Purdue’s brand had come to stand for fiscal responsibility, affordability and the ROI of a college degree in many people’s minds – all very important attributes but certainly not the whole story. Purdue needed to evolve its brand to tell a deeper story – one that spoke to the arts and humanities just as much as STEM. A story that celebrated huge world-changing achievements just as much as the everyday work that’s done in the classrooms, studios and labs across the Purdue campus.
Persistent pursuit of the Next Giant Leap.
The Persistent Pursuit of the Next Giant Leap became the big idea upon which to build the Purdue brand and tell a story of innovation and collaboration. With room for every small step it takes to realize a giant leap, it enabled us to tell stories of the day-in, day-out work of students, faculty members, researchers, and alumni. As a nod to Purdue’s most famous alumnus, it gave Purdue an ownable and authentic platform to convey the unique approach Boilermakers take to their work – it’s never ending, never stopping, and as consistent as the locomotive that symbolizes their shared spirit. And with a more unified visual brand – including the shift to a single logo across all facets of the university – they were equipped to tell the story as one Purdue.
Record Freshman Class for 2020
Up 11%
Social Media Followers
Up 87%
YouTube Followers
Up 138%
Protect Purdue
In 2020, as Ologie prepared to launch Purdue’s evolved brand platform, the world found itself in the midst of a crisis. As the COVID-19 pandemic upended every area of daily life, Purdue’s campuses — like public spaces everywhere — were shut down and sealed off. During the shutdown, the university set to developing a plan for a safe return to campus. Purdue’s leaders quickly realized that they needed a unified approach for carrying vital messages to students, faculty, and staff.
Ologie was tasked with developing a public-facing campaign to communicate Purdue’s effortsfor reopening. The result was a story that’s equal parts education, inspiration, and assurance, with the overarching message that we’re all in this together for the common good. Of course, we all know the effect of a powerful story. There’s no better way to inspire people to action, to connect them to what matters, and to bring them together as a community. That’s exactly what we designed the campaign to do. And we called it Protect Purdue.
