QUT has engaged a whole new demographic by tweaking its branding slogan, in a campaign shortlisted for the Best University Marketing Campaign category in the 2024 Future Campus awards.
The University’s Executive Director of Marketing and Communication, Xavier Amouroux, described how his team embarked on an extensive market research project in the face of declining enrolments.
The market research fed into a review of the University’s brand positioning, finding that the existing ‘University of the Real World’ slogan, used for more than two decades, was recognised, but not driving engagement with prospective students.
“Despite being a positive core brand attribute, this tagline had lost meaning as students’ needs evolved over time,” Mr Amaroux said.
The QUT reshaped the brand proposition and re-examined a new media mix to grab attention, before settling on a new campaign slogan that tweaked the original without losing the recognition factor: “Real is…”
“The development of the campaign involved contributions from QUT students and colleagues across the university to help shape the strategy, curate proof points and support with talent and spaces for production,” Mr Amaroux said.
“The platform helps QUT bring into focus the real and unfiltered university experience, the highs, the lows and the in-between moments presenting an authentic picture of student experiences and the multitude of ways that success can be defined.
“Most university marketing focus solely on the end goal, the achievements, and familiar success stories, not what it takes to get there. So, this approach is not only ownable by QUT, but helps the university stand out from competitors.”
This entry demonstrated a commendable depth of planning and university-wide engagement to drive the development of an effective strategy with strong executions that manage to achieve a fresh direction for creative without losing two decades of brand investment.
