From the Nominator

To celebrate the 75th birthday of Freddie Falcon and increase attendance for Bowling Green State University’s homecoming, the Office of Marketing and Brand Strategy developed “Super Freddie,” a cinematic campaign centered on the university’s mascot. The primary audience included students, alumni, and the broader BGSU community. Inspired by the homecoming theme, Freddie’s 75th Birthday, the team created a video portraying Freddie as a superhero who must save the day on his own birthday. Produced by BGSU’s in-house visual team—with camera support from Ohio-based EarlyBird Films, a company owned by BGSU alumni—the video blended humor, action, and school pride to position Freddie as a central symbol of the BGSU experience. The video was the centerpiece of a multiplatform campaign that included teaser videos, vertical social content, digital graphics, posters, and social posts to build anticipation. The campaign strategically aligned with summer blockbusters: A teaser poster inspired by the latest "Superman" film debuted the same day the movie premiered, and the final video launched alongside the new "Fantastic Four" film. The main video generated 243,370 views and earned a bronze award from the American Advertising Federation. The campaign contributed to record-breaking homecoming attendance, including the most single-game tickets sold for a BGSU home football game in over a decade and the largest overall crowd since 2015.

From the Judges

An outstanding campaign that is creative and well executed. Additionally, it resonates well with its target audience and is no doubt a strong nostalgic piece for the larger BGSU community.