RE-WRITING THE RULES FOR UNIVERSITY ADVERTISING BY RELEASING A NEW TRACK ON SPOTIFY AND NATIONAL RADIO
CHANGE IT FOR MONASH UNIVERSITY
While other universities were busy saying the same thing (yawn), Monash shook tertiary education up and redefined why universities exist.
It needed to launch with some firepower. Ladies and gentlemen, drumroll please…
Say hello to Australian rappers, AB Original. They wrote ‘Blaccout,’ a new track specifically for the CHANGE IT campaign. It was released via Spotify and Triple J, Australia’s number one youth radio network. Conservatives hated it. But the university sector – students, researchers, teachers and staff – loved it.
CHANGE IT won global awards for excellence in university advertising, it was showcased in a New Zealand museum, and it was a finalist at Cannes in the “Entertainment Lions for Music” category.
The platform has since provided a framework for creative campaigns that get noticed around the globe. CHANGE IT has accounted for over 200 awards at every major creative advertising show.
“Change It has changed everything for Monash University as a powerful, long-term brand platform – and James is not only the brains, but the heart behind it. He is very strategic and he’s made sure the Change It platform is consistently fresh and freshly consistent. One of the things I love about James is that he is always ready to think about using a new channel, or trying a new craft technique or element – but he makes sure everything is of a crazy high standard. He’s a born leader, clever but with a heart of gold.”
Ali Tilling, CSO, VML APAC