This commercial is the debut of Northern Virginia Community College's new "Boldly NOVA" brand platform. This opening brand campaign – bold in both concept and creative direction – is called "Settle for..." Our ads target misconceptions about NOVA head-on, overturning the (unfortunately common) idea that you're "settling" at NOVA by juxtaposing that phrase with some of NOVA's most compelling brand promises, all in a creative tone that's as clever and good-humored as it is confident and slightly defiant. Enjoy all four commercial spots of the "Settle for...".

“Settle For” Main Spot - Commercial

Bringing the NOVA Brand Personality to Life

A Campaign with Legs

Along with specific brand messages about cost value ("Settle" for More Moolah), great teachers ("Settle" for Rockstar Faculty) and job-ready graduates ("Settle" for Competing Job Offers), the playfulness of the animations, the music quality, the careful casting and light-hearted script balance out the campaign's necessarily sarcastic tone. This is intentional, as NOVA's brand personality is "confident, even a bit defiant," but also "clever and good-humored."

Several design elements serve as stylistic motifs throughout these commercials and across "Settle for..." campaign ads, unifying the campaign across all channels. All the ads feature individuals against nondescript white backdrops, while VisionPoint's hand-drawn graffiti animations add personality and power to the ads' various messaging points.

“Settle For” Main Spot - Spanish Commercial

A Custom,
Unconventional Approach

Creative that Wins Audiences' Attention

All the campaign's illustrations – including the animations you see in these commercials and custom typography across various print ad executions – are custom illustrations hand-drawn for NOVA by VisionPoint's designers.

This campaign is a central component of VisionPoint's comprehensive integrated marketing plan for NOVA. One of that plan's driving strategies is to "Win Audiences' Attention." Since it is cost-prohibitive in NOVA's heavily saturated media market to buy audiences' attention, this "Settle for..." campaign aims to win their attention through creative that's arresting and memorable.