Cape Breton University’s new marketing campaign is stirring up some controversy on campus.
The school’s new slogan is a single word – Happen. Some feel the brand is vague and uninspiring, especially considering the amount of time and money spent on it.
“It just seems a little bland to me, personally,” says student Patrick Cookson.
Some of the reaction online is even more critical.
One writer says “happen” is a weak word without any “oomph” while another purporting to be a CBU staff member claims “pretty much anyone with a brain at CBU hates the new brand.”
Leah Noble wrote a blog about her reaction to the slogan. She says she was critical at first, but her stance has softened since speaking with university officials.
“The first impression on me was that it was a passive word,” says Noble, who holds a job in design and marketing. “That it didn’t really do much, it didn’t mean anything. What does it mean to Happen?”
CBU’s marketing director Stacey Black says the slogan is about students realizing their potential.
“Whether it’s developing as individuals, blossoming, or flourishing in a brand new environment at university, to becoming professionals, they are going to “Happen” here at CBU,” says Black.
Black says the slogan was the result of nine months of focus-group testing - much of it with university-aged students - with help from a marketing agency hired by the school.
At first, the university wasn’t convinced that “Happen” was the right marketing strategy for the school.
“When the agency came back and presented three different concepts to us, ‘Happen’ wasn’t one that resonated for us,” says Black.
However, Black says it was student input that convinced the university to move ahead with the choice.
“It makes students think about why they’re here and I think that’s, personally, a good thing,” says student Parker MacNeil.
The brand is only beginning to be rolled out on campus and around town. While initial reaction has been mixed, the university says it is confident the slogan will grow on people over time.
“Now that I’ve heard it a few more times, seen it on billboards, I feel it suits the school,” says student Avery Varnes.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Ryan MacDonald
