Boise State University

A university's best
comes out of the blue.

For Boise State, innovation is a way of life. From life-changing research to Bronco athletics to the thousands of exceptional graduates released into the world every spring, the University generates more than $1.2 billion annually into the state's economy — benefiting the lives of nearly 2 million Idaho residents.

Boise State wanted to extend that bold innovation beyond athletics. They started with a marketing campaign called “This is Blue Turf Thinking.” A great concept that builds on the institution’s legacy of innovation—but is still centered on athletics. And Boise State’s innovation is so much bigger than any one sports team, discipline, or person.

Services

The Insight

We started by asking the Boise State community what Blue Turf Thinking means to them. They came back with answers that showed Blue Turf Thinking clearly had meaning outside of football and was closely associated with innovation. The idea had legs… 

It just needed a bigger voice. 

Boise State Video
Luminary Lab

The Results

  • +40M
    // digital impressions
  • +28%
    // lift in brand awareness
  • +1.16M
    // out of home impressions

The Solution

Taking inspiration from their iconic blue turf, we partnered together to build and launch a campus-wide brand strategy, building on the strength of a nationally recognized athletics program to formulate a rallying cry for an entire campus.​

The work included a targeted statewide campaign comprised of an institutional spot, paid media strategy, campaign landing page, and large-scale environmentals in key location across Boise. On campus, we launched the brand with an interactive on-campus event and trained more than 100 campus marcom professionals in a decentralized model to ensure Boise’s brand gained adoption. ​ 

We are so pleased with the excellent work to truly understand where we have been and where we are headed.

Dr. Marlene Tromp
President, Boise State University

SimpsonScarborough's expertise resulted in a direct and positive impact on our university, community, and across our state.

Lauren Griswold

Chief Communications & Marketing Officer, Boise State University

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