Montgomery Parks Wins Five AVA Digital Awards

International competition honors excellence in digital communication.

WHEATON, Md. –  Montgomery Parks, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, received five AVA Digital Awards for digital marketing campaigns highlighting trails, COVID safety, and activities in parks. The international competition recognizes excellence by creative professionals for the planning, concept, direction, design and production of digital communication. Entries are judged on a creative excellence scale by marketing and communication professionals.

Montgomery Parks awards include:

Platinum Award Winners:

Trails Less Traveled | Category: Digital Marketing Campaign

The “Trails Less Traveled,” campaign encouraged trail users to explore lesser-known trails to reduce crowds at more popular locations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign featured a new county-wide map outlining trailhead locations and parking. The initiative was promoted on MontgomeryParks.org and social platforms and had a reach of more than 785,000 on social media and resulted in a 351% increase (year-over-year) in visits to the trails webpage. The map received 16,900 downloads in ten months.

Discover Your Happy Place | Category: Short Form Web Video < 3 Minutes | Government

Montgomery Parks’ created a series of commercials showcasing parks, trails, and activities.  The commercials featured a Montgomery County family, the Barreras, discovering their happy places on the trails, in nature, and riding the miniature train in Montgomery Parks.

Gold Award Winners:

Be Smart. Do Your Part | Category: Digital Marketing | COVID-19 Digital Response

At the start of COVID-19, the marketing team launched a “Be Smart. Do Your Part.” digital campaign.  The campaign used dozens of infographics to clearly communicate relevant and ever-changing COVID-19 safety guidelines and closures to the public. Elements were in English and Spanish and used on social media platforms and MontgomeryParks.org

Virtual Winter Bingo | Category: Content Marketing | Games, Contests

In January 2021, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, many in-person programs and gatherings were canceled. Montgomery Parks launched a “Virtual Winter Bingo,” for park users to download a bingo card and explore parks, amenities, and facilities that many had never visited. After completing five activities in a row, participants submit photos of the completed activities. The photos were posted on Montgomery Parks’ social media platforms and website, and players were entered in a drawing for a $50 gift card to be used towards future park programs.

MontgomeryParks.org | Category: Website | Government

The MontgomeryParks.org website provides a robust array of information to users including a directory of all park amenities, programs and event listings, park projects and alerts, volunteer information, community feedback forums, plant and wildlife resources, rental and permit request forms, and contact information including a live customer service chat feature. Throughout the pandemic, MontgomeryParks.org has been a central hub to communicate clear, concise and ever-changing COVID-19 information related to our parks and facilities.  MontgomeryParks.org saw more than 1.4m users and 4.8m pageviews in 2021.

About Montgomery Parks

Montgomery Parks manages more than 37,000 acres of parkland, consisting of 421 parks. Montgomery Parks is a department of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), a bi-county agency established in 1927 to steward public land. M-NCPPC has been nationally recognized for its high-quality parks and recreation services and is regarded as a national model by other parks systems. www.MontgomeryParks.org.

Accessibility
Montgomery Parks, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, encourages and supports the participation of individuals with disabilities. Please contact the Program Access Office at 301-495-2581 (Voice), MD Relay 7-1-1 or 800-552-7724 or ProgramAccess@MontgomeryParks.org to request a disability modification.

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