How to be both Great and Good.

The background

Since the inception of their 2030 Strategic Plan, the University of Virginia has spent the past two years developing key initiatives that strengthen its academic influence and connection to its community. UVA has worked diligently to better understand the current and future challenges it faces as a pillar of education and has moved to align its institutional goals with the values most important to those seeking and investing in a college education. At UVA, issues related to social and economic mobility, the impact of research and transformative teaching, and the needs of all university stakeholders are top of mind. We joined UVA in a charge to help illustrate a mission that couples excellence with purposeful action.

The challenge

In this new PSA, we wanted to help the UVA community celebrate their commitment to the greater good by showcasing just how impactful the work that occurs on UVA’s campus can be. We sought to connect with people doing great work and mirroring important themes found throughout UVA’s strategic plan. If any Cavaliers were uniquely contributing to the Charlottesville community or the greater Commonwealth of Virginia -we wanted to talk to them.

The approach

We prioritized authentic and approachable messaging by creating a documentary-style PSA highlighting the faculty, staff, students, coaches, and administrators most impactful on the UVA campus. We asked these folks, “In your discipline, what are the big questions you are trying to solve? What questions are you asking your students in order to improve the world we live in?” 

Instead of airing the answers to these questions, we used the questions themselves as scripts to provide our audience with an inside look into the type of considered thinking that occurs at UVA. In capturing many different facets of the UVA campus via video, we poised each vignette as an entry point for discovery so that all walks of life could see a direct connection between themselves and the positive impact generated by their neighbors.