In 2014, UCLA kicked off a $4.2 billion Centennial Campaign, the largest fundraising effort ever undertaken by a public university. The initial campaign slogan, "Let There Be” asks supporters to invest in UCLA. By 2017, analytics from prior UCLA Magazine giving ads reveal that readers are not responding to the call-to-action. Because the campaign is in its second half when giving needs a momentum boost, the need to revisit the concept was required to re-inspire and motivate people to give by creating a sense of urgency now. The ninth ad in this campaign calls attention to simple acts of kindness in improving mental health and physical well-being, the first study from the UCLA Bedari Kindness Institute.
Ideas for the most part, are subjective. Some are good. Some are bad. Some resonate with clients. Some don’t. Some get revised. Some look very different once they go into production. Like all projects that have ever been undertaken, there will always be some ideas that will never make it past the drawing board. Below are some of the concepts that didn’t make it, but they can still inspire the imagination.
The UCLA Bedari Kindness Institute, which will be located in the Luskin School of Public Affairs, will undertake research, engage in public outreach and educate students on kindness.
