Ohio University
Our biggest story is struggling
to tell our story.
Ohio University has a picture-perfect campus nestled in an idyllic college town filled with fun-loving students who go on to career success and share lifelong bonds with fellow Bobcats. Yet the only thing people love more than Ohio University is telling you that it’s impossible to say exactly why they do.
The T&C team was brought in to define those undefinable benefits of OHIO to the modern student. Rather than simply relying on one facet of the school, our brand position focused on how OHIO provided the nation’s highest “return on experience.” Across six campuses in Southeast Ohio, the university prepared multitudes of generations for a lifetime of success through first-hand experiences, close connections for a school of its size, and, well, a little bit of fun.
THE EXPERIENCES HERE
LAST FOREVER.
The outward-facing brand led with the rallying cry of “Forever OHIO,” an evocative phrase that spoke to the lasting impact of the OHIO experience. It was part of a brand that was big enough to drive admissions, advancement, and university messaging, and build pride among current students.
This field guide excited prospective students with insider Bobcat knowledge to hit the ground running.
This four-part activity series gave future Bobcats creative ways to experience (not just read about) campus in a time when the traditional tour wasn’t possible.
TEAMWORK
With a few marquee projects under our belt, we helped round out the Forever OHIO concept and developed a style guide to aid the OHIO UCM team to start building out brand communications on their own—from a refreshed web presence, to Bobcat swag for humans and pets, and even campus murals. We worked closely with the team to fine-tune assets, illustrations, and tone of voice.
This sense of partnership and trust allowed us to create a unified front and roll out the Forever OHIO brand to Athens, regional campuses, OHIO, and the world.
RESULTS
The Forever OHIO brand was created during the pandemic lockdown and debuted during one of the most trying times in school history. While the results are impressive, perhaps the best indication of our success was an email we received after presenting the brand to our clients: “Today reminded me why I am here and why I love what I do. It brought a level of energy and optimism that I desperately needed after what has been an exhausting several weeks. It also made me thankful for the decision to take somewhat of a risk on a new agency with people I didn’t know. And it made me yet again love a campus I have only seen a handful of times in the last 12 weeks.”
The OHIO University class of 2025 had record-breaking academic quality with the highest class average GPA on record. There was record enrollment in the University’s selective honors program, a record proportion of African American students, and a record proportion of non-resident students. There was also an increase in the number of Hispanic/LatinX students.
Press
True Story: Our presentations induce goat labor.
Like most things at OHIO, the brand launch was all hands on deck.
