We Over Me

Finding the University of South Carolina’s great unifier inside each and every Gamecock.

Why give a damn about South Carolina?

Saying that competition is fierce in the SEC is like saying that sweet tea is sweet. But it’s also a cold, hard dose of reality for any institution looking to stand out in America’s college-obsessed South.

So as the University of South Carolina looked for ways to battle the brains of Vanderbilt, the brawn of ‘Bama and the newcomers on new turf like Texas A&M and Mizzou—while also wrestling with how to build internal unity and enhance external relevance—their heads were spinning around their long Gamecock necks.

Enter 160over90.

Finding Our Human Connection:

The first thing we needed USC to realize was that no one ever gets anywhere by focusing their attention on others. Take note of the competition? Sure. Find different ways to stand out? Of course. But ultimately, if USC wanted to uncover its great unifier, reconnect with its community and elevate its academic reputation, they needed to find where their greatest differentiator lived all along—deep within themselves.

Thankfully, take one step onto the historic Horseshoe on USC’s campus and you’ll see and feel a sense of pride that bursts out of each and every Gamecock. A pride not just for their school, or the logo that sits on their golf polos, but for each other. These are people who actually say hello to you when you walk by. And hold the door. And lend a hand. And waive 77,559 rally towels in unison while a Swedish techno song blares at the start of every football game. This is bigger than southern hospitality. This is togetherness.

Borne from an over 200-year-old mission to provide education and opportunity for the people of the Palmetto State, today USC is living out that mission by providing more South Carolina students with more access to higher education than ever before. They are THE flagship university serving state and society. It’s not South Carolina vs. the world. It’s South Carolina for all.

USC stands for so much to so many.

This is where we found our human connection:

For us. For all. Forever.

Which inspired our strategy:

Making People Feel Something Real:

A strategy that ambitious, "For us, For all, Forever,” needed a creative platform big enough to tell the hundreds (or thousands?) of stories we needed to tell. From first-gen students studying for something bigger than themselves to the College of Nursing working to solve the nation’s nursing shortage crisis to the women’s basketball team turning a team into a family into a culture into a dynasty—USC’s stories had to drive awareness, spark alumni engagement, boost enrollment, attract greater talent, draw in new faculty and keep Clemson from infringing on their turf.

Not in a boastful way (this is South Carolina after all, where community and humility go hand in hand) so instead of puffing out our chests; instead of bragging about why we’re the best thing since Darius Rucker; instead of leaning into the me, me, me culture that permeates our society; we decided to flip the word “ME” on its head to reveal our most remarkable differentiator of all:

Two little letters, one big word, hundreds of thousands of Gamecocks joining together to produce remarkable results.

Our first course of action: own our home turf—by delivering on a targeted paid media campaign that boosted awareness and perception of the university in both the state and throughout the region.

“WE” provided the vessel, but our impact provided the juice. USC blanketed South Carolina with hero messaging that showed just how remarkable “WE” really was—in every field that “WE” touched. Health Sciences. First-Year Experience. International Business. “WE’s” impact was bigger than any of us realized.

While WE grew outside Columbia…

WE worked our way onto campus…

WE attached ourselves to 300,000 alumni…

WE even captured another championship ring.

And before we knew it, WE opened the floodgates—and the front door to the institution—by providing more access to higher education to more South Carolina students than ever before.

Today, USC is continuing to harness the power of WE—by showcasing the remarkable impact they make on the state, the region and the world, while living out their mission and purpose.

When we stand for something bigger than ourselves, WE can create something that benefits all.

The Cultural Payoff:

  • Reestablishing ourselves as The University of South Carolina, the one institution built for us, for all, forever.

  • Forging stronger human connections at a time when the nation was moving apart.

  • Connecting our storytelling to the entire USC and South Carolina community.

Results:

  • 400M+ impressions across the general population and peer audiences

  • 546K web sessions generated via paid media campaign

  • Positive perception boost and ad recall against competitors [YouTube Brand Lift Study]

  • Community-wide adoption of the platform

  • Organic creation from poet laureate Jennifer Bartell Boykin’s, “The Remarkable Ones.”

  • Largest first-year enrollment in USC history