This Canadian Polytechnic Highlighted Its Approach to Education with a Full-Blown Musical Number
There are a lot of approaches that post-secondary institutions take when launching new marketing campaigns. Highlighting the appealing aspects of the school is a must; there are usually students featured in some capacity, and then leaning into unique aspects and differences is a reliable way to go. But then, there’s depicting this in standard, traditional fashion… versus writing an original song, complete with students singing along and fun visual sequences.
Canadian-based Humber Polytechnic chose the latter option when launching its latest marketing initiative last month. Created in partnership with Broken Heart Love Affair and titled ‘The You You Knew Was In You’, this spectacular and theatrical work sought to highlight Humber's unique approach to education – one that empowers students to break through barriers. Emphasising the institution’s philosophy that the key to helping its attendees is to remove obstacles – especially the stressors around them – it’s fun, memorable and unexpected work for the category, and easily better seen than described (please watch, below).
To learn more about how it came to life, why this approach was right for the moment, and what it took to write an original song, LBB’s Jordan Won Neufeldt sat down with Broken Heart Love Affair chief creative officers Craig McIntosh and Jaimes Zentil, as well as Humber Polytechnic’s interim vice president, marketing, communications and advancement, Tammy Sadinsky, for a chat.
LBB> From the top, what was the brief, and what immediate ideas came to mind?
Tammy> It’s a challenging time in post-secondary [education]; competition is intense, the student experience is evolving, and traditional messaging often gets lost in a sea of sameness. So, we knew it was time to break through the noise. This campaign was built to stand out by being unmistakably distinct, emotionally resonant, and deeply human. It focuses on real student benefits and avoids academic tropes and overused buzzwords. We wanted people to feel our message, not just hear it.
Craig> I think the most refreshing part of the brief was that we were asked not to speak or show up like other institutions. We were asked to think differently about what a post-secondary institution does, and how it behaves. Humber didn’t want to focus on itself but rather the student.
Jaimes> Once we dug into the facts, we really saw that difference. Humber’s grads fare exceptionally well in the real world, and as a school, it really believes in the value of students and what they bring to the table themselves, which we found really refreshing. (We are grads of the Humber advertising programme too, so we had a personal connection to the brief as well).
LBB> Tell us a little more about the Humber difference. What makes the institution unique, and what made a 60-second musical number the right way to convey this while grabbing attention?
Tammy> At Humber, we’ve always been known for our hands-on learning and high employability rates, but our true differentiator is how our graduates show up in the world. We’re redefining what education looks like by meeting students where they are, offering stackable credentials, flexible pathways and programmes that cater to a variety of learning styles. Education isn’t one-size-fits-all, and this campaign was the perfect opportunity to showcase how we’re leading that shift.
Craig> To answer the second question, we knew we wanted to grab people’s hearts, not their minds, and music was a good way to do that. We actually arrived at the line first: ‘The You You Knew Was In You’. It’s unconventional, and is based on this notion of having this thing inside of you that Humber simply illuminates. That’s how we arrived at the dual-spotlight mnemonic – those eyes looking inwards. And that spotlight added this sort of theatrical layer to it, which is what led us to the song.
LBB> In many ways, this new platform is about removing obstacles preventing students from growing the way they should. Why is this so important to Humber, and how did you make sure this shone through in the final spot?
Tammy> We’re living in unprecedented times, and students sometimes feel immense pressure, self-doubt and negative self-talk when considering their future. This campaign is about breaking those barriers and replacing fear with possibility. Humber positions itself as a nurturer that sees each student’s potential and provides the tools, pathways and support they need to thrive. The campaign is about embracing diverse stories, showcasing real student experiences and highlighting the confidence-building, hands-on learning that sets Humber apart. It speaks to future students, current students, alumni, employers and even the government and donors. This reinforces that Humber produces graduates who are ready to push boundaries in their industries and contribute to the economy and society in an impactful way.
LBB> With that in mind, what were the writing and musical composition processes like? Can you share the secret to writing an earworm?
Craig> The line was inherently playful, so the song naturally lent itself to more humour and playfulness.
I started the foundation with the spot script and some of the words, but I didn’t have the melody, and it wasn’t rhythmically correct. Jaimes has a more musical background, and he brought a playfulness to the words and developed the melody on an old Casio keyboard he has at home. He sang it to clients when we first pitched the work.
Once it was sold, we put a pitch out to music houses, and some really strayed from where it started, which is what we thought we wanted. But our director, Joachim Back, fell in love with Jaimes’ original rendition of it.
Jaimes> The song has a certain humility, empathy and disarming nature to it, which comes from us putting ourselves back into that student experience – a time when you have to decide what your life is going to be. It’s a very emotional and vulnerable place, and it’s wrought with confusion. We wanted to mitigate the anxiety that students feel everywhere else, and that’s why, ultimately, we brought this playful sense to it.
LBB> Speaking of Joachim Back, what was working with him like, and why was he the right man for the director’s job?
Craig> Joachim has a very playful visual style that we wanted to bring to the spot, and interestingly, he has a musical background. He gravitated to the music instantly – specifically the way Jaimes sang it – and saw the charm in it. He was really great leading real students through the casting, filming and the production process, ensuring they felt comfortable throughout -- and you can really feel that in the spot.
LBB> What was the filming process like? Where did you shoot, how long did it take, and do you have any anecdotes from the experience?
Craig> We shot one scene at Humber, which opens and closes the film. The interior mind of the students was then all captured in-studio, where we had dual-eye spotlights and practically-built tableaus that mirrored the specific programmes we wanted to highlight.
We had the students sing each of their parts live while filming, so everything, audio and picture, were captured on those two production days, which created both a challenge and ultimately, the charm of the finished spot. In particular, lining up the choreography of the camera with the timing of the song was tricky.
Of course, we also had to capture really striking photography on the day for each tableau. Our photographer, Westside Studio’s Chris Gordaneer, had very little time to sneak onto the set in between shots to capture the magic, but he made it work. He did a phenomenal job working within the framework of the shoot on the day to capture some amazing shots for the campaign.
Jaimes> Typically, to record a music video, you’d film with a click track for everything to be consistent. We chose not to do that. Some of the idiosyncracies that you hear from different students – we wanted to have those in, which created a challenge for the editing process. Luckily, Eggplant Music & Sound was there with us throughout both filming days and was so integrated throughout the post-production process from start to finish. The team had to basically reorchestrate the audio during the edit, as the picture shifted slightly here and there. The spot wouldn’t have been possible without their flexibility and dedication.
LBB> Aside from the music, the editing itself is also phenomenal. Who did you work for on this, and how did it all come together in post?
Craig> We worked with James Norris at Nomad, editing in the UK. There was a lot of back and forth between music and editing to get it perfect, and it was very challenging.
We also had a lot of post-work to accomplish, including the eyeballs moving back into our hero’s head, and Julian van Mil at Studio Feather did a great job in a short amount of time.
LBB> What lessons have you learned from the making of this campaign?
Craig> This process reaffirmed the importance of a great client relationship. There’s no way we would have gotten this done otherwise. There aren't many clients who give you that freedom and trust, [who] understand their role in the creative process, and how to remove barriers and move things forward.
Tammy> We learned that stepping outside the traditional education marketing mould is refreshing and necessary. Audiences are looking for honesty, energy and something they can connect with. This campaign reinforced the power of speaking directly to students’ experiences and emotions, rather than simply listing our credentials.
LBB> Since launch, how have people responded to this campaign?
Tammy> The response has been overwhelmingly positive. I can’t tell you how many people have stopped me to say this campaign is like a breath of fresh air, and how exciting it is for the institution. Students have said they felt pride seeing the campaign. It has sparked conversations and reinforced Humber’s position as a forward-thinking institution.
LBB> How does this campaign fit into Humber’s branding for 2025 and beyond? Is the platform something that’ll be expanded?
Tammy> This campaign is just the beginning. It establishes a bold new voice for Humber that will continue to evolve.
Moving forward, we’ll build on this momentum, expanding the platform across different media, exploring new storytelling formats, and ensuring Humber remains at the forefront of what’s possible in education marketing.
LBB> Finally, is there an element of this campaign you’re most proud of?
Jaimes> Being alumni of the Humber Advertising and Marketing Communications programme, it feels great to be able to give back. We’ve come full circle. We took advertising at Humber, and now we actually got to make its brand campaign. There’s a real pride in that, and in seeing how great the Humber marketing team is. All in all, this experience made us even more proud to be Humber alumni. and to make this campaign alongside the school.
Craig> Also, how truly and fully Humber’s internal team embraced and adopted the campaign. We’ve never seen a platform integrated so quickly before. We just loved that.
Tammy> There isn’t one single element that I can say I’m most proud of. The collaboration from different teams at Humber to bring this vision to life has been extraordinary. From top to bottom, everyone bought into the idea of ‘The You You Knew Was In You’ and brought their unique talents and ideas to the campaign to make it what it is. The fact that everyone came together to support this campaign in their own ways is what I’m most proud of.
