The University of Wollongong’s strong suit is its innovation and research. That’s hard to make sexy. But not for Frost*collective. The 60 second cinema and two 30 second TVCs are sexy.

They also tell a series of research stories in which the University is actively undertaking world-first discoveries, leading  to the tagline,  Stands for Purpose.

The eye-catching films are part of a campaign that went to air on SBS and regional networks this week, as well as cinema in NSW and ACT through Val Morgan. These are supported by press, radio, OOH and digital. The distinctive style, with its montage of quick-cut  images  stands alone in a noisy category and is likely to hold the attention of its mostly young audience.

The campaign aim is to to build brand awareness and align perceptions of the University with the actuality of its world-class achievements, following the brand’s strategic repositioning and launch by Frost* of a refreshed 2016-2020 University Strategic Plan earlier this year.

“This is about triggering serious consideration about attending UOW through a reveal of its academic research and innovation around extraordinary things that affect society and the world at large,” said Ant Donovan, group creative director, Frost*collective. “We want people to feel compelled to act on their life goals acknowledging the significant opportunities in both education and research that UOW offers.”

The five research stories represent significant medical, scientific, technological and social breakthroughs, such as 3D printed organs helping to create new limbs, bionic bras to support breast health, new discoveries of human evolution, carbon dioxide monitoring with NASA to detect changes to the Earth’s atmosphere, and the use of Twitter data for disaster response to monsoons in Indonesia.

“This year has been an extremely important one for UOW”, commented Professor Paul Wellings CBE, vice-chancellor, University of Wollongong. “We have refreshed our Strategic Plan to guide us into a new era of discovery, academic excellence and social leadership so that we can play a central role in transforming Australia as we move towards a knowledge-based economy. We’ve also announced an expansion into South Western Sydney with a new campus in Liverpool. To support this aspiration we have invested in building a strong brand presence to help those who don’t yet know us discover who we are in an increasingly competitive marketplace.”

Emily Osborne, the University’s marketing and communications director added, “Frost*collective is responsible for helping us find our voice and be a more visible and authoritative brand. This campaign leverages our research achievements to drive awareness of our credentials harder than ever before. We hope it will prompt an informed reappraisal of our brand leading to positive outcomes not only to attract the right caliber of student but for the University’s future.”

A student recruitment campaign will launch later this month and continue through until the start of 2017.

Credits

Agency: Frost*collective

Cat Burgess – Strategy Director, Frost*collective

Ant Donovan – Group Creative Director, Frost*collective

Haidee Wallace – Account Director

Ryan Atkinson – Design Director

Alex Dalmau – Senior Designer

Ryan Curtis – Designer

Angus Lee-Forbes – Director

Production company – Collider

Tim Jones – Photographer

Media Strategy – Enigma

Emily Osborne – Director of Marketing and Communications, University of Wollongong