Worcester State Earns Trio of Awards For Its New Website and Videos

A Platinum, a Gold, and a Silver have recently been awarded to the university and its creative partner ERI in three national marketing awards competitions.

Top honors in higher education website design have been awarded to Worcester State University by the Association of Marketing and Communications Professionals (AMCP) in their national AVA Digital Awards competition for creative work produced in 2022. Produced in partnership with ERI, a seasoned, Worcester-based digital marketing and website development firm, the university’s newly designed, comprehensive website earned the Gold Award in the Educational Institutions category.

In the past several months, recognition for Worcester State’s ambitious and engaging digital communications efforts has mounted. A short-form video featured on the website, called “WooLife” received a Platinum Award in the prestigious national Viddy Awards competition. In addition, the overall website won a Silver Davey Award, from the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts (AIVA), an invitation-only body consisting of top-tier professionals from acclaimed media, advertising, and marketing firms.

“These national awards are gratifying for Worcester State because they help shine a spotlight on our amazing students and the outstanding academic programs that make this such a special university,” said Maureen Stokes, assistant vice president of Communications and Marketing. “The major project we undertook with the team at ERI to completely reimagine our website and produce engaging, new video content, is really about more effectively telling the WooState story, and connecting our campus community with the wider world,” Stokes continued.

The Worcester State University website comprises over 1,000 pages of content and was completely redesigned and redeveloped over (a year-long) period with the support of ERI’s experts in marketing strategy, visual design and digital technology. The new site launched in (late summer) of 2022. The “WooLife” video, which runs for just over a minute, represents the university’s diverse and dynamic students who share their school pride in unrehearsed, direct-to-camera cuts that capture their enthusiasm. The video, named Best Short Video in the Education category of the Viddy Awards, was produced by ERI, with its production partner, p3, of Portland, Maine.

Kelly Lin, Director of Marketing and Communications at Worcester State described the university’s collaboration with ERI on the website project: “We knew it was important to invest in a thorough, inclusive, and comprehensive strategic discovery process as the foundation for creating a shared vision of what the website needed to accomplish, and how it could most authentically reflect the Worcester State University experience,” said Lin. “The culmination of our work with ERI was a revitalized, mobile-first design system grounded on user-friendly interactive features, inspiring videos featuring our diverse student body, and a personalized system of navigation for all audience members.”

The awards garnered by the Worcester State website and videos are a symbol of the real impact outstanding website design and engaging content can have on the full spectrum of programs and opportunities at higher education institutions, according to Raffi DerSimonian, Chief Strategy Officer at ERI. “For prospective students, a university’s main website is its digital doorstep to the world. For students, parents, faculty, and staff, a website is a navigational platform to explore and participate in the intricacies of the institution. It should be a thoroughly welcoming and engaging connecting point for all their stakeholders,” said DerSimonian.

The award-winning Worcester State website may be viewed at Worcester.edu. The “WooLife” video may be viewed at: https://vimeo.com/734450561

###

ERI is a marketing strategy, website design and development firm with a focus on the Higher Education sector. For more than 15 years, ERI has been building compelling websites, custom applications, and digital marketing strategies that help organizations and institutions achieve ambitious goals. With offices in Worcester, Mass., and Portland, Maine, the ERI team comprises seasoned strategists, designers, creative problem solvers, developers, technologists, and project managers. What sets the firm apart is its understanding and experience of how strategy, design, and technology combine with the art of visual storytelling to elevate an institution’s or organization’s mission. Learn more at: ERIdesign.com