UNIVERSITY OF WEST GEORGIA

I Am West

As higher education institutions began to feel the effects of the impending enrollment cliff—expedited by the COVID19 pandemic—the University of West Georgia (UWG) was determined to stay ahead of the curve. Crawford had the opportunity to begin a partnership with UWG in early 2021 to support the university’s enrollment goals and develop a unified brand positioning that resonated with students—current and prospective—alumni, faculty and staff, and local communities.

We began by conducting research with a variety of stakeholder groups connected to the university. Working with our friends at Message Factors, Inc., we developed quantitative and qualitative surveys with a goal of defining current perceptions and the intrinsic value the school holds. With over 1,000 responses across stakeholder groups, we learned that UWG is a student-focused, academically excellent, inclusive university to those who know it well. Unfortunately, individuals who weren’t as familiar with UWG, felt it was a second-choice school when considering where to earn an education.

Our mission: Develop a campaign that helps attract, nurture, and convert prospective students into enrolled students.

Enter, I AM WEST. A campaign that focuses on the student and in which prospective students can see themselves represented. We spent three days on UWG’s Carrollton campus photographing real UWG students and filming a standout video to feature in a multichannel, integrated campaign.

Now, you can see I AM WEST featured on billboards across the state, in digital mediums like Google display, Google search and paid social media, broadcast on local radio and on digital radio channels like Spotify and Pandora, and in prominent publications like Georgia Trend. On campus, students see I AM WEST on campus busses, digital screens in every building, on the football stadium Jumbotron, on t-shirts in the bookstore, and beyond.