In order to provide genuine and engaging visitor experiences, the Faculty of Environment’s undergraduate recruitment team focuses on delivering low-waste campus discovery events and tours to prospective students. Generation Z has a well-documented desire for authentic interactions and experiences with brands. To meet our audience’s expectations, it is crucial that, as Canada’s largest Faculty of Environment, we live our values—delivering experiences that showcase our legacy of leadership in environmental research, education, and advocacy, in a tangible way. To establish this affinity with visitors, two wooden lapel pins and a magnet are distributed at a variety of events. With design, fabrication, and assembly completed in-house—all by students and staff—these swag items leverage Waterloo talent at every step of production.
From the Judges
The judges loved how the university solved the problem of how to produce something for prospective students to take away from their visit to campus, while still being mindful of the school's commitment to "delivering low-waste campus discovery events and tours." Waterloo created a set of two wood lapel pins and one wood magnet that are well-designed and in line with the Faculty of Environment's commitment to being smart environmental stewards. The entry rose to silver medal status because the marketing team took it further than that. By doing their research, they selected plywood as their material (rapid decomposition rate) and used salvaged scrap metal for the pin mechanism. These pieces are desirable (Gen Z loves pins!), well-designed, and, most important, aligned with the school's values and mission.
