After 125 years of higher education, Jacksonville State University was undergoing new challenges while growing to best serve its students.  With new admissions goals and standards, the university needed to reintroduce itself as a smart choice for students. Simultaneously, JSU needed to reengage alumni and instill a sense of pride in their alma mater.

For years, JSU had not participated in any outside advertising. And in the absence of information, people had been forming wrong perceptions of the school.

We embarked on the challenge keeping a few simple rules in mind. Talk to the students in their own language. Be engaging and concise. Highlight the most established programs within the school. Break through the crowded marketplace of university ads by focusing not only on the school itself, but on how it prepares you for your future.

The first step in announcing change and advancement to the masses, was to update JSU’s existing logo. The new logo was designed to re-position the brand in the marketplace and be more relevant to today’s students. It is a smart nod to the past but with a keen eye on the future. The Gamecock’s tail sweeping over the logo signifies JSU as a university full of energetic, forward-thinking individuals who are packed with potential.

An engaging Microsite was created to mirror the campaign. While the current JSU website was updated with the new look, Big understood the need for a condensed, intriguing site that spoke directly to potential students, without overwhelming them. Choosing a college is a big decision, but if the information is portrayed in an easily digested way it helps students feel at ease.

Through a series of print advertisements in applicable publications, JSU introduced themselves to a new generation of students by spotlighting programs the school was known for. More importantly, the ads focused on the students’ future careers. JSU’s goal is getting students to where they want to go in life. The “Where You Are Going” tagline placed with photos of students in their potential careers, helped to establish a sense that JSU was an investment in your future.

Perhaps the most important medium to reaching potential students was TV. Through a very strategic media buy, JSU appeared on relevant programming with a young fresh TV campaign. MTV, Comedy Central, Gossip Girl, Family Guy, CW, ESPN – you name a station or show that caters to a younger audience, and you would see JSU there. A key component of the TV ad was music. Three separate versions were cut of the spot, with the more contemporary music running on our cable ad buy and the more classical version being seen on the ‘parent friendly’ programs such as the 5:00 news.

We also embarked on online advertising understanding that is a great way to reach potential students. A series of ads ran on the popular online radio site, Pandora.com with which received high click-through-rates and a spike in web traffic.

Another favorite part of Big’s was recreating the Admission Videos, as we got to really break apart the traditional model of a university admissions video. Typically you see talking heads, faculty and a select handful of students telling you why their school is the best. We understand in this world of information overload, we have to get our point across quickly, with an edge. So we cut through the clutter and added some personality to our admissions DVD with 5 separate topics allowing users to select the areas they were most interested in.

But what is a college without a cool tshirt? Big created this tshirt and tag to aid in the launch of the campaign.