"For most of its nearly 200-year history, the University of Toronto has had a stellar global reputation and top rankings, but no centralized brand expression through which to share and promote its unique strengths and achievements. Brand-building efforts were fragmented across our three campuses, seven colleges and 26 divisions. While we had a strong fundraising framework, we were missing opportunities as global competition for top students and scholars increased.
To address this problem, the U of T community came together to establish a unified brand strategy and creative platform. In 2022, Defy Gravity was born. This bold new brand expression crystalizes months of consultations and marks the first time in U of T’s history that a brand has been developed at such scale.
As a storytelling platform, Defy Gravity brings U of T’s personality to the fore and showcases how the university unites top minds from every background and discipline to tackle seemingly impossible challenges with ingenuity, grit and compassion. It also captures U of T’s fundamental commitment to inclusive excellence through emotionally engaging stories and striking, candid photographs of our incredibly diverse community.
To build awareness of the new brand expression, we mounted a multi-channel campaign that generated millions of impressions among our target audiences. Thanks to our extensive internal consultations, we’re seeing strong uptake in the early days of this unprecedented work, as Brand Hub, the team that leads brand marketing for U of T, collaborates with divisions to elevate our reputation through Defy Gravity storytelling."
From the Judges
You had a daunting task. Your team had strong participation from relevant audiences, and a comprehensive testing strategy. The rollout was thoughtful and complete. The Defy Gravity video is inspiring.
