University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia has been recognised as an ABA100® Winner for Brand Excellence in The Australian Business Awards 2016. The Australian Business Award for Brand Excellence recognises organisations that have achieved outstanding results through initiatives that demonstrate excellence in brand management.
“Our Pursue impossible brand campaign launch was a huge milestone for The University of Western Australia and we are delighted to receive this award. The University is proud of its past century but recognised the need to continually evolve in a rapidly changing world and reflect its place as a contemporary global hub of excellence. Pursue impossible means that at UWA, we understand that before people achieve great deeds, they often face the thought or the fear that it is not going to be possible. However, at UWA, we are committed to helping people make the most of all possibilities and inspire progress.”
The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a medium sized research-intensive University located in Perth city. The University was established in 1911 and now hosts more than 25,000 students and employs 3,500 staff.
After identifying a need to respond to competitive pressures in their industry following a reflection that their market share had substantially declined, UWA embarked on a plan to revitalise their marketing strategy. To achieve this the university conducted comprehensive research to determine which direction it should take, reviewing its social media presence, auditing its brand assets and conducting interviews and workshops with stakeholders.
As a result, UWA identified the need to reform their marketing practices so that they were relevant, approachable, engaging, contemporary and inspiring. It was established that people wanted the university to inspire them, encouraging people to aspire to achieve something they might not have ever thought was possible. This formed the basis of their new brand proposition – pursue impossible.
To facilitate the launch of the pursue impossible message, the Brand and Marketing Team was expanded, with the recruitment of a Corporate Brand Manager. A television commercial was then commissioned, showcasing the new pursue impossible proposition. In addition to featuring UWA students, film makers and one actor travelled the world filming in multiple locations. Additionally, an outdoor campaign in Perth, with statements of how our students are pursuing their own impossible, famous points in time where impossible was achieved and famous quotes about pursuing what might seem impossible were seen on buses and large format billboards.
This was compounded by a focus on international markets, with income from international students being regarded as crucial to the university’s future. A global brand activation campaign was commissioned called Pitch the Course of the Future. The competition encouraged international communities to think about what careers might exist in the future and therefore what courses would need to be created to make that career a reality.
Since launching their new marketing strategy and brand proposition, UWA has experienced international student growth year-on-year and unprompted brand awareness has grown significantly.