Penn State wants to remind the public, and future students, of its credentials
Pennsylvania State University, known by most as Penn State, has had a rough road the last few years in terms of PR, with its coaching scandal and fraternity hazing problem. However, a new campaign seeks to remind the public (and potential students) that the university is highly-rated and respected for academics.
Penn State highlights academics in new campaign
In a spot debuting this weekend during the college football team’s season-opener, Penn State illustrates how the students, faculty, community, staff and alumni collaborate to find solutions together.
The 60-second film, created by Decoded Advertising, follows an idea as it progresses from beginnings in a notebook to the community, the world and beyond.
A student is seen in her dorm room, the point of view looking back at her, as she writes down a theory. It evolves as she studies her theory, then tests it in the lab with colleagues. She is seen thinking about it, spending time refining, talking with fellow lab mates and professors, then seeing how it might help people, and showing how the Penn State community comes together. It ends with the familiar "We Are Penn State" chant.
“We wanted to break out of the sea of sameness that exists in university marketing and represent Penn State in a more innovative, creative way that reflects how truly differentiated they are,” said Matt Rednor, chief executive officer of Decoded Advertising. “When we examine it from the student and faculty perspective, we get richer stories. There is a lot going on in those heads and hearts and that’s what we need to show because that’s what we want to connect with. The ‘why’ behind each person’s story makes Penn State’s impact more meaningful.”
The end game of the campaign, he stated, is to recruit “curious, hard-working, divergent thinkers with an entrepreneurial spirit who share our mission to leave the world in a better place than we came into it.”
Added Lawrence Lokman, Penn State vice-president for strategic communications: “This work stands apart from the typical institutional ads put out by many colleges and universities. And it is authentic. As a result, it has been well received by Penn Staters. Most importantly, our initial research is showing that it works.”
