The campaign that lured world-famous rapper Drake to campus in the wee hours of the morning won a CASE Circle of Excellence award. The #BringDraketoDrake campaign won a gold distinction for the international honor in category of Best Uses of Social Media, Public Relations. There were 39 entries from around the world in that category.

The judges left the following comments on the award submission:

“Capitalizing on an upcoming Des Moines concert by popular rap artist Drake, communications staffers conducted research and made a calculated bet that a persistent effort to bring the star to campus would result in a reputational boost. The social campaign generated copious media coverage, a late-night campus visit with inclusion on the star’s own Instagram feed, and record-breaking traffic to the University’s website, most notably the undergraduate application and programs pages. Hailed by journalist as ‘Best PR Move of the Week,’ it wouldn’t have been possible without an astute social media strategy.”

A list of award winners from the current year’s competition is available at www.case.org/circle. There were 107 Gold distinctions awarded this year across over 80 categories.

—Niki Smith, University Communications