Student recruitment and institutional reputation are the focus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s new national television commercials.
One of the 30-second spots is an updated version of the university’s “Your Story Matters” student recruitment campaign that launched in fall 2014. The second “Husker Power” spot, which is new and debuted during the Huskers’ Sept. 3 season opener against Fresno State, is directed at a broader audience and features alumni, students, campus life and research projects.
“The ‘Husker Power’ spot celebrates the culture of the university and the things that happen here, from social things like bid day and riding your bike to class to research successes and alumni impacts,” said Marcelo Plioplis, the university’s creative director. “It’s a celebratory spot designed to build the reputation of the university by highlighting a few of our great stories.”
The ad includes references to Husker standouts Alex Gordon and Jordan Burroughs, the Water for Food Institute, Jinsong Huang’s solar power research, and the discovery of a new mammal species made by Nebraska undergraduate Carissa Raymond.
“The spot is fast paced and entertaining, designed to provide viewers a few takeaways that they can discuss or pursue,” said Andy Schadwinkel, director of strategic marketing initiatives. “And, the ad is driven by text-on-screen rather than a voiceover, which means the message still gets through if you see it in a loud environment or with the audio turned off.”
“Husker Power” was produced by The Whitelist Collective, a Los Angeles-based filmmakers studio in collaboration with University Communications and other campus departments.
The “Your Story Matters” commercial asks students to consider what is next for them and encourages them to build a destiny at Nebraska.
Amber Williams, director of admissions and associate dean for enrollment management, said the commercials work together to show students the potential of a degree from Nebraska.
“At Nebraska, we make a promise that each student’s story matters,” Williams said. “This year’s public service announcements demonstrate what that means for students — through their experiences at Nebraska, they can go on to be the next great success for themselves, for their communities, and for the world.
“As the ‘Your Story Matters’ spot encourages and inspires students to find their inner spark, the ‘Husker Power’ spot shows examples of the successes our students have gone on to become.”
Archrival, the Lincoln-based agency that originally produced the “Your Story Matters” commercial, again worked with the university for updates to the spot. Campus collaborators included the Office of Admissions and several university departments.
Both institutional spots will show on TV networks during Husker athletics broadcasts. The commercials also are integrated into Nebraska coaches’ shows and Big Ten Network programming.
Click here to view the “Husker Power” institutional spot and here for the “Your Story Matters” spot.
