New ad campaign: DePaul helps students see beyond the obvious

September 12, 2011
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Inspired by findings of its latest brand research, DePaul is launching a new advertising campaign that underscores how its students develop a greater perspective through the university’s approach to teaching and the student experience.

“The power of a diverse student body, an engaged faculty and rich urban experiences is what shapes a student at DePaul—an education that results in outcomes and outlooks that are distinctive in higher education,” says David H. Kalsbeek, senior vice president for Enrollment Management and Marketing (EM&M). “DePaul prepares students to see the world, their communities, their areas of study and themselves through a new, wider lens.   That’s what is reflected in this new campaign.”

Research conducted between May 2010 and January 2011 identified several important characteristics closely associated with DePaul that differentiate the university in the higher education marketplace.  Those studies included students, parents, alumni, government and civic leaders and employers.  Respondents consistently cited as strengths DePaul faculty’s wealth of real-world experience, the university’s emphasis on high-quality teaching, the way DePaul infuses global and multicultural perspectives into the curriculum and a balanced education in and out of the classroom.

“The brand is pervasive and powerful: DePaul is the university that prepares graduates to work, to succeed and to contribute in the global community. DePaul’s foundation of respected academics and real-world knowledge, balanced with the urban and multicultural experiences of Chicago and an awareness of social responsibility, is what makes DePaul distinctive.”

A greater perspective

The ad campaign is premised on a simple idea, Kalsbeek says. “It takes everyday objects and holds them up to a prism of different perspectives, thus transforming these objects through an artistic, scientific, economic, legal or historical lens—and that’s essentially what our faculty and students do daily.”

The campaign, which launches on Sept. 12, has print, broadcast, outdoor and digital elements. A 60-second TV spot, for example, features a giant oak tree and begins with a series of questions, such as:

“What do you see? Is it a tree? Or is it a shelter? A solution to soil erosion in Africa? Or a symbol of urban renewal in North America? ”

The “Greater Perspective” campaign replaces the university’s successful four-year “Become” campaign. Through various channels, the new brand campaign’s target audience will include civic and corporate leaders, hiring managers, alumni, parents and, of course, current and prospective students.  

“Higher education advertising is all pretty similar,” Kalsbeek says. “This campaign attempts to do in the advertising space what a DePaul education does for students: break through the clutter of traditional images and messages with a fresh, new perspective.”

Select ads from the campaign are posted here.

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