Stake Your Claim Marking your territory is essential. Neil Armstrong stuck a flag in the moon, dogs lift their leg on the shrubbery, and UNC Charlotte? They were so busy becoming a leading urban research institution, they neglected to lay claim to their own greatness. So UNC hired Charlotte advertising agency Tattoo Projects to develop a branding campaign to help instigate pride among students, faculty, and community members. Tattoo borrowed from the university's gold-mining heritage, and used the 49er pickaxe to stake a claim for the university. Outdoor, TV, radio, print, even a 4.9k race — the campaign helped UNC Charlotte aggressively stake their claim as a university to be reckoned with. The new brand caught on fast and furiously: community business leaders called looking for more pickaxes to display in their offices, campus groups quickly adopted the campaign and personalized it online with their own photos, and one student even contacted us about having the icon tattooed on his back. Now THAT'S pride.
