Melissa asks: What’s with UW’s 50th Anniversary campaign???

This marketing document should be of interest to my fellow students in this course as it contains UW’s positioning statement, style guide, and strategy for the 50th anniversary: http://anniversary.uwaterloo.ca/documents/50guidelines7.pdf

It’s the kind of document that says a lot without really saying anything. For a school that prides itself on “innovative culture”, I wonder about whether the branding actually reflects the attitude. Personally, I don’t think this ad campaign is effective or innovative at all. The copy: “the spirit of “why not?”? C’mon?? Seriously!??! That’s all they could come up with? That sort spirit evokes disturbing images within me. Like scientists creating bombs or virus strains, kids pulling the legs off of spiders or stomping frogs to see which way the guts will come out. Basically, for me it makes me think of people doing things just because they can in an immoral sort of way. I understand they mean it in a George Bernard Shaw way, but it leaves some much room for personal interpretation. What’s worse is the hideous image for the campaign. It certainly does not correspond with the text. I’m sorry if I sound traitorous, but what does the mace, staff, specter thing have to do with anything?

On page 7-8 of the pdf file, you can see the lengths in which they have gone to launch the campaign. Money spent on items such as pins, podcasts, stickers, balloons, all letterhead and envelopes, etc. and ad nauseam. I only imagine the end price tag, but whatever was spent, it was too much. They could have done something much more effective to celebrate the school’s 50th anniversary. I bet that as a class, based on everything we have learned, we could have come up with an idea far better to invest resources into. But that’s just one person’s opinion. What do you have to say?

Do you like this ad campaign?
Do you think the qualities in the distinguishing traits section (Connected to the world, Future oriented, Innovative, High quality ) represents our school accurately?
How much of your decision to come to UW was based promotions and marketing efforts?