Purdue shares new academic brand campaign with students, alumni
Purdue honored Boilermaker experiences and traditions as it shared its new academic brand campaign, "Makers, All," during Homecoming activities this weekend.
Alumni, students and friends of the University were given a look at the campaign through banners, posters, three sculpture installations, and special messages presented during the Purdue-Minnesota football game.
"We were excited to introduce the campaign theme to our current students and our alumni because of its draw on our Boilermaker heritage as well as its future promise," says Teri Lucie Thompson, Purdue's vice president for marketing and media. "'Makers, All' will serve to enhance the name all of our students and graduates are proud to share: Boilermaker."
The "Makers, All" theme embraces the University's strengths -- energy, optimism, enthusiasm, curiosity and reliability -- while staying grounded in the historic Boilermaker reputation. Elements from the time-honored Purdue brand such as the University's logos, colors and the Boilermaker name remain the same.
Throughout the weekend, students and alumni were encouraged to celebrate their Boilermaker roots by making their own personal "Maker" statements.
Colleges distributed "Maker" stickers to visitors at the Celebration on the Mall on Saturday. Recipients had the chance to tell their own Boilermaker story by writing in the type of maker they are on the sticker.
Special messages featuring the campaign theme were featured during Saturday's Homecoming football game. One message asked viewers to text a response to win a free "Maker" T-shirt. More than 3,000 texts were received, and a few lucky ones received T-shirts.
Campus visitors also could look at three new sculpture installations featuring the moon, a seismograph and a pencil -- meant to highlight Purdue's accomplishments in space, earthquake research and the Online Writing Lab, respectively.
"The sculptures help to convey the same message as the new brand campaign: Purdue’s legacy of innovation, discovery and role as an agent of global change," Thompson says.
"We know Purdue is special, is different from other institutions. The beauty of the 'Makers, All' theme is that it is truly unique to Purdue. The theme draws from our Boilermaker tradition. In the higher education sector, we see tremendous similarity in the advertising and messaging of various institutions. I am very proud this strategy sets us apart and that even in its language, i.e., 'Makers, All,' it is not replicable by any other institution."
The campaign soon will include billboards and some external advertising. Several student organizations have asked to take part in the campaign, Thompson says.
"We are very pleased that our students are actively engaged in this theme," she says. "It's exciting to see the many ways our students and alumni are sharing their Boilermaker stories."
