An animated video developed to highlight the impact of Conestoga and its graduates on the local community has been recognized with the Award of Distinction for Education Marketing in the 2018 Communicator Awards.
Launched in September 2017 in conjunction with the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Conestoga and Ontario’s college system, the video was developed in partnership with Memory Tree, a local video production and digital marketing agency founded in 1996 by Conestoga graduate Peter Shannon.
Shannon, a 1991 graduate from the Broadcasting - Radio & Television program, was recognized among Conestoga’s Alumni of Distinction in 2017.
The video employs 3D animation to tell the story of a mystery institution that has made a tremendous impact on the growth and prosperity of Waterloo Wellington, described as a dynamic and diverse community built on the foundations of entrepreneurship, innovation and education.
That institution has trained half of the local workforce. Its graduates have established more than 3,500 businesses in the local community and contribute more than $2.3 billion to the regional economy each year. Only in the final frame is the mystery institution revealed to be Conestoga.
Throughout the video, sharp-eyed viewers will recognize many of the unique features and landmarks of the local region.
Content for the video was drawn from Adapting for Prosperity, an economic impact analysis of Conestoga and its graduates prepared by economist Larry Smith. The full report is available on the Conestoga website.
Since its launch, the video has received more than 60,000 views on YouTube and Facebook.
This the tenth Communicator Award for Memory Tree and the second for Conestoga. A previous video highlighting the Ontario Colleges Marketing Competition hosted by Conestoga was recognized with the Award of Excellence in Animation in 2016.
The leading international awards program for marketing and communications, the Communicator Awards receive more than 6,000 entries each year from companies and agencies around the world. The annual competition is sanctioned and judged by the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts, a group of top-tier professionals from acclaimed media, communications, advertising, creative and marketing firms.