Past Hokie Brand Camps
Hokie Brand Camp
Hokie Brand Camp is an annual one-day event where the Virginia Tech community in Blacksburg can find out what's new with the brand and learn about available vendors and licensed products. See below for past events' presentations and recordings.
Breakout Session Presentations and Recordings
All-Communicators Morning Meeting
For all employees in marketing and communications roles across the university; Mark Owczarski, interim vice president of marketing and communications, and a special guest will speak.
Partnering with Annual Giving on Giving Day and Throughout the Year
Join us for a quick overview of what the Virginia Tech Annual Giving team does and how we can support your work. We’ll cover some of our big efforts like crowdfunding, annual campaigns, and of course, Giving Day. You’ll also learn about the tools and resources we can provide to help you connect with donors—like creating custom giving links, sharing data and audience insights, and offering advice for fundraising events and projects. Whether you’re planning a campaign or just curious about how Annual Giving fits into the bigger picture, this session will give you a better sense of how we can work together to inspire more Hokies to give back.
Presenters: Ciji Good, director of annual giving; Diana Whitney, associate director of annual giving; Dawn Sain, associate director of annual giving strategy
Media Matters: Collaborating with Faculty to Elevate Research and Expertise
This interactive workshop will highlight how communicators and faculty can work together to share research and expertise with broader audiences. The session will feature faculty perspectives from Erica Feuerbacher, associate professor of applied animal behavior & welfare, and Jadrian Wooten, collegiate associate professor in economics, along with case studies showing how strong partnerships lead to successful media coverage. Attendees will leave with practical takeaways on building relationships, shaping pitches, and amplifying impactful stories.
Presenters: Michael Stowe, senior director and executive editor of marketing and communications; Margaret Ashburn, associate director of media relations; Erica Feuerbacher, associate professor of applied animal behavior and welfare; Jadrian Wooten, collegiate associate professor in economics
Graduate Enrollment Marketing Best Practices
In today’s noisy and fast-moving digital landscape, higher education institutions are under more pressure than ever to attract the right students, prove ROI, and stand out from the crowd. In this session, Net Natives — the university's new agency of record for digital advertising — will share enrollment marketing and advertising best practices designed specifically for colleges and universities navigating an age of AI, shifting student expectations, and fierce digital competition.
Presenters: Stephen Milleson, director of integrated and digital marketing; Abbey Erwin, director of program support and student services; Jody Perrin, Senior Account Director, Net Natives; Gustavo Bolognesi, Director of Growth, Net Natives; Kortney Santilli, Client Success Director, Net Natives; Cem Topcam, Head of Content, Net Natives
Visual Storytelling
Some of the most iconic images ever made were out of focus, poorly exposed, or lacked good composition — but they told an important story. For one hour, we'll set aside the technical aspects of photography and video production to talk about multimedia from a storytelling perspective, crafting a visual narrative, and the key elements of successful imagery. You'll learn about best practices so that we might maintain a consistent look and feel across all Virginia Tech photography and videos. Additionally, we'll discuss the critical step of selecting the best images to tell a given story.
Presenter: Ray Meese, associate director of visual content
Adobe and Canva Interactive Workshop
Bring your computer and join us for a hands-on, brand-focused creative workshop. Using Creative Cloud and Canva, we'll work with a shared branded toolkit to create a promotional item for your college or unit's Giving Day.
Presenters: Natalie Ferguson, graphic designer; Summer Phillips, senior graphic designer; Tiffany Pruden, director of brand creative
Research Matters, and So Does Research Storytelling
Communicating complex research in a way that is valuable to a reader, viewer, or listener is hard. In this workshop, we’ll discuss the common hurdles to achieving this goal and some strategies communicators can employ from the story’s origins to help overcome them. We’ll talk through ways to boil down complexities into layman’s terms, how to discover and craft a good lede, and the proper use and benefits of a nut graph. We’ll also dive into the interview process, how to best position quotes, and ways to find external voices to validate positive impacts.
Presenters: Lindsey Haugh, senior director for marketing and communications for Research and Innovation; Shay Barnhart, director of Virginia Tech News; Travis Williams, assistant director for marketing and communications for Research and Innovation
UTMs: Simplified
UTMs can be seen as very technical, hard to manage, and time-consuming. In reality, they are not. The purpose of this session is to simplify UTMs and help users understand the purpose of UTMs, how to create them, their benefits, and how to use them to demonstrate impact and performance in a more simplified, conversational manner. You will come away from this session more comfortable with how to use UTMs in your day-to-day work and confident in the value they will bring to your work.
Presenters: Lauren Doran, marketing analytics and research manager; Chelsea Seeber, director of marketing and communications for the College of Engineering
Adapting Social Media Trends to the Virginia Tech Brand
Led by the Virginia Tech Social Media Team, this session will explore how to thoughtfully adapt trending content to reflect the university’s brand, voice, and values. As trends evolve rapidly across platforms, it’s important to strike a balance between engaging with timely content and maintaining brand consistency. The presentation will offer practical strategies for evaluating trends, tailoring them to fit a higher education context, and ensuring content remains authentic, inclusive, and aligned with Virginia Tech’s mission. Attendees will also get a preview of recent examples and learn how the central social media team approaches trend participation, from ideation and approvals to execution and performance. The session will emphasize how strategic use of trends can support broader goals like increasing brand visibility and strengthening audience connection.
Presenters: Jackson Sirbaugh, social media coordinator; Afton Mulkey, social media coordinator; Kate Adkins, associate director of social media
Using AI in Editorial Imagery
Learn about the latest guidelines and best practices for using AI to edit, alter, or create imagery, including photos, videos, motion graphics, iconography, and illustrations.
Presenters: Tiffany Pruden, director of brand creative; Ray Meese, associate director of visual content
Showcasing the Student Experience in Higher Education
In higher education, showcasing the student experience is vital to illustrating the value and impact of hands-on learning opportunities. This presentation will explore innovative tools and strategies for marketing the student journey, including video vignettes, social media opportunities, and student blogs from experiential learning opportunities.
Presenters: Jenny Boone, director of marketing and communications for the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences; Max Esterhuizen, director of marketing and communications for the College of Natural Resources and Environment; Amanda Broome, assistant director of communications for international affairs
- Recording
- Presentation
- Handout (PDF)
Insights into Action: Data-driven Content Strategy
In today’s crowded digital environment, leveraging data is essential to creating impactful, targeted content. Join us to explore how Virginia Tech marketing and communications teams can utilize insights from Google Analytics, emails, social media, and more.
Presenters: Stephen MIlleson, director of integrated and digital marketing; Zeke Barlow, senior director of marketing and communications
Licensing: Grill and Skill
Ask us any of your most burning licensing and trademarks questions. We’ll also recognize some fantastic branding and licensing work across the university.
Presenters: Heather Ducote, senior director of marketing and brand management; Renee Alarid, director of brand development and trademark licensing; Sharon Dudding, licensing program coordinator
Photos from Sept. 4, 2025, at the Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center
Assembly Hall, morning session
Alternative Story Forms
Color and Design
- Recording
- Presentation (PDF)
Crowdfunding for Success
Data-Driven Marketing
Email Best Practices
Graphics for Social Media
- Recording
- Presentation (PDF)
Marketing your Programs
Set up Your Canva
Using Media to Elevate Faculty Research
Using Virginia Tech News Tags
Volunteer Groups Distinct Identities
- Recording
- Presentation (PDF)