Successful Alumni Inspire Lakehead's Branding Campaign

Over the last several years, Lakehead University has made its mark on educational marketing with its edgy campaigns We See you, YaleShmale, and Do Something, all of which have won awards from the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education (CCAE) in 2004, 2007, and 2008 respectively.    

Lakehead University's 2009 campaign is focused on the intrinsic attributes that define the Lakehead University educational experience, and is premised on Lakehead’s emphasis on students developing their individuality and critical thinking. The campaign creative revolves around successful alumni and how their achievements stemmed from professors who encouraged them to ”think for themselves.” I Think For Myself reveals itself through the portrayal of successful graduates Michael Rapino, BAdmin 1989, and CEO of Live Nation, a live events company based in Beverly Hills, California; Shy-Anne Hovorka, BEd 2003, HBA Music 2000, and singer-songwriter and six-time nominee for the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Award (APCMA); and Duncan Weller, BA 1989, and Governor General’s Award winner for Children’s Literature (Illustration).  The campaign bolsters Lakehead's “indie” reputation as a university that encourages its students to be innovative and independent thinkers.  

“Lakehead University provides a special educational experience. At both its campuses in Thunder Bay and Orillia, its emphasis on inquiry-based learning offers students the opportunity for a more intimate learning environment with greater student-teacher interaction. This gives students the chance to blossom individually and exercise their curiosity and critical thinking to their fullest,” says Dr. Frederick Gilbert, President, Lakehead University.  “The ‘I think for myself’ campaign highlights Lakehead success stories that are testaments to this reality– graduates who went out into the world and shaped very creative lives and careers built on the experiences they had at Lakehead University.”  
 
Using transit, print, and online ads with outdoor poster support, Lakehead has aligned its student and parent touch points via iwillthinkformyself.com, mylakehead.ca, Facebook, MSN Hotmail, and print materials such as the University Admissions Handbook. All carry the same theme – that independent thinking enriches the educational experience and creates lifelong opportunities.  
 

According to Eleanor Abaya, Director of Communications, “The branding campaign is a strategic platform that positions Lakehead as an institution for those who wish their post-secondary education to support their individuality – not force them to conform to the standards of others. Lakehead students tend to be individualists, and this is encouraged by the professors Lakehead attracts.”

The campaign runs until March 2010.