BOSTON – In 2013 the America East Conference, in coordination with SME Inc., launched a new and progressive brand identity centered around the tagline: Building the Complete Student-Athlete.
Today, the America East and SME launched the next phase of its brand identity platform with the release of a new 30-second video, which features each of its nine member institutions and celebrates the conference’s overall athletic success and its commitment to broad-based athletic programs.
Included in the highlights are Albany field hockey and UMBC men’s soccer, which both advanced to the NCAA national semifinals in their respective sports last fall.
“We’re a conference that has seen tremendous success across several sports based on our institutions’ commitment to sponsoring competitive programs across their departments,” said Commissioner Amy Huchthausen. “In addition to our achievements this fall, we’re a league that has seen a team advance to the College World Series, had national champions in individual sports, as well as national players and coaches of the year. Our members have also had national success in sports outside of the conference. The collective accomplishments of our institutions over just the past few years further demonstrates our institutions’ commitment to all of their student-athletes in a variety of sports. This new video reinforces that message and we’re grateful to SME’s vision in helping us share this message.”
The league’s tagline, “Building the Complete Student-Athlete,” represents the commitment of each member institution to building a collegiate experience for its student-athletes based upon the three pillars of academic achievement, athletic excellence and leadership on and off the field, which will ultimately position them for continued success beyond their collegiate years. These three pillars were featured in the league’s first promotional video, which displayed student-athletes in settings that represented each pillar. This latest piece focuses on the powerful brand of each America East institution, accompanied by the amazing performances of each institution’s student-athletes.
"It’s been an honor to work with the America East Conference since 2012,” said Ed O’Hara, Senior Partner at SME. “When we began, our focus was on establishing the America East brand as one committed to athletic excellence, academic achievement and leadership both on and off the field. With the new sizzle video the brand is progressing into a new space by highlighting its success and achievement at a national level."
The latest video entitled “America East: Athletic Excellence” is the next step in the evolution of the conference’s branding effort. The league and its member institutions will continue to provide a platform and the resources for student-athletes to succeed in all three pillars throughout their collegiate experience.
About the America East Conference
The America East Conference provides members schools and their athletic programs a platform upon which student athletes can achieve both collegiate and life success through the promotion and nurturing of athletic excellence, academic achievement and leadership, on and off the field. Now in its fourth decade of existence, the conference has evolved into one of the most comprehensive Division I conferences in the country and is progressive in its approach to its more than 3,400 student-athletes. America East recognizes champions in each of its 18 sports and consists of members spanning from the Mid-Atlantic to Northeast regions of the United States including: University at Albany, Binghamton University, University of Hartford, University of Maine, UMBC, UMass Lowell, University of New Hampshire, Stony Brook University and University of Vermont.
About SME
SME (http://www.smebranding.com) is an independent strategic branding, advertising, marketing and digital agency, specializing in connecting with audiences through powerful identity development, digital strategy, advertising and social media engagement. Founded in 1989, SME enjoys a stellar worldwide reputation of creative excellence, thought leadership and client service. The agency has four practice areas: Higher Education and Non-Profit, Consumer Goods, Sports and Entertainment and Business to Business Ventures. SME’s client list includes some of the leading brands in higher education and global entertainment including The New York Yankees, Pac 12, ACC, Madison Square Garden Company, Kentucky Derby, NASCAR, Miami Marlins, University of Louisville and many more.