News Archive

Can two words — Pursue Impossible — distill a core UWA commitment; become a daily mission statement for our University? Will a young brand-savvy audience respond to this two-word challenge at a time when higher education has become a player in a highly competitive global arena that sees targeted marketing as an important element of 21st century universities?

“We think the clarion call of Pursue Impossible will be taken up not just by prospective students, but by the entire UWA community, because it says so much about our University – who we are, what we do and how, every single day, our researchers, students and academics are working to shape a better world,” predicts UWA Deputy Vice-Chancellor Kent Anderson.

“When UWA celebrated its centenary, sending our 100,000th graduate out into the world and being counted in the ranks of the world’s best 100 universities, the UWA community celebrated — but at the same time we were viewing the changing higher education landscape as both an exciting opportunity and a major second century challenge.

“Calling on critical thinkers and marketing gurus we asked how we could distill all that UWA offers in a simple, unforgettable message.

“We knew that, underlying any message, was UWA’s abiding commitment to delivering world-class education, research and community engagement to advance the prosperity and welfare of our community. That commitment is unchanged since this University opened its doors in 1913, but what has changed is the fact that ‘our community’ is now global, because our advances in soil science, medicine, mining exploration and other fields create a better world far beyond our borders, and because students from around the world want to work with our thought leaders.

“Another unchanged factor is our University’s ambition: we’ve made the top 100, now the goal is to be counted among the top 50 by 2050.”

In charting the way forward in terms of marketing UWA in a digital era, the University conferred with its brand-savvy students, its academics, researchers, and business and community partners. The message came back strong and consistent: in 2015 the UWA ‘brand’ is strong and worth protecting, but it must meet the needs of contemporary communication channels, and it needed to sharpen key messaging.

“One of our core messages to students is: if you come to UWA prepare to be stretched beyond your discipline, to gain a deeper understanding of yourself and of the world at large,” says Professor Anderson.

“Gaining knowledge will be your starting point but true gains will come from being part of a community of people determined to explore the unknown, challenge convention, and make things happen.”

From this recognition, the statement: Pursue Impossible emerged as a call to arms that UWA wants to convey to the world in its second century.

“Our University firmly believes that everyone on this campus should stretch to achieve what at first may seem impossible — as ‘impossible’, say, as revolutionising the way ulcers are treated (research that met huge initial opposition, but that won our Professor Barry Marshall his Nobel Prize); as ‘impossible’, say, as restoring the sight of a venerable grandmother in outback Australia must have seemed to pioneering ophthalmologists who have passed the baton to our First Among Equals award-winner Dr Angus Turner, seen on the cover of this issue,” says the Deputy Vice-Chancellor.

Earlier this month, Pursue Impossible went out to the world through a TV commercial, an integrated digital campaign, social media, media coverage and on campus activities — all orchestrated to consistently present a strong, student-focused voice.

For the university community it was gratifying to see the reaction of young visually literate, brand-savvy viewers well used to high quality film production.

It rapidly became clear that Pursue Impossible was being embraced by a target audience that readily identifies with the fast-paced commercial that follows a young student in determined pursuit of something against a backdrop of differing scenes. When she stops, the world stops, making the dramatic point that we all need to keep advancing. The distinctive and emotional soundtrack was created and performed by UWA School of Music students.

Readers of UNIVIEW will have noticed that, as part of the brand review, there have been minor changes to the UWA crest and typography for better online reproduction, however the ‘Seek Wisdom’ motto remains unchanged.

As the Pursue Impossible campaign goes live across digital media and other advertising channels, UWA looks forward to the community conversations it generates.