Fordham University
© Marketing Campaign & Brand Expression
Project Overview
Client: Fordham University
Founded: 1841, New York City
Agency: Loyalkaspar (LK)
Type: Jesuit University
Campaign Tag Line: “For what matters”
Brand Essence: “Poised pursuit of good”
Agency HQ: New York, NY
Services: Campaign production, Messaging, Environmental signage, Motion design system
• GenZ Students
• Alumni Donors
• College Counselors
Tone
• Aspirational
• Altruistic
• Relatable
Audience
Overview
Fordham University is a Jesuit university based in New York City. Loyalkaspar (LK) was selected to bring Fordham’s evolving brand identity to life — building excitement among both prospective students and within the university community itself. The engagement spanned live-action campaign production, graphic toolkits, environmental signage, and an animated motion design system.
Objective
Bring Fordham’s evolving brand identity to life, building excitement among both prospective students and within their own community. LK developed a live action campaign, graphic toolkits and animated motion pieces to promote Fordham’s brand refresh both internally and externally.
Creative Strategy
LK distilled Fordham’s brand essence to the “poised pursuit of good” — a phrase that captures the university’s Jesuit values while reflecting its unique position as both a classic campus experience and an urban institution at the center of New York City. The campaign tagline, “For what matters,” served as the north star throughout concepting, scripting, casting, and production.
The strategic insight behind the campaign was a deliberate rejection of the standard higher education playbook. Rather than creating a montage spot highlighting a “something for everyone” approach — a common approach that many schools use interchangeably — LK focused the campaign on providing living proof of what Fordham stands for.
“Many schools promise similar benefits and programs to attract students, but how do you stand out from the herd and become the school that a student identifies as their number one?”
By casting current students and alumni who genuinely embody the spirit of the school, the campaign brings brand attributes to life through real stories and real outcomes — giving prospective students something tangible to identify with.
The Campaign
The campaign was shot in a fresh, veríté documentary style — offering prospective students a personal lens into university life. Three spots were produced:
Brandon :30
A successful Fordham alum and entrepreneur, Brandon organically expresses how Fordham shaped his path. The spot focuses on authentic voice and real outcomes rather than staged campus imagery.
Carli :30
A Fordham alum and practicing psychiatrist, Carli embodies the way a Fordham education offers not only knowledge but human perspectives that positively shape the character of students.
Kate :30
A current Fordham student, Kate speaks to the way Fordham has helped her find her purpose.
The Combo :90
A longer-form spot weaving together the stories of multiple students and alumni to provide a broader picture of what makes Fordham unique — combining the individual narratives into a cohesive portrait of the university.
Internal Buy-In
Recognizing that a brand refresh affecting a beloved institution requires internal alignment as much as external promotion, LK created a dedicated animated piece to explain to the Fordham community how and why the brand was evolving. With stakeholders who have strong emotional and nostalgic attachments to the brand, dynamic visual storytelling was used to express the thinking behind the modernization.
LK scripted, animated, and edited a piece specifically for an internal event at Fordham to unveil the evolving brand expression — treating the internal launch with the same creative care as the external campaign.
“Fantastic - thanks, team. The finished product is REALLY well done. I previewed the body of work with my colleagues in Cabinet today, and our President teared up (which means - SUCCESS!)”
Motion Design System
Alongside the campaign, LK developed a motion design toolkit for Fordham’s marketing team — providing guidelines for ongoing brand expression beyond the initial campaign. Four motion styles were defined:
Uplifting
Animated typography and icons animate upwards into position, reinforcing the encouraging spirit of the university.
Confident
Headlines move with power and purpose into position, then remain steadfast — not drifting, reflecting decisiveness.
Supportive
Headlines move with power and purpose into position, then remain steadfast — not drifting, reflecting decisiveness.
Driven
Continuous movement toward the viewer is allowed, while shrinking back or contracting is avoided.
Deliverables
Campaign & Production
Brandon :30 spot (veríté documentary style)
Carli :30 spot
The Combo :90 spot
Concepting, scripting, casting, and production
Internal communicationsLogo cycle animations & Variations
Animated brand evolution explainer for internal event
Internal brand launch presentation
Design & Motion
Motion design system (Uplifting, Supportive, Confident, Driven)
Graphic toolkits for marketing team
Environmental signage
Results
The admissions year following LK’s brand and campaign work, Fordham received a record number of applications:
Fordham application increase
+23%
National benchmark (Common App)
+5%
The 23% increase far exceeded the nationwide 5% increase for public and private institutions using the Common App platform, and represented an unprecedented year-over-year gain for the university.
Source: Fordham Now — “Record High Applications, Strong Academic Achievement: A Look at Fordham’s Admitted Class of 2030”
About the Agency
Loyalkaspar (LK) is a branding and marketing agency headquartered in New York, NY (93 Pearl Street, 3rd Floor). The agency has operated since 2003 and works across brand identity, design, and marketing for clients across a range of industries.
Categories: Brand campaign · Higher education · Fordham University · Video production · Motion design · Jesuit · New York City · Loyal Kaspar · Admissions marketing
FAQ
Loyalkaspar (LK) was engaged by Fordham University to bring their evolving brand identity to life through a live-action campaign, motion design system, and internal communications — resulting in a record 23% increase in applications the following admissions year.
About the Project
What was the core challenge LK was brought in to solve for Fordham University?
Fordham was refreshing its brand identity and needed to activate that refresh both externally — to attract prospective students — and internally, to bring the university community along on the journey. LK was engaged to translate the evolved brand into a live-action campaign, motion design system, and internal communications that could work across both audiences simultaneously.
What made LK's campaign strategy different from a typical higher education approach?
Most university campaigns fall back on a 'something for everyone' montage approach that tends to feel interchangeable across schools. LK took the opposite approach — casting real current students and alumni who authentically embody the Fordham spirit, and letting their genuine stories do the work. The result is a campaign built on living proof rather than promotional promises.
How did LK develop the campaign's creative platform?
LK distilled Fordham's brand essence to a single phrase: 'the poised pursuit of good.' From there, the tagline 'For what matters' was developed as the north star for all concepting, scripting, casting, and production. Every creative decision — from the verité documentary shooting style to the choice of subjects — was tested against that north star.
Why did LK choose a documentary style for the spots?
A documentary verité approach reinforces the authenticity of the stories being told. Rather than staging campus life, the style lets subjects speak naturally, which makes the brand attributes feel earned rather than asserted. For a university whose brand essence is the 'poised pursuit of good,' that authenticity is the message.
Strategy & Process
How did LK handle internal stakeholder buy-in for the brand refresh?
LK created a dedicated animated piece specifically to explain to the Fordham community how and why the brand was evolving. Recognizing that stakeholders with strong emotional attachments to an institution need more than a memo, LK scripted, animated, and edited a presentation for an internal brand launch event — treating the internal audience with the same creative care as the external campaign.
What is the motion design system and why does it matter?
The motion design system is a toolkit LK developed for Fordham's marketing team to guide ongoing brand expression beyond the initial campaign. It defines four named motion styles — Uplifting, Supportive, Confident, and Driven — each tied directly to a Fordham brand value. This gives the internal team a replicable framework so that all future motion work feels consistent and on-brand, without needing to go back to the agency for every execution.
What results did the campaign produce?
The admissions year following LK's brand and campaign work, Fordham received a record number of applications — a 23% increase year-over-year. That result far exceeded the national benchmark of 5% growth for institutions using the Common App platform, and represented an unprecedented gain in Fordham's history.
Working with LK
Can LK handle both the strategic and production sides of a project like this?
Yes. LK managed the full process from campaign strategy and creative platform development through scripting, casting, production, and motion toolkit delivery. For Fordham, that included defining the campaign north star, producing three video spots, creating the internal brand launch animation, and building a motion design system the marketing team could use independently going forward.
Does LK work with other higher education or nonprofit clients?
Fordham is a strong example of LK's work outside of the entertainment media space. LK's portfolio spans entertainment, sports, consumer technology, government, and institutional clients — including the American Climate Corps (a federal government program) and the City of Waco. The common thread is brand challenges that require both strategic clarity and high creative execution.
How do we get started with a project like this?
Reach out to David Herbruck, CEO, at david@loyalkaspar.com — or contact John Levy, Head of Business Development , at john.levy@loyalkaspar.com LK's office is at 93 Pearl Street, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10004.