In 2009, one of the world’s foremost Universities, Yale in the United States, decided that it was high-time they replaced their decade-old student recruitment video, which had become stale and outdated. According to Andrew Johnson, a Yale graduate now working in the admissions office and the creator of “That’s Why I Chose Yale"; 

“Students in the previous video were rollerblading around campus, others were wearing baggy shirts and high-waisted jean shorts. The fashion sense of the people in the video was noticeably different, distractingly different. What’s more, three of the people interviewed in the video had died and some of the professors had left the university.”

“In creating the video, we hoped to showcase the energy and community on campus in a novel way,” said Johnson. “We decided on a musical because we felt it would be entertaining enough to keep people’s interest, while also showcasing the vast reserve of willing undergraduate talent on campus.”

But Johnson’s videos was met with a mixture of derision and acclaim. And the 17-minute continues to divide opinion - either people love it, or they hate it.

It’s definitely attention-grabbing and will undoubtedly go some way to eroding Yale’s perhaps undeserved stuffy image, but there’s a very fine between self-deprecating tongue-in-cheek satire and silliness, which isn’t always easy to get right. Take a look at the video and see what you think.

Our creative team have just delivered a new student recruitment video for The Institute of Psychiatry. Click on the image above to take a look.

Opened in 1923, The Institute of Psychiatry is the only postgraduate institution in the United Kingdom devoted solely to the study and practice of psychiatry and related disciplines. It became a school of King’s College London in August 1997 and currently shares the same site as the Maudsley Hospital. The Institute is “devoted to establish the best possible care for people who experience mental health problems.”

Click on this link to find out more about Spectrecom’s award-winning student recruitment films.

Hope you enjoyed yesterday's Harlequins Rugby League viral? Maybe you even came up with your own idea to pitch to the club?

Click on the link above to watch a little behind-the-scenes "making-of" video showing Director Steve Lennon and two of Harlequins' players making sure they get the "Big-Hit" right.

You'll be pleased to hear (or maybe not) that no traffic wardens were injured in the making of this video.

On Spectrecom’s last day of work before the Christmas break, our creative team braved freezing cold conditions to shoot an amusing video viral for Harlequins Rugby League. Click on the image above to check it out.

The viral marks the start of Harlequins RL’s 'Look Who's Been Watching' video marketing campaign, designed to demonstrate that a) Quins RL fans aren't just your typical flat-cap-wearing Northern blokes and b) you can always spot them because they're the ones who, because they've been watching maybe a little too much RL action, are prone to delivering Quins-style Big Hits as part of their everyday life!

The viral was played at half-time on the big screen at Twickenham and now the Club are inviting fans and members of the public to get their creative juices flowing and pitch their own viral ideas. The lucky winner will have their concept made into a Harlequins Rugby League advert and might even get to star in it!

Because advertising is subject to the restrictions of good taste and the English legal system, there are certain rules you'll need to follow, so check them out here. Think you can tackle it? Click on this link to send them a basic scenario of your ideal online ad and they'll pick a winner by the end of March 2010.

These are some of the ideas that they've already seen – some are brilliant, some are usable, some are neither. Make sure you come up with something different. And better. And hilarious!

Bank Robber - We see a middle-aged school mum outside a bank. Alarm bells ring as the masked robber exits, she body checks him and brings him to the ground!

New Year Sales - Action takes place in a department store. A scrum occurs around a 'dump bin' in the cookware department. A big burly man manages to grab the last Le Creuset cookpot. As he makes for the till, a gaggle of fellow shoppers converge on him and bring him down!

The Wingman - 2 guys are hanging out in a trendy bar and spot 2 girls on the other side of the room. One of the guys turns to his friend and ask if he'll be his 'wingman' and distract the 'not so attractive girl' whilst he tries to chat up the other one. His mate agrees but gets the wrong end of the stick, runs across the bar and takes out the girl with a huge 'Big Hit'!

Good luck! 

Here's the sixth and final film in the Mindfulness video series produced by Spectrecom for the Mental Health Foundation.  

Many people have found Mindfulness useful, whether they have used it to help them deal with recurrent depression or anxiety, or as a tool to improve their mental wellbeing and help them deal with stress.

Kathy Andrews finds mindfulness to be the "piece that was missing from other kinds of therapy", which allows her to "deal with what is going on in the present moment."

If you want to find out more about Mindfulness and the MHF's campaign, click here to be taken their brand new microsite. Click on these links to view more of Spectrecom's charity marketing and charity fundraising videos.

You can also view all six films from the Mindfulness project right here.