From Make Believe to Making it Happen

Audience & Strategic Goal: This campaign targets Gen Z (ages 18-25), particularly creative-minded individuals who are less inclined toward traditional education. The goal is to increase awareness and domestic enrollment at the Centre for Entertainment Arts (CEA) by aligning with Alberta’s booming film and creative industries, positioning CEA as the talent hub for these fields. What We Did & Why: The campaign leverages childhood imagination as a universal theme. We all played Make Believe as children. By creating an emotionally resonant journey—moving from play to professional reality—we connect deeply with our audience’s aspirations of a fulfilling creative career. We help them Make it Happen. How We Did It: A multi-channel approach includes high-impact video storytelling, behind-the-scenes content, social media engagement and out-of-home advertising. A key feature is the involvement of CEA students who applied their skills to create the campaign’s special effects, showcasing the real-world impact of CEA’s programs and the talent our schools produce. To further our storytelling beyond the ads, we also launched a behind the scenes making of campaign showing how it all came to life. Results & Impact: The campaign promises high ROI by maximizing engagement, leveraging industry ties, and offering scalable content across platforms. The emotional narrative and immersive visuals ensure a compelling, memorable brand presence, strengthening CEA’s position in the creative education landscape. Our creative team collaborated closely with CEA students to develop the special effects that brought this project to life. This hands-on partnership led to several key outcomes: Behind-the-Scenes Storytelling – We captured content that highlighted student experiences and real-world learning, extending CEA’s narrative beyond traditional ad campaigns. Valuable Industry Experience – Students gained portfolio-worthy work and were compensated by the college, giving them a tangible edge with future employers. Cost Savings & Reinvestment – By keeping the project entirely in-house, we significantly reduced costs, allowing us to reallocate resources to other initiatives. Amplified Internal Reach – We launched an internal sharing campaign, encouraging staff to repost content across their personal social channels, driving higher engagement. Expanded External Exposure – Through collaboration with Fund Development and Strategic Partnerships, the commercial reached new audiences—including a high-profile debut at center ice during a Calgary Flames NHL game.

From the original award submission, lightly copyedited.