SOMETHING BIG • JWU WILDCAT STATUE CAMPAIGN

One afternoon I received an unexpected call from the First Lady of Johnson & Wales University. The Chancellor's wife was leading the development of a high profile art project. Private funds resourced the design and production of 4 massive wildcat statues, one for each campus, honoring the spirit and tenants of the university. Partnered with the city of Providence and other prominent community institutions, this installation had metaphorical weight.

My challenge was to craft a campaign announcing and promoting the new art piece. Due to the work load and internal environment at the time, I basically undertook the task personally. This actually allowed for an efficient and unrestrained creative approach beyond the typical multi-layered process. Given the lack of designated resources for the project, the challenge was to pull off a scalable campaign, flexible for all campuses without a line item budget. 

Building a campaign focused on students was the main objective. Firing up faculty, staff, and alumni was a unique opportunity. With nowhere to hide construction of this scale, there would be a prolonged period of construction for an unknown purpose. I suggested we leverage this question into curiosity with a teaser campaign. To accomplish this, we built a massive "Box" over 12 feet tall and 20 feet long very near the site. The box was wrapped with teaser graphics, "Something BIG Is Happening." 

The appearance of the box had our entire community scratching their heads. Buzz quickly built around the box. After 4 weeks, once people were accustom to the structure and 2 before the actual sculpture arriving on campus, we cut a series of “ventilation holes" around the box. Additionally, we added a motion sensor and configured speakers. When students walked within 15 feet of the box, a loud "Wildcat roar" was triggered, at an alarming volume. While just being fun to watch the reaction, anticipation grew. 

We supported the build-up with a campus-wide social media component, robust poster distribution, teaser PR in both internal staff & faculty publications and in the campus newspaper. Digital displays featured more teaser content and along with other hands-on efforts by select students, anticipation peaked.

Finally, as our massive Wildcat sculpture made its way from the Pacific Northwest via a flatbed truck, we wrapped in a social "spotting" campaign. Progress was monitored on the web as the art traveled across the country like a “Santa Tracker”. Building anticipation set the stage for an unveiling celebration. JWU's entire athletic department embracing our new symbol of Pride, Courage, Character, and Community and welcomed this symbol with open arms.

Our student body, along with the entire university community, welcomed city officials and other higher education stakeholders, along with prominent business and artistic personalities, to celebrate our new installation. 

This campaign was mirrored and executed all or in part on each of our regional campuses.