-
This is a screenshot of one of our most successful Instagram posts—a Helene Heroes spotlight featuring student Emma Carr, who harvested produce grown by students prior to Hurricane Helene and set up a stand post-Helene to distribute free food to the campus community.
-
The first Helene Heroes post featured a spotlight on student Nate Sullivan, who collected donations from his hometown of Charlottesville, VA, and made multiple trips to deliver truckloads of supplies to those in need after the storm.
-
Multiple staff members nominated Klari Farzley for a Helene Heroes spotlight. Klari was on the ground in one of the areas hit hardest by Helene—rescuing people from floodwaters, serving hot meals, and helping others find shelter, all while her own home was impacted by the storm.
-
This file shows a screenshot of UNC Asheville's top-performing posts from October 1 to December 31, 2024, according to Hootsuite. The top post featured student Emma Carr from the Helene Heroes campaign. This post organically resonated with Facebook audiences, becoming one of UNC Asheville’s most viral posts, with over 8,000 likes and reactions.
Helene Heroes: A Digital Marketing Campaign After A Crisis
Category
Communications > Digital Campaigns (Other)
Description
Best of CASE District III Award
Institution: University of North Carolina Asheville
Title of entry: Helene Heroes: A Digital Marketing Campaign After A Crisis
About this entry: On September 27, 2024, Hurricane Helene made landfall in Western North Carolina, forcing UNC Asheville to shut down campus operations, relocate students, and navigate widespread power, water, and internet outages. Students were unable to return until the end of October—nearly a month later—creating a prolonged period of displacement and uncertainty.
Recognizing the need to shift from recruitment to crisis messaging, UNC Asheville’s Communication & Marketing team launched the "Helene Heroes" campaign to protect the University’s reputation while fostering a sense of belonging and resilience. The campaign spotlighted student, faculty, and staff volunteers making a difference in the Western North Carolina community, using renewal narratives to shift the focus from hardship to strength.
Through strategic storytelling, first-hand accounts, and multimedia content, the campaign highlighted recovery efforts, resilience, and gratitude. Engaging stakeholders across Facebook and Instagram, "Helene Heroes" ensured that current students and their families, faculty, staff, alumni, prospective students, and the extended campus community remained connected and informed.
Despite the storm’s disruptions, Spring 2025 student retention remained strong, and new applications from prospective students saw only a slight decrease from a record-setting year prior. "Helene Heroes" demonstrated that even in crisis, UNC Asheville’s commitment to its students and community remained unwavering—turning adversity into an opportunity to strengthen institutional trust, engagement, and pride.