Leading Adelaide universities merge, announces agency village
The University of South Australia and the University of Adelaide have merged to become one lead university for the state, with its agency roster unveiled and its first global campaign launching on Wednesday.
The new Adelaide University has revealed its agency village of four creative and two media buying partners, which will work collaboratively with its in-house teams. All agencies were chosen following an open tender process.
Richards Rose has been named as its lead creative agency, working with FULLER, WDM Studio, and Rodeo Creative. Meanwhile, Wavemaker has been named the local media agency partner, while Hybrid will take on the international role.
Richards Rose was the incumbent agency for the University of Adelaide, with its most recent work launching earlier this year.
“It’s a privilege to be working with such a talented village to help lead the new Adelaide University’s creative strategy. It’s not lost on us how important it is for this new university to help students, researchers, business and government support all of the transformation happening across the state.” said Digby Richards, CEO and founder of Richards Rose.
Wavemaker Adelaide’s managing director, Phil Mumford, added: “Wavemaker Adelaide is thrilled to embark on this exciting journey with the newly-formed Adelaide University. The merger of two of Australia’s most prestigious institutions presents a unique opportunity to shape the future of education and research, and we are incredibly proud to be a part of this historic chapter. We look forward to leveraging our expertise and passion to amplify the university’s brand through the media working with all the talented agencies in the village.”
The new university will focus on brand storytelling both domestically and internationally through its campaign. In 2025, it will commence domestic student recruitment, and will have its first student intakes in 2026.
“It’s a rare scenario for two universities that were previously fierce rivals to come together to create a new university, and it’s a massive undertaking,” said the University of South Australia’s chief marketing and comms officer, Sara Cutbush, and the University of Adelaide’s chief marketer, Dr. Benjamin Grindlay.
“The way that our teams and agency partners have worked together, and the positive response to the campaign so far, has been a career highlight. We’ve come from a scenario where the two existing institutions were very well known and successful, to one where we are launching a brand-new entity, with a new strategy and brand.
“We are very aware of the range of audiences, from potential students and partners; to existing students, staff and partners; as well as our large and engaged alumni communities and all of the people who interact with universities,” they continued.
“It’s a pivotal moment for our new university, and it’s wonderful to see our new brand come to life through this initial campaign.”
Mumbrella understands that roles and responsibilities for staffers will be clarified over the coming months.
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Lauren McNamara is the associate editor at Mumbrella, covering the creative and PR beat. She joined in November 2022 as editorial assistant, after completing a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at UTS.
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