BVK and Quriosity Productions Harness the Power to Do for UToledo University

The voiceover – delivered by a young woman, her tone full of ambition, energy and potential, lays out the new campaign’s central theme: “When everyone else is asking, ‘What if,’ be the one who answers, ‘Watch this!’” This proclamation, delivered at a time when lofty pronouncements seem to be in vogue, sets the stage for the payoff, delivered with similar verve: “At The University of Toledo, we’re shaping the next generation of doers,” the spot says, harnessing the promise, quite simply, as 'The Power To Do.'

Partnering with the Ohio institution that plays a key role in the Toledo community, the independent agency BVK created a unifying brand platform for both the University of Toledo and UToledo Health under the uplifting banner of 'The Power To Do.' The campaign broke recently with two new commercials produced by Quriosity Productions and directed by Sheldon Candis. It’s all part of an integrated rebranding for the university that embraces the impact UToledo has as both a public research institution and health system, and groups both under a single identity for the first time. Adding a design statement to underscore the idea, in both the outdoor and film executions, the words ‘To Do’ are lifted out of the UToledo logo. 

'The Power to Do – Anthem' focuses on the university. Shot on location and featuring actual students and teachers, it presents a procession of powerful images of the campus as a powerhouse of ideas and possibilities, in fields ranging from technology to science to the performing arts and athletics. 

'The Power to Do – UToledo Health' similarly takes viewers on a fast-paced trip inside the UT Medical Centre, where we see patients receiving care ranging from rehab, exams or even surgery, intercut with scenes of doctors and nurses teaching the next generation of healthcare providers. Promising consumers that “there’s a better day out there, one that’s brighter, stronger and more hopeful,” our camera moves quickly in and around dedicated professionals doing what they do best.

The agency chose Quriosity’s Sheldon to lead the production for a variety of reasons. “Partnering with Sheldon was a no-brainer for us,” says Seth Gordon, assoc. creative director. “We’ve had the pleasure of working with him on several occasions, and always find him to be reliable, accessible, and consistent in delivering beautiful work for our clients.”

Seth says the agency was attracted by Sheldon’s ability to apply his documentarian’s eye to the project, and imbue the film with high-level visual sensibilities. “We challenged him with a brief that required we break our clients out of a sea of sameness in their category,” he adds. “He did all that and more by employing unique camera equipment, editorial transitions, and a gentle hand to coax beautiful performances out of our cast.”

UToldeo’s marketing team was similarly impressed by the final product. “We’ve received such a positive response about ‘The Power To Do’ branding effort from our campus community and beyond,” says Meghan Cunningham, vice president for marketing and communications for the University of Toledo and UToledo Health. “People are excited about bringing both our academic and clinical operations together under one framework to tell the complete story of who we are, and the transformative impact we have on our students and patients.”

Everyone seen in both spots are real people, drawn from both the academic and healthcare communities. Sheldon says he spoke individually with each person seen on screen, providing them with a sense of motivation that made them more vested in projecting the right tone for the spot, and the results show it.

“There’s a big aspirational vision to this campaign, both on the university side and the medical side, and so the visuals had to basically take that big idea and reflect it back,” Sheldon explains. “And even though we were presenting it in this big cinematic way, it needed to be grounded in emotional truths.”

One key element in achieving the look Sheldon was going for, as noted by Seth, was the use of the special motion control camera rig, which Sheldon says helped him capture a key insight: “From our early conversations, it was clear the BVK creative team liked this idea of going from the macro to the micro,” he explains. “We balanced the big, sweeping visions of the campaign with making sure we were able to get in close and get those intimate moments of discovery.”

For Sheldon, paying super-focused attention to detail was part of his overarching mantra. “At every step, we sought to elevate the craft,” he noted. “This campaign is a bold statement, about being empowered to do. And getting there was a team effort, from the agency, our production and post production teams, our cinematographer, Philipp Friesenbichler, and our editor, Matt Tarr -- all of us working collectively to lift this up. I think we’ve given the University of Toledo the best campaign they’ve ever seen, and for that I’m especially proud.”