University of Limerick’s Marketing and Communications team has won gold on the international stage for the ‘superb storytelling’ in a festive video.
‘Little Gifts, Big Dreams at University of Limerick’, a video showcasing how the magic of Christmas is linked to the possibilities that education can bring, won gold at the CASE Circle of Excellence awards.
Competing against third-level institutions from across the globe, UL took the top spot in the ‘Videos: Holiday/Year-end’ category, winning gold.
The CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education) Circle of Excellence Awards are regarded as a gold-standard in recognition for the international education sector.
Filmed in a variety of locations on the expansive 360-acre campus, the video features local performers from the Limerick-based Gemstars School of Performing Arts, Fiadh Hussey and Cara Dunne, along with Fiadh’s mother Deirdre.
The video was conceived and directed entirely in-house by UL’s Marketing and Communications team, working with videographer Ollie Phillips, a graduate from UL’s Music, Media and Performance Technology programme.
“Little Gifts, Big Dreams is a feel-good story powered by the magic of childhood imagination and the unlimited potential of education to bring big dreams to life,” said Laura Ryan, Director of Marketing, Communications and Public Affairs at UL.
“The story is seen through the eyes of two young girls who see their letters to Santa brought to life on the UL campus. The video was lovingly conceived and directed entirely in-house by our fantastic MarComms team, working with graduate videographer Ollie Phillips.
“The team delivered a captivating story about the dreams of children who will one day become UL’s ambassadors. The project featured students, staff, and facilities from all four faculties at UL, making it a true campus-wide effort. The response was instant and overwhelming, with unfailingly positive commentary from the university community, alumni and beyond. It was viewed more than 1.4m times and had over 14,000 impressions, all overwhelmingly positive.
“It struck a chord far beyond the traditional university target audience – celebrating the spirit of ‘see it to be it’ that every child needs and the ambitions of a university determined to make dreams come true,” Ms Ryan added.
In their comments, the CASE judges hailed the video as showing “superb storytelling and having a relevant message about curiosity. Strong results underscored the effectiveness of the method. Other organizations can look to this entry as an example when crafting engaging holiday narratives”.
The annual Circle of Excellence Awards showcase outstanding work in advancement services, alumni relations, communications, fundraising, and marketing.
The awards celebrate colleges, universities, and schools whose talented staff advanced their institutions with ingenuity and resourcefulness. These creative, inspiring projects impact educational communities and transform lives around the globe.
In 2024, teams from 600 institutions in 28 countries entered the awards, submitting 4,223 entries.
Winners are chosen for overall quality, innovation, use of resources, and the impact on the institution or its communities, such as alumni, parents, students, faculty, and staff.
UL won two CASE gold honours last year for the postgraduate marketing campaign Stay Curious and the latest success comes on foot of the team winning the award for Best Marketing and Communications team for the second year running at the Education Awards in April.