When it came time for the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business to launch a new campaign, it made the decision to choose change.

Not only is “Choose Change” the actual name of its latest marketing campaign, but it also serves as the underpinning for a fundamental shift in the school’s brand and visual identity. Developed with Calgary-based creative agency Evans Hunt, the new look reflects insights gleaned by the school through careful consideration of what it represents for its students, as well as through studies involving Canadians, Albertans and Calgarians specifically about their sentiments regarding career change – to which one in four respondents said they were considering one and would take business education to make that transition.

Haskayne is “a place for transformational change,” explains Linda Luu, director of marketing and communications for the school. “But when we looked at our logo, visual identity and even our brand story, it didn’t reflect that. So we decided that now was a good time to better tell that story, because there are also a lot of changes happening at the school, as well.”

Luu points to Haskayne’s opening of a new building in November, the pending arrival of a new dean  in September and the launch of several new programs. “A lot of changes are happening right now, and being able to reflect that in our brand is just good timing,” she says.

Key to the visual update, which includes bold and modern typefaces, while avoiding the “old school” use of a school crest, is a “transformational H,” Luu says, which appears both in the school’s full-name logo as well as its monogram. The “H” is a lowercase, black and bold letter with a pinnacle in the school’s orange colour that completes the shape and turns it into an uppercase “H,” which “reflects the transformation we’re able to provide for our students.”

The distinct and recognizable character works well not only to encapsulate the professional growth that students of Haskayne will experience through their programs, but also the transformations the school itself is undertaking.

To drive the new visual identity home, the school is launching a new marketing campaign that harnesses it.

“We were very purposeful with the words we’re using. ‘Change’ reflects the people looking for a career change or one in their knowledge, skill set or perspective. But the other important piece is ‘choose.’ Anyone can go back to school, but they have to make that intentional choice to take advantage of everything they’re learning and the experiential opportunities they wouldn’t normally have if they weren’t here,” Luu explains.

The campaign speaks directly to a key demographic for the school: its postgraduate programming. Haskayne offers an array of MBAs, executive MBAs, a doctorate in business administration, and a new master of management program – all that help people who are looking for career changes or a way to acquire extra skills to earn a promotion or develop stronger business sense.

“People are looking for career change, and I think the pandemic was a key igniter in that,” says Luu. “Feeling comfortable about it is something Haskayne can provide, because we give them the knowledge, confidence and network to go out and look for new jobs. If you enrol at Haskayne, you have all of those resources that make the decision to make a career change that much easier.”

The new campaign is rolling out across TV, radio, digital, OLV and OOH.