NKU 50TH ANNIVERSARY

DESCRIPTION
Northern Kentucky University, the youngest of the region’s universities, is growing up fast and has hit its milestone 50th birthday. The small class of 1,400 students in 1968 has rocketed to over 12,000 students boasting a broad array of curriculum, student organizations and an NCAA Division I program.

Northern Kentucky University has an opportunity to celebrate this growth with their current students, faculty & staff, 60,000+ alumni base, donors and the community. Intrinzic was tasked to help NKU honor this occasion in a smart, strategic way through development of an anniversary theme, insignia and tactical elements that will support integrated campaign.

CHALLENGE
NKU wanted to celebrate their anniversary by showcasing past accomplishments while still looking toward their bright future. They also wanted to increase engagement with key stakeholders, including students, faculty, staff, alumni, community members, legislators and others.

Intrinzic needed to strike a balance between the University’s history, future and unique personality, passion and dedication shared by its faculty, staff, students and alumni. We worked closely with the NKU marketing and design team to bring a powerful 50th anniversary campaign to life, while exploring and pushing the NKU brand forward so that it could live beyond this exciting moment in time.

INSPIRATION
At Intrinzic, we were inspired by the stories we heard and – for many of us – by our own experience on campus as proud Norse alumni. Our team recognized that as NKU moves into the future, their focus remains on what will be instead of what has been – inspiring possibilities, and elevating and securing the reputation of the University. Our strategy for the 50th anniversary celebrated this outlook by bringing together the past and present to create excitement about the possibilities of tomorrow.

Our goals for the campaign included:

• Inspire audiences with our bold vision of what the future holds

• Elevate NKU’s reputation by sharing specific proof points that demonstrate how the University is reaching that vision

• Build pride across the region by creating a point of connection with audiences and highlighting the collective impact of NKU’s approach and work

OUTCOME
Our team developed a clear path forward for the NKU marketing and design team with a strong strategy supported by a verbal and visual toolbox. This toolbox included strategic messaging and design priorities, templates, graphic assets and usage guidelines for NKU teams across campus to use to create impactful, powerful and consistent campaign assets with which all audiences could connect.

Deliverables created include: • Messaging Strategy • Design Insignia • Visual and Verbal Toolbox • Advertising, email and campus signage templates • Anniversary web page templates (nku.edu/50) • Video and radio scripts