June 19, 2007
EVANSTON, Ill. -- For the fourth time in five years the Wildcat Marketing Department earned awards at the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA) Convention. The awards, which are administered by the National Association for Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), were started in 2003 and feature 16 different categories.
The 2007 NACMA awards were announced on June 7 at the NACMA Awards Luncheon at the Marriott World Center in Orlando, Fla. The Wildcats placed second in two categories: Online Promotion and Single-Game Women's Basketball Promotion. The online promotion that gave the `Cats another silver plaque was the celebration of 100 years of the NU-Illinois football rivalry series.
The women's basketball award was given in recognition of the Purple Hair Dare, which turned head women's basketball coach Beth Combs' hair purple on January 7. When the Wildcats presold 3,000 tickets to the women's basketball Big Ten home opener, Combs followed through with her end of the deal by dying her hair purple for the game.
This promotion contributed to the Wildcats winning the SuperFan Trophy from the Big Ten Conference office, which is awarded each year to the Big Ten school that increases women's basketball attendance at Big Ten home games. The `Cats increased their attendance 42% in 2007, which also prompted them to be named the NU Athletic Department's Staff of the Quarter in March 2007.
The Marketing Staff is made up of Tracie Hitz, Ryan Chenault and Beth Cunningham with support from the corporate sales department, Amy Potter and Natalie Johnson.
Northwestern's Past NACMA Award Winners:
2003
Silver Winner -- Best Single-Game Olympic Sport Promotion (Greek Day)
2004
Silver Winner -- Single-Game Women's Basketball Promotion (Field Trip Day)
2006
Gold Winner -- Football Season Ticket Campaign (Not Afraid to Work Overtime)
2007
Silver Winner -- Single-Game Attendance Promotion for Women's Basketball (Purple Hair Dare)
Silver Winner -- Online Promotion (Celebration of 100 years of the NU-Illinois Football Rivalry
Series)