From the Nominator

"In August 2021, Ryerson University announced its new name to the world: Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). The announcement marked the beginning of a multifaceted communications campaign designed to engage and educate stakeholders on the renaming process and, in April 2022, communicate the new name. By summer of 2022, we needed to switch gears. Rather than continuing to exclusively communicate the new name, we had to also start telling audiences what our new name stood for. Who we are, at our very core. We needed a brand campaign—something that has rarely been done on the heels of a name change in the higher ed space.  

The strategy, led by our internal advertising agency, was to develop a brand anthem spot that celebrates what it means to us to be metropolitan and ignites a sense of pride. That strategy inspired bold creative. Our anthem showcased the transformative power of grit, drawing parallels between literal grit—that foundational material from which our city is built—and metaphorical grit, or the resilience and resolve that we embody.  

That anthem became the central creative piece for a six-week integrated campaign, inspiring multiple other creative assets, including a TV spot, social spots, influencer videos, out-of-home posters, a website, digital articles, audio spots, and even merchandise.  

The campaign was successful, garnering increased awareness in the form of 39M+ ad impressions, 33M video views, and 58K page visits—including a whopping 79% of which were new visitors to our websites—as well as high engagement by audience and positive sentiment."

From the Judges

This was a massive project to embark upon—carefully communicating an institutional name change while making strides in repairing negative brand perception. It was designed and implemented very well and outcomes thus far are very positive. The videos are outstanding and resonate well with the 18-26 audience. Budget was large, yet leveraged well in an expensive, competitive market. Overall, great job.