My favorite boss used to call spring the “season of sheet cakes.”
At our college, there was always something to celebrate. Student wins. Ribbon cuttings. Big milestones. Instead of the freshman 15, it was the administrator 15… because I never said no to cake. Or cookies. Or coffee. Or anything within arm’s reach.
Some things don’t change.
At GradComm, spring still feels like celebration season. Just with more conference badges and a lot more client wins. This year, dozens of our partners took home awards for standout marketing. And while the trophies are exciting, what really matters is why these campaigns worked.
Because great marketing in higher ed isn’t about choosing between design and strategy. It’s about getting both right.
Here are a few recent award-winning campaigns that do exactly that and the lessons worth stealing.
READY Viewbook
CCPRO Silver Winner
The READY campaign out of California’s Inland Empire is a masterclass in clarity.
Built to connect students, parents, and counselors to career education pathways across 12 colleges, the campaign’s viewbook makes complex options feel simple and accessible.
And while most marketing has gone fully digital, READY leaned into print in a way that adds value instead of feeling outdated.
“Print still matters. Parents and counselors want something tangible. In an increasingly digital world, having something you can physically hold onto makes the college search feel real.”
— Jennie Gartland, GradComm Client Success Manager
Why it works:
The strategy identified a key truth. Parents and counselors want clarity and credibility. The design delivered with a format that feels approachable, useful, and lasting.
👉 Take a look at the viewbook in English and Spanish.
Cuesta College Fall 2025 Digital Campaign
CCPRO Gold Winner
We talk a lot about authenticity in marketing. Cuesta College actually did it.
From OTT video to social ads, the campaign featured real students, real faculty, and real moments. No stock. No shortcuts.
And the results followed. More than 1,300 direct actions and performance that beat industry benchmarks across the board.
“Authenticity still matters. It’s always easier to use stock or AI, but when you take the time to capture real voices, you build trust. And trust is what drives action.”
— Jamie Wagner, Client Success Specialist
Why it works:
Great creative gets attention. Smart strategy converts it. This campaign paired human storytelling with disciplined targeting to do both.
👉 Watch one of our favorite ads.
Cerritos College Dual Enrollment Campaign
NCMPR Silver Paragon Winner
Cerritos College faced a familiar challenge. How do you reach high school students while preparing for the enrollment cliff?
The answer started with a simple insight. Students are not making this decision alone.
This campaign spoke to both students and parents, building resources tailored to each group’s questions, concerns, and motivations.
“When you’re communicating with teenagers, you’re also communicating with their parents. Each audience has different questions, and campaigns that respect that will always perform better.”
— Brittany Weisensale, Client Success Manager
Why it works:
This is strategy leading the way. Audience segmentation and message alignment made the creative more effective and more relevant.
👉 Take a look at the full case study.
Lake Tahoe Community College District 50th Anniversary Video
NCMPR Gold Paragon Winner
Telling a 50-year story is no small task.
Lake Tahoe Community College District didn’t just want to celebrate a milestone. They wanted to capture a transformation. From its early days in a converted motel to the vibrant institution, it is today, this project required more than a timeline. It needed a story people could feel.
The result is a video that blends history, emotion, and purpose into something that resonates with both the community and the campus.
“Video gives you something no other medium can. It lets you combine voice, visuals, pacing, and emotion to tell a story people don’t just understand but remember. When it’s done right, it doesn’t just inform. It connects.”
— Michael Mahin, Creative Director, GradComm
Why it works:
This is where design becomes experience. The strategy defined the story. The video brought it to life. Every visual, every voiceover, every moment was intentional, turning a 50-year history into something immediate and meaningful.
👉 Watch the anniversary video and read the story behind it.
Mt. Hood Community College Bond Campaign
NCMPR Best in Show
After six unsuccessful attempts to pass a bond, Mt. Hood knew this effort had to be different.
The result was a campaign that blended research, messaging, design, and community engagement into one cohesive effort. Every touchpoint was intentional. Every message had a purpose.
The final product is impressive. The thinking behind it is even better.
“High-stakes campaigns demand real strategy. When research becomes your north star, everything else falls into place in a way that’s cohesive and persuasive.”
— Rachel Dwyer, Client Success Manager, GradComm
Why it works:
Research guided the strategy. Strategy shaped the messaging. Messaging informed the design. Everything worked together.
Shasta College Five-Year Strategic Marketing Plan
CCPRO PRO Award
Not all award-winning work shows up as a campaign.
Shasta College’s Five-Year Strategic Marketing Plan is the kind of work that makes great campaigns possible. Built from audits, research, and regional insights, it aligns marketing directly with institutional priorities like access, equity, and student success.
Every audience, message, and tactic is intentional. Nothing exists in a vacuum.
“The best marketing plans don’t start with tactics. They start with the institution. When your strategy is built around institutional priorities and localized trends, your marketing becomes more focused, more relevant, and ultimately more effective.”
— Jamie McNinch, Director of Client Success
Why it works:
This is strategy at its highest level. It connects big-picture goals to day-to-day execution, ensuring every marketing effort is working toward something bigger.
The Bigger Takeaway
If there’s one thing these campaigns prove, it’s this: Great marketing isn’t design or strategy.
It’s design powered by strategy. Strategy brought to life through design.
When you truly understand your audience, build the right message, and execute it with intention, that’s when campaigns stop being “good” and start winning awards.
And yes, that’s usually when the sheet cakes come out.
