Sallie Mae, Newark, announced it has received four awards from the Internet Advertising Competition (IAC) for excellence in digital strategy as well as content associated with its recent Bridging the Dream Scholarship campaign.
Sallie Mae was recognized by the IAC for Best Bank Website, Best Bank Mobile App, Best Bank Online Video, and Best Other Online Video.
The Best Bank Website award is for the new SallieMae.com, a one-stop digital destination with tips, tools, and guidance.
The site makes it easier to compare college savings plans, build a customized financial plan for college, learn how to understand and manage credit, search for scholarships, and access accounts and manage payments. It provides information on what to consider when borrowing, how to borrow responsibly, and how to control and manage total student debt.
The Best Bank Mobile App award recognizes Sallie Mae’s app for iPhone and Android devices, as well as its Apple Watch app. Customers now have anywhere, anytime access to information about their accounts, including current balance, total amount due, interest rate, and payment history, along with the ability to make payments easily. Sallie Mae is the first major private student lender to offer an Apple Watch capability.
The Best Bank Online Video and Best Other Online Video awards are for “Kendal’s Story,” one of the documentaries Sallie Mae produced in 2016 about its four inaugural Bridging the Dream Scholarship winners. “Kendal’s Story” features Kendal Cooney, now a high school senior in Camden, MI, whose life took a dramatic turn when she lost her mother to breast cancer, and who now aspires to enter the medical field after attending college.
The Bridging the Dream Scholarship winners were chosen after 20,000 high school counselors from around the U.S. were asked to nominate students who needed help in going to college.
Sallie Mae produced videos about each of the recipients to document their determination to go to college, to illustrate obstacles they face, and to inspire other high school students to pursue their dreams of a higher education. The winners also inspired Sallie Mae employees, who collectively raised more than $50,000 to help fund the $100,000 total scholarship award.
“Whether it’s combining innovation with expertise through new digital strategies, or documenting inspirational students’ dreams of college with creative videos, these initiatives exemplify Sallie Mae’s mission of helping families make college happen,” said Charlie Rocha, executive vice president and chief marketing officer, Sallie Mae. “We are honored to be recognized by the IAC.”
“Kendal’s Story” also earned recognition in the 2016 Midas Awards non-broadcast video category for excellence in financial marketing. In addition, Sallie Mae’s mobile app and Apple Watch app received Gold Awards in the 2017 AVA Digital Awards, an international competition that recognizes excellence in digital communication.
