Queensland University of Technology (QUT) has been shortlisted for the Best University Marketing Campaign category in the 2024 Future Campus awards. The nomination comes in recognition of a significant change in the university's branding slogan, driven by a market research project initiated in response to declining enrolments.

"Despite being a positive core brand attribute, this tagline had lost meaning as students' needs evolved over time," said Xavier Amouroux, Executive Director of Marketing and Communication at QUT. The research led to a review of the university's brand positioning and found that the existing slogan 'University of the Real World' was recognised but not engaging prospective students.

The new campaign slogan, 'Real is...', is a tweak of the original that maintains recognition. "The development of the campaign involved contributions from QUT students and colleagues across the university to help shape the strategy, curate proof points and support with talent and spaces for production," Amouroux explained.

The new platform aims to present an authentic picture of student experiences and the multitude of ways that success can be defined. "The platform helps QUT bring into focus the real and unfiltered university experience, the highs, the lows and the in-between moments," said Amouroux.

The campaign strategy is said to be different from most university marketing which focuses solely on the end goal and familiar success stories. "So, this approach is not only ownable by QUT, but helps the university stand out from competitors," Amouroux concluded.