A group of students finish the Hike to the Cross on Pepperdine’s campus for a photoshoot promoting the “For Greater Purpose” brand campaign; the date is unknown. Michael Friel said IMC was intentional with the photos they chose to promote the campaign. Photo courtesy of Michael Friel
Social media posts appeared and flyers covered campus, all carrying the same phrase — “For Greater Purpose.”
Students said the rollout of the new campaign at Pepperdine appeared to happen overnight. However, Michael Friel, Senior Director of Communications and Public Relations, said the branding message was the result of nearly three years of work.
Friel said Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) spent that time conducting interviews with students, alumni and faculty to better understand its identity. The goal was to authentically reflect Pepperdine’s mission, history and community through a unified campaign.
“With a brand campaign, you’re dealing with the reputation of the university,” Friel said. “We stand on the shoulders of so many generations — alumni, administrators and faculty who have come before, and we really wanted to do them justice when coming up with a brand campaign.”
A sign promotes the “For Greater Purpose” campaign outside of Payson Library on April 23. Friel said IMC spent a long time deciding on the best phrase to represent the university. Photo by Annslee Mitchell
Development
Friel said as IMC began researching and analyzing the ecosystem of the Pepperdine community, they had several factors they wanted to maintain a commitment to.
“We wanted to stay tethered to the fundamental thinking of George Pepperdine,” Friel said. “There was an effort to go back to the inaugural address and to research what was at the heart of what George Pepperdine wanted for a college at that point.”
Friel said they wanted this campaign to be general enough to hold the entirety of the Pepperdine story.
“This wasn’t just an effort to create a message for a year,” Friel said. “Really, what we were after was something that was so big and bold and fundamental that it would last for the next decade or beyond.”
Design
Friel said the tagline emerged from early discussions about how the university should present itself to the outside world.
“We came to a conclusion that the university doesn’t stand out because of what we do — it stands out because of why we do it,” Friel said.
That distinction ultimately led to the development of the phrase “For Greater Purpose,” which now serves as the foundation of the university’s brand campaign.
An early version of the campaign used the phrase “Built for a Greater Purpose,” but Friel said the wording evolved as the team continued evaluating how well it reflected the identity of the university.
A sign promotes the For Greater Purpose campaign at the President’s Speaker Series discussion with Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone at the Well on April 8. Friel said promotional content is an important part of the new campaign. Photo by Annslee Mitchell
Friel said the team spent time refining fonts and gathering photos, while also developing marketing materials, a campaign website and brand pillars to further explain the meaning behind the tagline.
Personas and Student Stories
Another development of the campaign is the introduction of brand personas, which current and prospective students can explore through a personality quiz to see which type they most align with.
Friel said brand personas are archetypes that reflect the people commonly found within the university community. He outlined three main personas: the “seeker,” the “catalyst” and the “steward.”
These personas are featured online alongside purpose-driven stories from Pepperdine students who have made a lasting impact.
Arik Chu, senior and former staff writer of the Graphic, said he was contacted by the IMC team and agreed without knowing what the interview was for.
“I just tried to give as much back to Pepperdine as they gave me,” Chu said. “So I responded as honestly as I could, and I didn’t realize until the day it was published that it was meant to be sent out to everyone at Pepperdine.”
Chu said his understanding of purpose developed at Pepperdine after arriving from Singapore, where he grew up in a secular, atheistic family without clearly defined ideas about what it meant to do good.
“What really helped me at Pepperdine was the Great Books program, because it expanded the world,” Chu said. “It’s only when I entered a Great Books class when I realized I know nothing, and everything I thought I knew was taken for granted.”
Chu said this perspective shapes how he understands the phrase “For Greater Purpose.”
“‘For Greater Purpose’ means there’s something intrinsically good about it,” Chu said. “If we look at what the ancients said and what all academics have said in past times, education is for your soul — that’s all it’s about.”
Senior Jonas Hamilton was also chosen for this collection of student stories. He said he was also confused why his story was picked and that he was told the interview was for a private project.
“I felt excited and wanted to share my testimony on how Pepperdine has helped me to grow as a person and to understand my purpose,” Hamilton said.
Purpose
Friel said while the Malibu location often forms the first impression, the campaign intentionally centers on people.
“As beautiful as the university is, as you really get to know us, it’s the people that make Pepperdine as special and unique as it is,” Friel said.
Friel said the message of “For Greater Purpose” reflects the university’s Christian foundation and is lived out through chapel, core curriculum and close relationships between students and professors.
Although IMC led the development, Friel said the campaign ultimately belongs to the Pepperdine community and invited students to share their own stories by emailing forgreaterpurpose@pepperdine.edu.
“This is an entire community that is committed to seeing people who are made in God’s image and are worthy of dignity and respect,” Friel said. “We’re committed to helping students be prepared for lives of greater purpose.”
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Contact Annslee Mitchell via email: annslee.mitchell@pepperdine.edu