UTS College has launched ‘The Year That Made Me’, a new campaign from The Core Agency built from real footage, photos and words supplied by its students.
The launch comes amid tighter government policies and a generation of students turning to and living with AI, both adding pressure to institutions to tell stories authentically.
The brief was to capture what actually changes for a student during their year at UTS College: growing confidence, a sense of belonging, and the resilience to keep going when things don’t go to plan, it was the year that made them the very best version of themselves.
Following the success of last year’s brand work for the University of Technology Sydney, UTS College opted to work with The Core Agency on its campaign, with the agency developing the strategic positioning and a creative campaign.
Rather than reconstructing that experience, The Year That Made Me tells genuine stories of how the momentum of UTS College helped real students create their identities. A suite of films and digital assets were crafted from authentic student content from their year at the College, so the story of that growth is told in their own words.
“Gen Z see straight through marketing hype, so we knew the best way to convince them was to be real and feature the people who had already been to UTS College and killed it,” said Christian Finucane, creative director and founder, The Core Agency.
“Through their stories we quickly discovered the immensely positive impact UTS College had on students. It was a lot of fun and a great privilege to work on a product that genuinely gives people more confidence and changes their futures.”
“It’s easy for this sector to talk in outcomes, degrees, pathways, results. What matters to our students is the belonging and transformation they build along the way, and we wanted this campaign to reflect that. The Core Agency brought that vision to life, and we’re so proud of how our students are celebrated in it,” added Natasha Wheeler, brand and communication, UTS College.
“It was important that this campaign still felt like UTS College, reflecting the University’s brand while giving our own creative and personality room to come through. That balance is what made the stories feel true to our students,” said Nikki Duffey, Campaign and Digital, UTS College.
The campaign launches across paid social, digital video, owned assets and student touchpoints.
Credits
Client: UTS College
CEO: Morwenna Shahani
Executive Director: Peter Harris
Campaigns and Digital: Nikki Duffey
Brand and Communication: Natasha Wheeler
Agency: The Core Agency
Creative Partners: Christian Finucane and Jon Skinner
Managing Partner: Rebecca Turner
Client Strategy Officer: Megan Sneesby
Senior Creative: Sarah Mould
Copywriter: Lauren Seaborn
Art Director: Callum Foot
Senior Account Director: Joseph Rosslind
Producer: Meredyth Judd
Director/Editor: Zac Lynch-Woodlock
Producer: Victoria Beck
DOP: Matt Maule
1st AC: Darren Mak
2nd AC: Dillon Mak
Gaffer: Remi Durrenberger
Lighting Assist: Alex Wilson
Sound Recordist: James Yeremeyer
H&MU Artist: Steph Cainaro
Photographer: Jeremy Shaw
Production Assistant: Gia Smith
Motion Graphics: James Manton
Colourist: Nickolas Andrews
Sound Design: Mosaic
