Simon Fraser University

Client objective

The university wanted to utilize a new five-year plan as an opportunity to rebrand as ‘Canada’s  connected university’.  To enhance its reputation, SFU’s vision is to be the leading engaged university in Canada, defined by its integration of innovative education, cutting-edge research and community connections.

Campaign

SFU Engage was an interactive, multimedia campaign designed to enhance SFU’s reputation as Canada’s most engaged university: engaging research, engaging students, engaging communities. Peak partnered with Karo Group, a leading marketing-communications firm in Vancouver, to create and execute a five-year plan to rebrand SFU as a connected university, and to publicize that rebranding. The university’s tagline became, “Engaging the world.” Karo carried out the rebranding and Peak planned and executed the social media and publicity campaigns. Key messages included SFU’s commitment to the community and the direct parallel between education and lifelong success.

Key results

• 23 million impressions through out-of-home (transit) advertising
• More than three million impressions in traditional print and online outlets
• One million impressions in print advertising
• More than 500,000 impressions in social media outlets
• Nearly 40 hits in traditional and digital media outlets
• A full house at the vision statement launch event at the Bill Reid Gallery at SFU’s downtown campus, where students, staff, faculty, alumni, government and media were introduced to the new vision and tagline
• Interviews with President Andrew Petter on CBC’s The Early Edition and CKNW’s Bill Good Show celebrating the launch of SFU’s new vision statement
• Production of a powerful video and visually arresting pop-banners showing how SFU is engaging the world through its new vision. The video and banners have already been used again at internal and external events to engage audiences and promote SFU
• Successful contest drawing stakeholders from Facebook and other online platforms to the SFU Engage microsite. The opportunity to win an SFU-Haida Gwaii experience was a key element in engaging audiences in the campaign
• A National Aboriginal Day op-ed in the Vancouver Sun by SFU student Kathryn Ovenell-Carter discussing aboriginal teaching methodologies and how they can be applied to students from all cultures and ethnicities. Kathryn’s op-ed also ran in The Tyee