From the Nominator

Do You Know UCLA? (DYKU) is a vertical-first, short-form video series developed entirely in-house by UCLA Alumni Affairs' Digital Experience Team. The series serves UCLA's multigenerational alumni community of more than 670,000 Bruins. DYKU engaged recent graduates and longer-tenured alumni through Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Facebook. The goal was to convert alumni's deep emotional investment in UCLA into measurable advocacy. Prior to DYKU, audiences were consuming content without amplifying it. Average shares ran 17 per post, reach averaged 7,524 per post, and engagement rate held at 3.78%. The approach was deliberately lean: a 2–3 person team producing 30–45-second videos at zero external cost. Each video featured a lesser-known UCLA fact, milestone, or cultural touchstone designed to surprise alumni into sharing. Student employees served as on-camera hosts. Season 1 launched August 26, 2025, included seven episodes across four thematic territories: Research and Innovation, Alumni Impact, Culture and Pop Relevance, and Institutional Legacy. Average shares grew 336%, saves increased 293%, and account-wide reach expanded 84%. The peak episode reached 216,206 accounts at a 9.94% engagement rate with 3,117 shares on a single post. Combined cross-platform views exceeded 1.8 million. DYKU is now established as the short-form pillar of Story Of, UCLA Alumni Affairs' flagship storytelling franchise.

From the Judges

UCLA's campaign is distinguished by its creative videos and strong execution. This small team achieved exceptional engagement using in-house resources in a way that is a model for others looking to maximize limited resources for impactful storytelling. Its impressive production quality, fun approach, and relevance to the audience make it a standout success.