IUPUI

Portfolio : Why not both?

Throughout much of its history, IUPUI was considered a commuter campus, with no student life and a college which students chose only when all other colleges had turned them down.

Through the years, IUPUI developed a solid national reputation among those in higher education for its degree offerings, from associate's degrees to Ph.D. programs. But a 1998 study by IUPUI's Public Opinion Laboratory showed that college prospects and their parents were unconvinced of the value of an IUPUI education, even though they had great confidence in Indiana University or Purdue University degrees - the very degrees received by graduates from IUPUI's schools.

Those misperceptions - confusion about the degrees offered, about the quality of students attending IUPUI classes, the belief that IUPUI was a school for non-traditional students (since traditional college experiences weren't expected) - had to be changed for IUPUI to grow to its fullest potential.

Out of that imperative grew the "Why Not Both?" campaign, designed to clarity what happens on campus. The theme was simple: "Receive IU or Purdue degrees on one campus." So was the imagery: an arm in a red sweater holding a diploma wrapped in a red ribbon, and an arm in a gold sweater grasping a diploma wrapped in a gold ribbon. The color schemes were tweaked to honor our roots, as well, using the IU red (Pantone 201) and the Purdue gold (Pantone 1245).

The simplicity of the campaign scored a major success. The TV commercials, featuring the two arms, provided the clearest definition yet of what IUPUI had to offer, dramatically illustrating the "two degrees, two choices, one campus" concept in clear and stark terms. A focus group of undergraduate prospects in the following spring demonstrated that when one high schooler exclaimed, "I finally understand what IUPUI stands for" after seeing the commercial.

The print ads reinforced the concept of the TV spots; using the colors of the sweaters and ribbons to turn the confusion of dual parents into a positive: life-changing choices for every student.

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The second round of commercials and links in the "Why Not Both?" campaign took image building to a new level, turning the spotlight on our student body. We showed that we have a strong and growing foundation of traditional-age students, future community leaders who are smart and committed to building careers and contributing to their neighborhoods and cities, as well. The color scheme continued the red-and-gold theme, reminding the public about IUPUI as a source of IU and Purdue degrees.

The second phase of the print ads mimicked the TV spots, putting students in red and gold.

Phase 2 Advertisements

Print

Television

The third phase of the TV portion of the "Why Not Both?" campaign went for a different feel, and concentrated on simple messages to establish a foundation for the IUPUI story. While IU and Purdue degree TV spots were shot on video, we created our commercials on high-quality film and sound, to demonstrate our commitment to the same level of quality as Bloomington or West Lafayette. The commercials also featured students not only on campus, but also in Indianapolis settings that turned the entire downtown into part of the IUPUI campus. That gave viewers their first real glimpse of the actual IUPUI, on our first high-quality, production-laden commercial.

The third phase of our "Why Not Both?" print ads followed the same quality-driven path as the third-phase TV spots. The print ads focused on high-caliber photography and featured testimonials from students whose college experience at IUPUI was very different from the public's pre-campaign expectations.

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Print

Television