June 13, 2008
EVANSTON, Ill. -- For the fifth time in six years the Wildcat Marketing Department earned an award 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 currently feature 18 different categories.
The 2008 NACMA awards were announced on June 10 at the NACMA Awards Presentation at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, TX. The Wildcats took first place in the Sponsorship Activation category. The sponsor that was featured in this promotion was U.S. Cellular, who has been a partner with the 'Cats for three years. Some of the sponsorship elements implemented with U.S. Cellular during the 2007-08 season were the Student T-Shirt Swap, the Student Musical Chairs contest during halftime at men's basketball games, a Text To Win Contest as part of our Veteran's Day Celebration, the Women's Basketball Attendance Challenge, ticket donation to veterans for the Veteran's Day Celebration football game, Wildcat Pep Rallies at the U.S. Cellular store in Evanston, free soda to loyal Wildcat fans at men's and women's basketball games, pregame activities like phone engraving at Wildcat Alley and Walker Terrace and giveaway items distributed throughout the year on gamedays, in the community and at the Welcome to NU: Spirit 101 event for all new NU students.
The Marketing Staff is made up of Tracie Hitz, Ryan Chenault and Beth Cunningham with support from the corporate sales general manager, Amy Potter and volunteer, Debbie Freedenberg. The Wildcats worked closely with U.S. Cellular staff members Carmelyn Grelyak, Hilde Marnul and Kathy Volpi to create the best fan-friendly promotions at games, on campus and in the community.
In addition to the award, NU's Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing & Sponsor Services, Hitz, was voted onto the NACMA Board on June 10. After eight years as an active member of NACMA, Hitz's contributions were recognized with a nomination to the board that was voted on after interviews were conducted with Hitz and other potential candidates. In her new role Hitz will contribute to the planning of the NACMA Convention, as well as work to increase the public relations efforts of the association. Hitz has been a member of the Wildcat Marketing Staff for 11 years, starting at Northwestern as the Marketing Assistant in 1997.
Northwestern's Past NACMA Award Winners:
2003
Silver Winner -- Best Single-Game Olympic Sport Promotion (Greek Day)
Bronze Winner -- Football Ticket Sales Piece (While the Bears are Away the 'Cats Will Play)
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)
2008
Gold Winner -- Sponsorship Activation (U.S. Cellular Fan-Friendly Events, Promotions and Community Outreach)