Work Samples Prepared for: Lamar University

Situation

Despite a consistent record of beating teams from so-called power conferences, the A-10 was still perceived as a “mid-major.” After immersing ourselves in the brand, we realized that what binds A-10 teams together is the belief that wins can only be earned through hard work. Our repositioning would herald the end of basketball dynasties resting on their laurels with the idea, “Winning championships is a workright, not a birthright.”

Solution

The brand we developed tells the world, “We’ve got next.” We launched the Next campaign via a powerful 2-minute manifesto commercial that re-energized the existing fanbase and got everyone talking about the conference. This commercial became the cornerstone for a wide-ranging integrated campaign, resulting in tens of millions of impressions and a vastly different perception of the A-10 by sports commentators and peer conferences. We kept the forward momentum with the bold evolution of the Atlantic 10’s identity.

Results

Our work for the A-10 has been recognized with a CLIO Award for integrated campaigns, and was covered by The New York Times and Sports Illustrated. To date, WhoWantsNext. com has over 2 million Twitter impressions, over 4 million social impressions and over 48 million total media impressions.

Situation 

San Diego State University (“SDSU”) is a transdisciplinary Hispanic-serving institution within the California State University System. As a growing research powerhouse, SDSU is comprised of multiple campus and locations throughout the United States, Mexico, and Tbilisi, Georgia. SDSU offers a sense of spirit, collaboration, and exploration with the backdrop of an accessible, affordable, and exceptional education.  

In 2021, SDSU approached 160over90 to help establish a new brand positioning and visual identity for the institution. At the time, SDSU’s primary logo was an outdated emblem showcasing a singular campus building.  

Moving forward, SDSU was seeking to overhaul its brand architecture to better reflect a more inclusive environment of its many communities, campuses/program locations, and academic offerings—while also balancing traditions of the past and existing affinity and association for the university.  

Solution 

160over90 began with a discovery and immersion phase to meet with key stakeholders and target audiences across the broader SDSU community—from senior leadership and administration to students, faculty/staff, alumni, donors, and everyone in between.   

From there, we established a new brand positioning for SDSU centered on the notion of “Transcending Borders, Transforming Lives.” 

There’s a liveliness at San Diego State University that you can’t find anywhere else. A palpable buzz of energy in and outside the classroom, and a community that ignites the institution to learn more. Do more. Be more.  

With a 125-year history of providing academic excellence, student success, and groundbreaking research, SDSU is redefining a student-centric, experience-driven education to inspire the brightest thinking and collaboration. It’s where city meets campus, cliffside meets ocean, borders transcend, and cultures converge. This is where your potential meets your future. 

As part of this brand refresh effort, 160over90 refined SDSU’s primary logo/mark and presidential seal, as well as developed a new brand architecture system that created hierarchy for the overall SDSU brand family and provided guidance for other university sub-brand logos.  

Results 

The new SDSU brand positioning and visual identity formally launched in 2022—coinciding with the celebration of its 125^th anniversary.  

This resulted in strong internal adoption and usage on-campus, increased community pride, and drove awareness for recruitment/admissions efforts. Since then, the institution has successfully revamped its .edu, social presence, advertising, and campus environment.

For decades, the University of Dayton (“UD”) enjoyed unwavering support from some of the nation’s most dedicated fans. Fans who have been there through the highs and lows, and who continue to pack their 13,435-seat arena. To repay this loyalty and to ensure it for future generations, UD made an unprecedented investment to elevate the program through the quality of recruits they attract—and they tasked 160over90 to develop a new brand identity that would support their efforts.

In 2014, following a successful men’s basketball season, 160over90 worked with the university to create a new athletics brand built around a cohesive message—To Every Challenge We Rise. The brand showcases the pride, persistence, determination, and passion infused in Flyers’ sports while drawing visual cues from UD’s history and vision for the future. As a whole, it shows the Flyers as a formidable force that will only rise higher.

To bring the athletics visual identity to life, our team developed a brand that would fit under the overarching UD brand and attract a higher quality athlete and elevate the program to elite status. The new logo is adaptable across all athletic environmental branding mediums, from digital and broadcast, to court and stadium signage, to uniforms and apparel. Specifically, our team created in-stadium graphics, print advertising, and outdoor advertising, in addition to branding the team’s locker room and arena, and developing an athlete-recruitment microsite and uniforms for the Flyers.

Situation

Ever since its founding in 1957, when three schools came together to form the University of Hartford, distinctness has been central to the institution’s story. When we set foot onto Hartford’s central quad, that distinctiveness stood out literally—no two buildings look exactly alike. But we also got to see that distinctiveness in all that the institution offers students across more than 100 programs of study. And we also found that, regardless of the program, Hartford was offering a distinctive experience to its students: an uncommon focus on undergraduate teaching that helps bring out the very best in each and every student.

Solution 

The more we learned and discovered, the more we realized Hartford had a great story to tell. Every professor we spoke to, every dean, every coach—everyone shared great examples of how they are helping students tap into their potential to become better versions of themselves. And this story was emblematic of the institution as a whole. After all, Hartford is the young upstart among New England’s private universities. It’s a little rough around the edges, from its concrete and brick buildings to the honesty and candor of its professors.

We leveraged this persona to tell the greater university’s story while making it relatable to the very students and prospective students it serves. The brand’s voice took on the tone of a mentor—a voice that flexes from trusted advisor to wise professor and motivational coach, offering just the right blend of challenge and support. To bring the brand to life, we partnered with architecture firm Ambit to reimagine and redesign the spaces of Hartford’s admissions house. We developed specialized recruitment pieces for Hartford Art School, as well as a viewbook for the entire university.

We infused the brand’s messaging into the university’s campus—its sidewalks, cafeteria, athletic facilities and campus store, all delivering the same branded story—Hartford University is “distinctive by design,” and its approach develops especially distinguished graduates.

After completing a comprehensive university-wide branding engagement, 160over90 focused on building a new University of Hartford athletics brand to better reflect the school’s ambition and character. Our athletics efforts began with a targeted discovery which informed a strategy and approach for the rebrand and logo design. Our creative team then built out an entirely new logo and logo system for athletics; created a custom font; and rolled out the new logo across uniforms, locker rooms, center court, team busses, posters, and more. We also delivered an extremely comprehensive set of athletic brand guidelines for anyone who would touch the athletics brand in the future. 

Results 

Following launch of the new brand, the university climbed 15 positions in the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges Rankings from 2013-2014. Our work was also recognized in publications such as How International (Best In Show), Graphis, Print Magazine’s Regional Design Annual and Under Consideration (Best of 2014).

• Undergraduate applications increased by 10%, the most in school history
• Undergraduate deposits increased by 18.5% 
• Applications for the Hartford Art School increased by 27%

SITUATION

Historically, HBCUs have not been given the level of exposure and platforms as PWIs as it relates to both academics and athletics. Alongside WME client, Michael B. Jordan, Endeavor wanted to build an inaugural live celebration of HBCU culture, academic excellence, and athletics. Inviting HBCU communities of students, families, alumni, and prospective students to an in-person weekend showcase while also broadcasting our message nationally.

SOLUTION

160over90, Obsidianworks, and teams across Endeavor worked together to create a purpose-driven event at the intersection of sport, advocacy, education, and culture. Not just a basketball tournament, the Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic became a cultural weekend advancing HBCUs through events such as a Career Summit, an eSports Tournament, a Startup Pitch Competition, and a musical performance by WME-client, Cordae. The host city, Michael B. Jordan’s hometown, Newark, NJ, was fueled with economic and educational opportunities – exposing high school students in the northeast to all that HBCUs have to offer.

The 160over90 and Obsidianworks team built the overarching brand strategy and oversaw marketing, creative, logo and brand development, digital content, ancillary programming, and social impact for the event.

RESULTS

The inaugural event garnered more than 1.5MM impressions on social media.

Situation

Everything’s bigger in Texas. And as one of the largest universities in one of the largest states in the country, Texas State University has a sizable story to tell. Situated between Austin and San Antonio in what Forbes coined “America’s next great metropolis,” Texas State maintains a rigorous teaching and research community predicated on real-world application – from photothermal cancer treatment therapies and point of care diagnostics, to best-in-class forensic anthropology programs and nationally modeled school and public safety trainings. But however well-positioned, this relatively young institution – built to do and reticent to brag – consistently found itself in the shadows of UT Austin and Texas A&M. Pressed by strategic imperatives to increase academic reputation, earn national research university recognition, and rival its competitors for top Texas student prospects, Texas State partnered with 160over90 on a coordinated research, branding, and public relations effort.

Solution

160over90 launched qualitative and quantitative market research to understand existing perceptions and brand equity, and to establish a cohesive brand platform that would accentuate academic strengths. Findings showed that, in the absence of steady academic and research messaging from the institution, audiences had come to equate Texas State with softer traits – warm and welcoming, service-oriented, community-minded. To compete with the UT Austins and A&Ms of the world, and to dial up academic and research rigor without compromising differentiation, we broached academic quality in a more personable, approachable way.

The resulting brand highlights a community of achievers at Texas State – leaders in their own right, grounded in care and service, guided by values, and gravitating toward real-world application. And given Texas State’s student body composition – reflective of both state and national demographics – the University is cast as helping to author the future of central Texas and the wider world.

To humanize that institutional narrative, 160over90 teamed up with more than 50 researchers across campus to mine for stories and elevate individual shares of voice. We conducted formal media trainings, equipping and empowering faculty experts to drive key storylines around their specific disciplines while representing Texas State’s commitment to academic excellence, community and connectedness, and tangible impact. And we led a national media relations and social media campaign, shining a spotlight on Texas State research endeavors and curricular innovations.

Results

160over90’s efforts mark the first time in Texas State history that the University’s many core stakeholders and multiple campuses (San Marcos and Round Rock) are uniting behind an overarching brand platform, vs. a tagline. With the master brand concept completed in 2019, seminal enrollment pieces began rolling out in the new brand look and feel in 2020, and the agency recently crafted a spin-off advancement brand (and digital presence) that will enter market in 2021 with the launch of a comprehensive fundraising campaign. On the awareness front, in two years’ time, the agency has garnered 100 national media placements totaling more than 6.5 billion media impressions, earning well-deserved attention for Texas State researchers from The Atlantic, NPR, Forbes, Time, USA Today, The New York Times, US News and World Report, and many more.

Texas A&M University

Texas A&M University and the Aggies are a fearless front. A community standing side by side in solidarity. Steeped in history, tradition, pride, and reverence, yet compelled to discover the unknown and solve for the grand global challenges of our time. In 2015, Texas A&M was readying to launch one of the boldest comprehensive campaigns in the history of public higher education. At $4 billion, it would break precedent as the largest ever in the state of Texas, rivaled only by the nation’s most elite public universities. But while fundraising stakes were high, research indicated that recognition of Texas A&M was comparatively low. 160over90 saw a tremendous opportunity to concurrently raise funds and raise national reputation.

We developed a singular, cohesive brand voice for the institution, centered on the idea of fearlessness. For more than 140 years, fueled by its land, sea, and space-grant heritage, Texas A&M has been fearlessly transforming lives and charting change. And we brought the fearless brand platform to life through a combination of large-scale advertisements, earned media, innovative digital touchpoints, and experiential marketing.

On the fundraising front—to match the big, bold, very ambitious nature of the $4 billion goal—we produced a highly memorable three-day campaign launch event complete with a presidential press conference; high-end donor event with celebrity entertainers Earth, Wind & Fire; and record-setting card stunt. The launch moment demonstrated how Texas A&M is leaving an indelible mark on the world, beginning in the great state of Texas.

From there, we strategically broadened our reach. We launched a DC Metro Station Domination, earning an audience with Aggies on the Hill, commuters coming in and out of the capital, and key research funders. We supported Texas A&M as they took an international stage at SXSW’s Interactive Week, showcasing the University’s position as a tier-one research institution and global change-maker with panel discussions and virtual reality experiences. And we produced a ‘viral’ anthem video that authentically captures the institutional ethos of Texas A&M—to live lives of meaning and impact.

• Raised $3.87 Billion to Date
• 195,000 Donors
• More than 50 Million Anthem Video Views
• More than 400 Million Earned Media Impressions
• On Pace to Meet The $4 Billion Goal By Fall 2020
• 459,083 Site Impressions
• 210 Million Media Impressions
• 0.46% CTR
• 20 Million Video Views

SITUATION

In a city obsessed with sports, Philadelphia has a deep passion for their Eagles. Yet after two disappointing seasons and tremendous change in the front office and coaching staff in 2012, fans felt disconnected from their team. The Eagles originally partnered with 160over90 in 2013 to develop a new brand strategy that could better reflect the team and reconnect fans with the City of Brotherly Love—in essence, that Philadelphia fueled the Eagles and the Eagles fueled Philadelphia. The brand narrative needed to build season-to-season, rather than change direction with the seasonal, tagline-driven campaigns typical of professional teams.

After working with the Eagles for eight seasons on various creative campaigns and video productions, the team needed to evolve its brand strategy and narrative to appropriately capture and express the post-Super Bowl progressive spirit of the Eagles to core fans and partners.

SOLUTION

In 2019, we updated the brand strategy around a platform idea of “United We Win.” The Eagles are inextricably linked to Philadelphia, but no longer just by geography. The Eagles’ tie to the City is defined by a mindset built off a connection to a team and organization that brings millions of people together through a unified shared passion. In other words: This is bigger than football, the Eagles are out to win in all that they do.

Our subsequent 2020 season launch video was led by Eagles legend Duce Staley, and featured a handful of cameos from celebrity fans and everyday fans alike who celebrate a fundamental, common understanding: that no matter what life throws at us, we will always be our true, authentic selves. And our 2021 opener spot earned acclaim for featuring a common and much-celebrated refrain/rallying cry: Go Birds.

This mentality—supported by out-of-home, social, and digital messaging, and a passionate fan base that is hungry for football—unites us all as we get ready to once again spread our wings like only we can.

RESULTS

In 2021, the season opener spot drew 6 million views and garnered more than 11.6 million impressions. Overall, engagement increased 4.5x across owned digital and social platforms from the year prior.

Since the beginning of our engagement with the Eagles, season ticket renewals have increased 26%, and the Eagles were the only team to sell out Wildcard Weekend within 24 hours.

160over90 continues to create branding that breaks through the noise. Anticipation for each year’s campaign begins to grow each summer. 160over90 united the team and its fans to become the greatest football community in America.

Situation

Research shows over 75% of working women feel sports enhanced their self-image. While access to sports is critical, it is futile without proper equipment. Sports bras are not part of standard school equipment sets, preventing many female youth from playing. To address the inequity, the Philadelphia Eagles partnered with Operation Warm to create FLY:FWD. The Eagles and Operation Warm announced their partnership in February 2023, expanding on the team’s unprecedented $100,000 equipment donation last year in support of area-based girls’ participation in youth sports. Operation Warm is a national nonprofit organization committed to ensuring equitable access to food, healthcare, education, and in this case, sports equipment. FLY:FWD is an innovative new sports bra that has been conceptualized, engineered, and manufactured specifically for young girls and women. While the Eagles were the catalyst for the program, seeding its creation and donating sports bras to every girl who wants to play any sport in their region, groups such as the Women’s Sports Foundation are now employing the program 

Solution

We know only one direction: forward. And only one way to do it: together. With our sights set straight ahead, we fly above every limitation to transformative new heights. This is the founding rationale that the FLY:FWD name was created under. It is creative expression inspired by the project, and embraces of the spirit and passion of our community.

Through our brand exploration in the form of graphics and proofs of concept, we considered packaging, donor outreach, SWAG, and potential partnerships. These translations of the brand exploration yielded brand guidelines including colors, typography, and graphics plus logo usage showing the do’s and don’t’s of using the FLY:FWD logo. 

Results

On a warm Friday afternoon, students from Northeast and George Washington High Schools made their way to the former’s gymnasium to participate in the launch event for FLY:FWD. A panel of stars were waiting for them including Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, International Boxing Hall of Fame World Champion and WSF Past President Laila Ali, two-time World Cup Champion and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Carli Lloyd, and Women’s Professional Tackle Football Pioneer and Philanthropist Qiana “Star” Wright.

With brand creative developed by 160over90, this event was a celebration of pride, empowerment, and confidence for all athletes. We support FLY:FWD’s efforts to remove barriers to participation in sports for young women by providing an essential piece of equipment: a sports bra. It’s an invitation to be active, to be a part of a team, and to build the confidence that leads to tomorrow’s opportunities. 

Situation

Established in 1858, Linfield is a private liberal arts institution with approximately 2,200 students based in McMinnville—in the heart of Oregon’s wine country, and an hour outside of Portland.

Linfield was at a crossroads a few years ago. Awareness was non-existent outside of McMinnville, enrollment had been in decline for three straight years, and inconsistent branding and messaging diluted the institution’s value proposition. Much like other small liberal arts colleges, Linfield lacked differentiation among its peers and competitors, which resulted in misperception related to affordability, accessibility, and location.

All of this took place in the background as Linfield was preparing to transition from “college” to “university” status, along with expanding its footprint with an additional campus in Portland.

In an effort to introduce the new Linfield University, the institution approached 160over90 to develop a new brand platform/visual identity and web presence to drive awareness, recognition, and enrollment for future growth.

Solution

160over90 began with an extensive Discovery phase where we visited campus and interviewed key stakeholders and target audiences including: President Miles Davis, Board of Directors, senior leadership/administration, faculty/staff, alumni/donors, students, parents, academic peers, and friends in the community.

Our research findings informed a new brand essence for Linfield that centered on this idea of “Uncommon Source for Radiance.” Linfield is a place where the unbelievably driven chart the uncharted. Where the undaunted unearth unheard of solutions to previously unsolvable problems. At Linfield, ideas are uninhibited, creativity is unhinged, and the solutions to the world’s unanswered questions become clear. The Linfield community explores the uncommon within to build a better future for all.

As part of this rebranding effort, 160over90 also developed a new logo/visual identity for Linfield University, along with redesigning the institution’s .edu, admissions collateral, social media presence, and on-campus signage/wayfinding, among others. Additionally, we produced a brand anthem video that introduced the new Linfield University to the world.

Ultimately, 160over90 armed Linfield’s internal team with comprehensive brand guidelines to handle revamping core day-to-day communications, while the agency handled key seminal executions.

Result

160over90 developed and launched the new Linfield University brand platform and visual identity in 2020. This resulted in strong internal adoption and usage on-campus, increased community pride, and drove awareness for recruitment/admissions efforts. A paid media campaign in partnership with 160over90 was launched in 2021 as a follow-up to the brand refresh.

SITUATION

The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) has been at the forefront of HBCU athletics since its founding more than 50 years ago. Providing opportunity, access, and a competitive outlet for its member institutions and student-athletes is at the core of the conference’s mission. Within the ever-evolving collegiate athletics landscape and coming off the recent loss of three member institutions, the MEAC needed a new compelling and cohesive brand narrative and PR support to chart the next chapter of the conference’s storied legacy.

SOLUTION

As a collection of eight institutions (each unique in their own way), the MEAC is guided by common values. A belief in Scholarship, Community Service, Sportsmanship, and Citizenship—creating leaders in every graduate. Bringing these values to life, 160over90 developed a new creative platform centered on the idea of Step In, which pays homage to the MEAC’s greatest moments as a HBCU cultural staple and home for black excellence. Step In showcases the conference’s legacy and makes one point crystal clear: the MEAC is poised to promote its image nationally and is ready to show the world what it’s made of. In other words, the new brand platform invites fans to Step In to the MEAC experience.

Ultimately, the new brand platform developed by 160over90 brought to life the sentiment that through a competitive yet compassionate approach, the MEAC and its member institutions strive to turn raw talent into full potential—on and off the field. The brand launched with a new :30 PSA that aired during televised football broadcasts, as well as integration across social, digital, PR and event touchpoints.

To date, 160over90 has been deeply integrated with the MEAC across all facets of branding, PR, and content strategy. 160over90 managed strategic PR initiatives securing media coverage that touted the MEAC’s accomplishments across athletics, academics and its impact in culture.

160over90, in conjunction with WME Sports, facilitated a MEAC member institution campus tour with Cordae. The two-time Grammy award nominee (and Endeavor client) toured MEAC campuses visiting with students and holding early listening sessions for his upcoming album. WME Sports also helped source brand sponsors for the tour (Coke & Cxmmunity). Additionally, during the 2021 Football season, the MEAC launched the only FCS pre-game show: MEAC Countdown to Kickoff presented by Coca-Cola.

RESULTS

PR results included more than 75 story placements accounting for 665M+ earned media impressions including outlets like The Undefeated, Forbes, Front Office Sports, Sports Business Journal, Sports Illustrated, UPROXX and SiriusXM Radio

Situation

Research powerhouse, University of Arizona, is the premier institution within the state of Arizona and its influence has broad reach across the country and around the globe. As a Land- and Space-Grant institution, home to two medical schools, and a designated a Hispanic-serving institution, the university is instrumental to the future of the state and is uniquely positioned to solve many of the world’s grand challenges.

Solution

In April 2019, UArizona partnered with 160over90 to develop branding, marketing, and advertising in an effort to cement its preeminent position within the state and to bolster its awareness and reputation on a national and global stage. This important work serves as a precursor to an upcoming comprehensive campaign, intended to fuel support of all kinds, beyond just fundraising.

160over90 conducted a robust Discovery & Research process to establish the strategic foundation and creative platform for the brand campaign, “Wonder Makes Us.” Our 360-campaign includes OOH wallscapes, transit wraps and metro station takeovers and custom content, TV, OTV, programmatic digital and social.

Results

Following the launch of the new brand, UArizona has achieved the following results:
• 47,000 new visitors to the site
• Increase in visitation in opportunity markets of TX (17,000) and CA (12,000)