From the Nominator

In 2019, under the leadership of the president and CCMO, we embarked on a journey to clearly define who we are and what we stand for in a compelling and memorable way, in order to enhance reputation and encourage stakeholders to engage with us. With an evidence-based strategy we landed on Positive Change–a bold vision and differentiated positioning that embodied our new University Academic Plan.  

This multi-faceted institutional brand was launched in the height of the pandemic, September 2020. It was based on the idea that a brand is about more than communications, and must be a rallying cry to change behaviours to deliver on the brand promise. The branding program was integrated across the university, including a brand filter, communication tools and training, and an overhaul of our website. 

Building off our brand strategy, a bold new and inspiring creative platform “Right The Future” was then developed, bringing the positioning to life with a strong sense of shared identity among all students, faculties, and campuses. This was based off of the insight that our primary audiences want to align themselves with values and initiatives they believe in, and feel like they are a part of something bigger than themselves.

The campaign supports a new, but deeply rooted sense of purpose and belief that the future has yet to be written. Amazing things happen when diverse communities work together to tackle world issues. When our students apply their knowledge, they have the power to make things right.

From the Judges

During the height of the pandemic, York University effectively leveraged an evidence-based strategy to launch Right the Future, bringing the positioning to life with a strong sense of shared identity among all students, faculty/staff, and campuses. This campaign provided a new, but deeply rooted sense of purpose that produced 5M impressions on Spotify, and reaching 126.4K on websites visit, a 10% increase compared to the previous year.