In a normal year, May is a month that sees Macquarie billboards, cinema ads and digital assets being rolled out across Sydney as part of our ‘You to the power of us’ brand campaign.

But this – as we know – is not a normal year.

“Our planned campaign just wasn’t going to work in the world of COVID-19,” says Chief Marketing Officer Elizabeth Horbach. “The channels that are usually our strongest awareness drivers – out-of-home and cinema – are not options right now. We’re not able to get students and photographers on campus for new creative imagery. And our audiences – understandably – are feeling more anxious and uncertain about the future than they normally would be.

“We’ve had to be agile and come up with a whole new campaign strategy – a new approach to the creative; new proof points; a new media plan. It’s been a significant shift in a very short timeframe.”

The University’s new awareness campaign centres on empathy, recognising the uncertainty many are feeling and highlighting how Macquarie is helping students – and the broader community – through these turbulent times.

“We’re emphasising proof points like our early entry schemes, flexible and double degrees and focus on transferrable skills, which give our graduates a crucial advantage in a rapidly changing job market,” says Elizabeth.

“We’re also highlighting how the University has adapted and transformed to support online learning during COVID-19, and how we’re supporting the broader community through areas like the MindSpot Clinic and Centre for Emotional Health.”

Macquarie’s own students have pitched in to provide content, creating their own ‘selfie videos’ that talk to the high quality of teaching and support they’ve received at Macquarie.

“We wanted to put our students in the heart of the campaign,” says James Barrow, who leads Group Marketing’s Creative team. “It has an authentic, empathetic tone, which feels right in the current environment.”

The awareness campaign will run alongside study areas recruitment and event campaigns, with the You(us) brand page now updated with the new campaign creative.