UBC Okanagan: Worlds Coming Together
Building a distinctive, sustainable brand for the University of British Columbia, Okanagan.
Overview
The University of British Columbia, Okanagan (UBCO) engaged Fractal Communications & Blackjet to address a complex communications and positioning challenge during a period of institutional transformation. UBCO sought to establish a distinct brand identity and positioning that would both reflect and unify its status as an ambitious research institution and a close-knit, community-focused campus.
The overarching objective was to articulate a brand platform and campaign rooted in sustainability, community, and Indigenous cultural values, in order to attract students, faculty, research partners, and deepen connections with local communities.
Project Scope
Objectives
Brand Transformation
Brand Awareness
Recruitment
Services
Stakeholder & Community Consultation
Landscape Analysis
Brand & Creative Development
Content Guidance
Timeline
2023
The Challenge
How do we establish a distinct brand identity and positioning that would both reflect and unify its status as an ambitious research institution and a close-knit, community-focused campus?
How can we empower UBCO teams and content creators to amplify the new identity across all channels?
The Solution
The project delivered a unifying brand strategy and campaign concept, endorsed by UBCO’s council on first reading, that enables stakeholders to “connect the best of both worlds”: global research innovation and strong community roots.
We developed modular campaign messaging themes to empower UBCO teams and content creators to amplify the new identity across all touchpoints, including social, video, print, and academic storytelling.
What We Did
Consultations
We performed more than 100 one-on-one and group interviews with UBCO leadership, faculty, internal communications, students, community, Indigenous and external partners to understand perceptions, needs, and aspirations
Landscape Analysis
We delivered a comprehensive landscape analysis of UBCO’s position among peer institutions and clarified the strong, but sometimes conflicting, duality in its identity; global research innovation vs. small-campus, community focus.
Brand Identity
We built a new visual system and identity kit reflecting a sustainable blend of cultures, community connection, and a sense of place in the Okanagan region.
Campaign Assets
Provided messaging and design guides that enabled owned, earned, and paid communications; sample creative executions included paid ad campaigns, hero video content, and social media templates created in partnership with Blackjet and the UBCO internal team.
The Results
Immediate results included the launch of a new paid campaign, with multiple owned and earned content streams supporting institutional awareness, pride, and recruitment. Internal engagement rose, new collaboration frameworks were established, and the new identity platform equipped UBCO for years of sustainable, distinctive outreach.
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