UW–Madison experts database promotion

In fall 2020 and summer 2021, I helped with targeted promotions of the UW–Madison experts database for my University Communications colleagues. For each campaign, topical events (the 2020 election and the COVID-19 pandemic) were the hook for reporters who needed expert sources on deadline.

COVID-19 Experts - Looking Forward - Nancy Wong, expert
This ad was designed by University Marketing design staff; I provided content and creative direction.

The campaigns were interesting and edifying, and resulted in modest additions to the stable of reporters connected to our media relations experts. In 2020, I ran ads on Twitter (report); in 2021, Facebook was the platform (report).

UW–Madison expert: Fran Hirsch, Professor of History and Russia Expert
I modified the template to match the existing brand, and have created a number of Twitter cards for media relations staff by request.

As we were developing the 2021 campaign, I realized there was an opportunity to leverage the one-time campaign into a reusable template for future Twitter cards for the @UWMadisonMedia account. I asked the UMark designers who developed the original “COVID-19 Experts: Looking Forward” ads for the InDesign file as a template, so that I could easily generate brand-consistent ads in the future. When we pivoted from COVID-specific experts to those on other topics, I revised the template to match the overall UW–Madison brand.