Creatives behind WSU ‘Unlimited’ campaign say Australian universities set students up for failure

By overselling a focus on jobs, Australian universities are underselling themselves. This is the candid view shared by Angelo Kourtis, VP of people and advancement at Western Sydney University and George Betsis, creative director, VCD – both creative leads behind Western Sydney University’s award-winning Unlimited campaign.

Speaking on The CMO Show podcast to co-host Mark Jones, the pair singled out workplace preparation as a flawed strategy.

Says Kourtis (left): “My critique of the current branding strategies universities have is that they default into this position of preparing people to get jobs. It’s not a narrative that we should actually own.

“What we should be aiming for, and what we should be describing to the rest of the world, is that we prepare people for life. We prepare people to become active engaged citizens in their communities. Getting a job is part of that, but it shouldn’t only be that.”

This philosophy resonated with Betsis (right), who said the campaign broke tradition in university marketing with a focus on “higher order” meaning. In particular, he was inspired by Kourtis’ vision to “destroy the ATAR as the basis for judging the potential of human beings.”

Both men grew up in Western Sydney, developing a deep understanding of the unfair reputational stigmas associated with the fast-growing region. This perspective gave WSU’s campaign a distinctly personal edge, with Kourtis explaining his wider mission is to redefine the region itself.

Says Kourtis: “An ATAR is not a limiting factor in your success. Success is accessible to anyone with potential and willingness to work. It’s the idea that you could start from anywhere – which is what all of the stories are about – and your hard work, determination and ambition can carry you forth.”

The podcast interview coincided with news of artist Nick Stathopoulos winning the Archibald Prize People’s Choice 2016 for his portrait of Deng Adut, whose face is synonymous with the Unlimited campaign.

A former Sudanese child soldier and lawyer, Adut’s story powerfully illustrates the idea that success is possible for anyone. He has garnered widespread attention with the campaign video viewed more than 2.4 million times on YouTube to date.

Listen to full interview, read the transcript, and watch the campaign video here.