Shared Energy Brand Identity
Thomas Jefferson reinvented higher education with the University of Virginia—the public, secular institution needed to ensure democracy. But as UVA approached its 200th anniversary, it needed help getting out from under the long shadow of its complicated founder. It needed a reinvention of its own.
A job of this magnitude was going to require a bulldozer.
The brand we built was unafraid to shatter the reverence of its past and recast its radical ideals into the context of today.
Storyline
200-years later, UVA was a community still radically committed to its democratic ideals of equality, discourse, service and ingenuity. We needed to tell their story and infuse into all aspects—diversifying student recruitment, launching a $4.5 Billion fundraising campaign, raising the reputation of Virginia’s largest health system and turning fans into fanatics of its top-ranked athletics teams.
Early on we were reminded of the three agencies before us who had failed. The difference this time was that we had not clients but true partners in our unafraid ambition. Together we strategically and methodically rolled it out across all schools and sectors, customizing and flexing it where needed. Seven years later we are still continuing to shift perceptions, move needles and inspire generations of Hoos.
- Advertising & Branding
- Digital
- Higher Education
- Video & Content
- Education
- US
Bottomline
In seven years’ time, we’ve built more than a brand identity for UVA—we’ve created a dynamic ecosystem that reflects the true diversity, shared energy, and bold mission of one of the nation’s great universities.
27%
Increase in Undergraduate Applications
$2.75B
Raised
22M
Video Impressions
#1
Ranked Virginia University for Excellence
