The SMMAs, hosted by SocialDay, celebrate excellence and innovation in social media marketing. AUB's entry highlighted the team's successful delivery of the university's new visual identity, brand, and strategy, launched in spring with a social-first approach that showcased creative excellence from its community.
A key element of the campaign was a project by BA (Hons) Photography graduate Tom Liggett, who sent photographic film into the Earth's atmosphere via weather balloon to be exposed by cosmic radiation. Working with Tom, the AUB team sent the new logo into space, reaching an audience of over 42 million people and gaining national attention, including a feature on BBC Breakfast on 4 May 2026.
This award follows a recent webinar hosted by AUB's Senior Content Officer and alumnus Harry Davenport, titled ‘How AUB put a new logo in space (and got 42.6 million views)’. Davenport expressed his honour at seeing AUB's social media activity recognised outside the Higher Education sector.
The overall winner for In-House Team of the Year was Fortnum and Mason. The judges described AUB's entry as a brilliant example of a heritage brand behaving like a social brand.
