The National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA) announced today that the Canisius College external affairs department has been awarded a gold medal in the TV commercial category for the school's 30-second ad featuring the Golden Griffin mascot and the school's hockey program.

The winning entry in Group II was an ad campaign entitled “Are Your Ready?” which featured the Canisius Golden Griffin mascot attempting to earn a spot on the hockey team's roster. The commercial, which aired in the Buffalo-Niagara market during the third and fourth quarters of 2008, was produced by Abbey Mecca & Co., a branding, marketing and media firm located in Buffalo.

This marks the first time the Canisius external affairs department has been honored by NACMA. Initiated in 2003, the NACMA Awards program honors outstanding achievement in marketing and promotions. Awards are presented in 13 categories, with each category divided into three groups based upon institution size and conference affiliations to promote fairness. More than 700 entries were received for the 2008-09 year.

The winners were presented their awards during NACMA's 18th Annual Convention, June 18-21 in Orlando. The awards ceremony occurred Friday, June 19.

About NACMA: NACMA is the first organization of its kind to provide educational and networking opportunities; enhancement of acceptable operating standards and ethics; and establishment of the overall prestige and understanding of the profession of athletics marketing administrators. For more information about NACMA, please visit www.nacma.com. NACMA is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), which is in its 44th year. For more information on NACDA and the 11 professional associations that fall under its umbrella, please visit www.nacda.com.