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Jesse James Cunningham

UMKC Grads Are Everywhere

University of Missouri-Kansas City
Campaign
2018

There are over 57,000 UMKC Kangaroos (alumni) working in Kansas City alone. However, UMKC still had trouble shaking its ‘commuter school’ and ‘second tier’ reputation. By shining the spotlight on UMKC Grads, we not only awoke a sleeping giant of alumni base, but used their existence to prove that a degree from UMKC sets students up for successful careers. Ultimately, the campaign increased awareness through a lot of earned media coverage and local support, as well as awarded a cease and desist from the city and a Silver Addy from the industry.

 

Case Study

 
 

The Kangaroo Crossing Sign

In the midwest, it is not uncommon to come across a deer crossing sign, but a kangaroo crossing sign is a different story. In order to generate awareness around the campaign and the excellence of UMKC grads (Kangaroos), not only in Kansas City but the entire world, we borrowed interest from the roadside icon to indicate all the places where Kangaroos are finding success. The sign made its first appearance in the form of wild postings with a full takeover of the city.

 
 
 
 

The kangaroo crossing sign (cont.)

The sign made its first appearance in an all-out stampede on the city as wild postings replicating actual street signs. Posted overnight, we were able to get our messaging everywhere covering the entire KC metro from Missouri to Kansas. In response to a cease and desist, the signs eventually had to be removed, but by then they had earned enough media and public attention to give the campaign momentum.

 
 
 
 

Success in Plain Sight

We drew inspiration from everyone’s favorite nature documentary narrator to observe the success of Kangaroos in the wild. Three videos were produced, each focusing on a different area of study; Business, Science and Information Technology.

 
 

'Boardroom' :30

'Lab' :30

'I.T.' :30

 
 

Out-of-Home

Because Roos and future Roos are known to be both diurnal and nocturnal, we imposed methods that could attract them during all hours of the day.