See this release online at: http://www.newsdesk.umd.edu/uniini/release.cfm?ArticleID=1806
Holiday Card Webpage: http://www.holidaycard.umd.edu
Newswise — Where's Testudo? This year, he's once again an integral part of the University of Maryland's wildly popular video holiday card from President C.D. Mote, Jr and his wife, Patsy. The 2008 edition went out to 200,000 members of the campus community during the week of December 8 - including alumni, donors, faculty staff and students. They, in turn, have enthusiastically passed it on to friends and relatives around the world.
The video takes viewers all over campus, to Annapolis and even the Pentagon and Capitol Hill as Terps of all ages prepare to raise their part of a giant sign in front of the main administration building to wish everyone "Happy Holidays." Media reviews have already called it "cute" and "cheeky." Or you could just call it the best UM Holiday Card ever!
University of Maryland Webmaster Linda Martin says as of Wednesday night (Dec. 17), there had already been nearly 41,804 page views of the video. Visitors from 78 countries have already viewed it - from as far away as India, Germany, South Korea and China. The most views within the United States have come from the Washington, D.C. region, but the top ten list includes New York, California, North Carolina and Illinois (see top ten lists below.)
There are extra features - including a slide show and ability to forward the card with your own sentiment attached. But the "Find Yourself" page is the most popular page so far with more than 3258 page views as of Dec. 17! The card has been forwarded 2343 times, and more than 2000 personalized cards have been sent.
Executive Director of Marketing Strategy Deborah Wiltrout, says one key element to the success of the video was Maryland students: "We used students and students groups to help recruit people for the final shot on the steps of the Main Administration Building and filmed students all over campus. Our student interns were part of the production team. They weighed in on the concept of the card, contributed ideas for each of the scenes, created props and even acted in some of the scenes."
The holiday card was also produced entirely in-house - from conception to shooting and editing the video, designing the graphics for the cards and their layout, and the final production. Marching Band Director Rich Sparks oversaw the final shoot in front of the main administration building on campus.
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