Going “All In” with Authentic Storytelling
Roberts Wesleyan University is a school that understands mission. They know who they are, and the experience on campus proves it.
Before their recent brand campaign began, the university’s leaders had already done the hard work of developing a long-range strategic plan and identifying the school’s market position. Next would be the storytelling. When Roberts decided to partner with 5° Branding, they were ready to find their voice and develop their one-of-a-kind messaging—to show the world what they’re all about.
As the process unfolded, Roberts became a case in point for the 5° marketing truth “Tell Your Authentic Story.”
There’s a Process to Storytelling
Brilliant brand campaigns don’t just happen. As we all know so well, there’s concerted effort and diligence in the process. Donna McLaren, Associate Vice President of Brand and Marketing Communications at Roberts, led the charge in developing and executing the plan for the branding initiative.
Looking back on the process, McLaren explained how it began: “Our team knew that working with an outside partner would help us create a campaign that would be bold, new, fresh, and with the right messaging to reach prospective students. We could have done it ourselves. However, we wanted to bring this project to life and partner with an agency experienced in Christian higher education from concept to launch, and 5 Degrees was the right choice for Roberts.”
“Our team knew that working with an outside partner would help us create a campaign that would be bold, new, fresh, and with the right messaging to reach prospective students. ”
The campaign would include creative development, project management, and creative assets. The messaging would apply broadly to prospective students, parents, donors, alumni, and university partners—answering the question, “Why Roberts?”
The process began with listening—to university leaders, faculty, staff, students, and alumni. What we heard shaped our next steps and the structured deliverables those steps would generate: a rallying cry, messaging platform, and visual concepts.
Authentic Storytelling Comes from the Heart
As “New York’s leading university for character education,” Roberts Wesleyan is committed to “equipping all students with the character and competence to lead in the midst of societal tensions and influence the most profound issues of today.”
To communicate Roberts’ authentic story, the idea of character education would be the heartbeat of the campaign. As the 5° team worked in tandem with the Roberts marketing team, the task at hand was to translate this idea into messaging worthy of the idea it represented.
Authentic Stories Motivate Action
Throughout the discovery phase of the project, we heard real-time testimonies that brought to life Roberts’ foundational pillars:
Anchored in Christian Faith
Customized Educational Pathways
Ready to Lead
Flourishing People and Communities
The answer to “Why Roberts?” was eventually distilled in this value proposition:
Pursue your one-of-a-kind calling. Engage your heart and mind. Shape and serve the world around you. Through customized educational pathways grounded in a Christian worldview, you’ll develop as a proven leader in your profession. Empowered for action, you’ll stand with confidence and press on with courageous character.
We quickly recognized—This energizing call to action is something to rally around. Roberts didn’t need a new institutional tagline. They needed a rallying cry.
When the university announced a new president, Dr. Rupert Hayles, in the summer of 2023, it was clear that he shared the school’s compelling commitment to character education. Introducing himself to the university community, Dr. Hayles promised, “I will bring all of me.” These heartfelt words inspired what would become the clarion call of Roberts’ new messaging: ALL IN.
With President Hayles leading the way, the university community was going “all in”—and they would invite prospective students to be part of the story. The “ALL IN” rallying cry was born.
The Best Stories Are Painted in Living Color
The “ALL IN” theme quickly caught on. Around campus, McLaren began to hear people respond to requests, “I’m all in.” She appreciates that the sentiment is now “going beyond the campaign into the culture of the campus.”
In authentic storytelling, words and visual imagery weave a narrative that comes to life on the page, on the screen—and when we meet each other face-to-face. That’s what is happening at Roberts.
The marketing team is taking proactive steps to tell a cohesive story across all channels. Coordinating print pieces, digital assets, and a brand anthem video are all tied together by consistent visual imagery and messaging. The new marketing resources even include verbal talking points for campus events.
Here’s a glimpse of some of their new showpieces.
Roberts’ new travel piece is the center point of themed enrollment materials.
The brand video boosts audience engagement on the Roberts website, across social media, and through video platforms.
Digital ads reinforce the messaging.
Bringing it all together, the messaging and visual components of the Roberts campaign are summarized in a new Brand Book. McLaren says the messaging architecture presented in the book aligns teams across campus and “helps everyone be a brand ambassador no matter their role.” The Brand Book has been posted to the Intranet for the entire campus as a reference. Some departments have even distributed spiral-bound copies to everyone on their team!
The “ALL IN” campaign is indeed storytelling in living color, from the heart, that motivates action. And it happened through a thoughtful, strategic process. McLaren says that interactions and discussions among the team were a highlight of the project and provided an opportunity to make a great idea even better. “In the end,” she says, “I believe that teamwork allowed us to come up with an outstanding campaign.”
5° Branding can help tell your authentic story, too. Let’s talk!
