There is a growing tradition among students at Michigan State University to decorate the tops of their graduation caps with a specific message and design to represent part of their college experience. Capitalizing on this trend, a team from MSU university communications and marketing set out to create a video product that celebrated all graduating Spartans in a way that would allow the primary audience of students to feel seen as individuals. To do this, we worked with graduating students from different colleges and student groups to highlight a variety of messages that adorned their graduation caps. We cultivated and curated a group that represented the entirety of the student body and recorded dozens of students across campus to create a cohesive video that launched across all of MSU’s owned channels before the university’s spring commencement. We coordinated with multiple colleges across MSU to identify student participants, coordinate iconic locations, and collaborate in launching the product across their social channels. We wanted this video’s message to be rooted in authenticity and something from students, for students. The end result achieved that goal and was well received. The visual content reached over 685,000 people, resulting in more than 17,000 engagements on social media.
From the Judges
A video that is powerful and resonates with its target audience. Additionally, clear vision and goals especially in the intention to represent as many people as possible.
