‘Powerful, Emotional Stories’ Fuel Western Sydney University Rebrand

Angelo Kourtis, VP of People and Advancement, talks about how his vision for the institution led to one of the most popular campaigns of the past 12 months..

Trying to stand out in Australia’s university circuit is barbed with expendable resources, exclusivity, and prestige.

This was the challenge tackled head on by Angelo Kourtis, Western Sydney University’s VP of People and Advancement, who had a clear vision for his institution. “My critique of the current branding strategies that universities have is that they default into this position of preparing people to get jobs. It’s not a narrative that we actually should own.”

The ensuing university rebrand–and the “Unlimited” campaign–has produced industry awards, inspirational advertisements, and even an Archibald prize-winning portrait.

In this episode of The CMO Show, host Mark Jones is joined by WSU’s Angelo Kourtis and George Betsis, creative director at VCD+We Collective, to talk about why philosophy underpins marketing in the education sector, what the campaign has meant for the university, and how other institutions can learn from what has fast become one of the most popular campaigns of the past 12 months.

The CMO Show is a podcast about brand storytelling and the future of marketing. To listen to previous episodes, visit the website or follow along on iTunes or SoundCloud.