video

Many Voices

The University’s national :30 institutional message poses the opportunity for a unique message each year.

Campaign
Institutional Message for Broadcast
Team
Multimedia team
Client
University of Notre Dame
Awards
Bronze: 35th Annual Educational Advertising Awards 2020 (TV Advertising - Single spot)

The University’s national :30 commercial must communicate a message that’s on brand, balances an emphasis on academics and mission, and appeals to a mass audience watching high-level sports. Producing both a :30 version for broadcast and a longer version for online, we maximize the strengths of different media channels.

Rather than trying to squeeze in every aspect of Notre Dame in a mere :30, each year we hone in on one idea. In Many Voices, One Conversation, the message draws from our president Rev. John Jenkins’ emphasis on the importance of civil discourse. We open the piece with an idea posed by Thomas Aquinas, also inspired by Father Jenkins, an Aquinas scholar. Then mixing a collection of diverse books on controversial subjects with students actively discussing opinions, the story culminates with them gathering together to learn from each other. Underneath the story plays an American folk song reinforcing the message. This video begins in the library, the heart of academic studies, but then moves to locations around campus, showcasing both the beauty of campus and our modern facilities for students. We believe in representing Notre Dame in an authentic way and in our role as educators. So whenever possible, we use students to compose the music bed, voice the message, and appear in the scenes. The result is a fresh University message that’s completely on brand.