Human Intelligence for a Human Future
Transforming the University of Ottawa Faculty of Arts brand into a bold statement for the future of arts education.
Overview
When the uOttawa Faculty of Arts came to us with the challenge of revitalizing their brand, we proposed a campaign with a bold message: instead of telling people that arts education can help them compete in the face of AI, we wanted to show them that it can help them take back control of the game - to write their own future.
The key to this is harnessing human intelligence: the capacity to think critically, to be creative, to empathize, collaborate, and adapt. Arts education naturally helps foster human intelligence. Most people understand that. This campaign is about getting people to really feel it. We’re not just selling courses, we’re selling humanness.
Project Scope
Objectives
Brand Transformation
Brand Awareness
Student Recruitment
Services
Video Production
Creative Development
Copy & Content Writing
Campaign Strategy
Campaign Execution (Media Buying, Optimization)
Timeline
Spring-Summer 2025
The Challenge
How do we communicate the value of an arts education in 2025 and position the Faculty as bold and innovative in the face of AI and algorithmic determinism?
In response to this climate of uncertainty and rapid change, most universities are repeating some version of the same marketing message: improve your skills to better compete.
We believe that message isn’t connecting because it doesn't address a core feeling of our moment: that our future is being determined for us, not by us. And that feeling is preventing us from even imagining what kind of future we might want.
Squeezed Resources
International student caps, tuition freezes, rising costs, shrinking revenues. Universities are experiencing financial precarity.
Uncertain Futures
AI threatening jobs, political and economic uncertainty, trust in higher education eroding (especially in arts).
Saturated Lansdscape
Increased competition among universities, focus on developing career skills, prioritizing hard skills (STEM).
The Solution
Instead of telling people that arts education can help them compete in the face of AI, we wanted to show them that it can help them take back control of the game - to write their own future.
We introduced the concept of “Human Intelligence” as a central campaign platform, celebrating the distinctly human qualities fostered by arts education: critical thinking, empathy, creativity, adaptability, and agency.
The campaign redefined the Faculty’s value proposition in terms of its relevance to shaping the future, rather than simply surviving it.
What We Did
Video Production
To illustrate the concept of Human Intelligence, we filmed actual uOttawa students reading scripts foretelling their futures and captured their spontaneous, authentic reactions in an on-camera experiment. We explored the real anxieties, hopes, and desires of this core audience to create an emotionally resonant statement that made a bold impact.
Still Image Ads
Ads featuring photos of real students were used on social media to drive further engagement with the brand. Ads were created in both English and French.
Web Content
We designed and wrote copy for landing pages for the campaign, and crafted blog articles on topics related to the idea of Human Intelligence and the value of an arts education. all content was aligned through a visual identity and content strategy designed for cross-platform continuity. All ad copy and web pages were produced in both English and French.
Podcast Advertising
We created an audio ad that left a (literal) blank space for audiences to insert their own answers, and respond to the campaign with their thoughts and feelings.
The Results
We knew from the start that this campaign was unusually authentic and sincere for a university brand initiative, but even we were surprised by the strength and consistency of the response.
12.74%
Click-through Rate
12.74%
Click-through Rate
12.74%
Click-through Rate
Beyond the Metrics
The campaign achieved something more rare: a unifying cultural moment within the higher-education community. Students, educators and administrators across the country rallied behind the message while receiving coverage in national academic media.
The campaign has helped re-establish the Faculty’s voice in the public conversation, and demonstrates the power of strategic, emotionally intelligent marketing.
"Fractal is my go-to-fixer; for marketing problems, research gaps, and strategic brainstorming. They never let me down."
Kevin Kee
Dean, University of Ottawa, Faculty of Arts
Have a difficult communications problem? Reach out, we’re always happy to chat.
