The University of Alabama’s Public Relations Student Society of America chapter placed first in a national contest to promote the Duck brand College Duck Tape. The chapter received a $1,000 prize for their work during the fall 2012 semester.

“This campaign was a great way to start off the semester,” Melissa Stewart, co-director of Duck Tape for the University, said. “I was so pleased with the number of students who participated and helped implement it. We could not have led an award-winning campaign without everyone on our committee and their hard work.”

The Duck brand produces a College Duck Tape that features logos and mascots from college teams across the country. PRSSA chapters across the country were challenged to develop a campaign to raise awareness about the product on their campuses.

Tracy Sims, the faculty advisor for the University’s PRSSA chapter, said the UA team produced great results under a tight deadline.

“Within a month’s time, they not only put together a comprehensive, multimedia communication plan, but also successfully implemented it, exceeding their campaign goals,” Sims said.

The team utilized social media to raise awareness, using the Twitter hashtag #DuckTapeforUA and creating a Facebook events page. The team also created a board on Pinterest.

Kyle Borland, co-director of the University’s team, said Duck Tape for UA was his first campaign to work on, and he had a great experience.

“I’m so proud of the Duck Tape team,” Borland said. “When I first heard the news, I couldn’t stop jumping up and down. Working so closely with Melissa and the team was a blast. Although stressful at times, it is great to see that our hard work paid off.”