People arriving at Vancouver International Airport on a November morning were surprised to find a mural made of hundreds of blank sticky notes. A question on the colourful wall gave them pause: “In my life, I hope I don’t stop ___.” Some took the time to scribble responses: “learning,” “exploring,” “volunteering.”
As part of its splashy “Don’t Stop” brand-awareness campaign, which launched November 4, Royal Roads University filmed two public stunts: one at the airport, and another in Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood, where passersby discovered a bus shelter transformed into a community book share. Aimed at mature students and working professionals, the campaign struck a reflective and cheerful tone to highlight the importance of continuous learning and personal growth.
“Most of our students come with lots of life and work experience,” says Catherine Riggins, associate vice-president of marketing and alumni relations at Royal Roads. “They feel it’s important to continue that life experience rather than interrupting it for a learning experience. They’re juggling both of those things.”
Key to the “Don’t Stop” campaign, which concluded at the end of December, was staying true to the university, Ms. Riggins says. “We’re not like the big research institutions. We’re smaller, more hands-on.”
In addition to the videos, Royal Roads also chose to highlight alumni stories on the campaign’s landing page, which promotes the university’s popular program clusters and encourages prospective students to speak with enrolment advisors. The university worked with Will Creative Inc., a Vancouver-based agency, on creative execution and commissioned a national career confidence survey through Ipsos to buoy the campaign’s relevance.