounding those games, single-game sales from men's basketball generated nearly $360,000 in revenue for the department. Our biggest home game in 2019, a contest against intrastate rival UNR, resulted in the second-highest conference single-game sales revenue in the past seven years.
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"Animoji Sing-A-Long" video was created by the department to promote the Runnin' Rebels home game against Mountain West rival Utah State on Jan. 1 (New Year's Day). Members of the men's basketball team were transformed into animated emojis that sang along to Katy Perry's song "Firework."
Last year, UNLV took Silver in the Fan Engagement Video category for its "This is UNLV Athletics" video series – lighthearted videos that were created in the same style as ESPN's famous "This is Sportscenter" campaign – and netted Bronze in New Revenue Generating Idea for its "Eat All You Can" plan – an offer to season-ticket holders, mini-plan buyers and group leaders to add an unlimited concessions option to their tickets for select home football games.
Initiated in 2003, the NACMA Best of Awards program honors outstanding achievement in marketing and promotions.
NACMA is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), which is in its 55th year.
