Talking about TRU
TRU’s brand is an expression of who we are as a university and all that we stand for. Consistently communicating about TRU using brand voice, tone and style as well as our visual language will establish our personality—purposeful, empowering, collaborative, open and visionary—in the minds of our audiences. Equally as important is being consistent in our content. Here’s how our brand and our key messages work together.
Key messages
TRU’s key messages sum up what we uniquely offer as an institution that empowers those we serve to seek their potential.
Internally, our brand model articulates this as our purpose, our promise, and our essence. Note that model statements such as, “We offer diverse pathways to living your potential” are part of our strategy—not our communications.
Externally, to communicate with our diverse audiences, we illustrate what we offer with key messages delivered using the voice and visual language the brand provides. This content can be short statements—a mere 20 words on a web page or an ad, for example—covering our three key messages at a glance:
Find your TRU
At TRU, you’ll find many paths to learning, a hands-on approach and a supportive, inclusive environment. To empower, inspire and transform.
Key messages can also be paragraphs, further expanding our content to describe what we mean by “many paths to learning”, “a hands-on approach”, and “a supportive, inclusive environment”.
In the following examples from the Find Your TRU website, after identifying the above three areas in an intro, our “find your TRU” tagline inspired the headers for three short paragraphs, one to an image/page. Notice (by narrowing your browser if you’re using a desktop computer) that the text is shortened even further when viewed on mobile devices.
Find Your Path
Whatever place you’re starting from, you can find your path at TRU. We open doors with options like open admission and Open Learning. We expand horizons with our breadth of exceptional programs—from certificates and apprenticeships to bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
This is a very brief explanation of what we mean by “many paths to learning”. Sometimes a teaser is all you need.
Tip: remember to adjust your tone to your audience. For a mostly student audience, we recommend using the first/second person point of view: “we” and “you”, not “them”.
Find Your Passion
Learn by doing. From co-op placements with industry leaders, to applied research projects mentored by faculty members. Volunteering in the community. Studying in another country. TRU takes you beyond the classroom to find your passion through real-world experiences.
Here, “a hands-on approach”, also known by more academic terms like applied learning or experiential learning, becomes “learn by doing”. Because that’s when you’ll find your passion. Note that the phrase “beyond the classroom” is used in the Study on Campus section of TRU’s website to list opportunities like undergraduate research, co-op, study abroad and more, so it makes sense to include those keywords when you have to be brief.
Find Your Connection
We recognize your unique background, interests and ambitions. Our faculty members excel at guidance, mentorship and inspiration, one-on-one. And our support network—from advising and counselling to career planning and wellness—is here when you need it. Find your connection in our welcoming community. Diversity, nurtured.
At TRU we are empowering and open, and there are so many ways these attitudes are reflected in what we do. The key messages sum it up as succinctly as possible as “a supportive, inclusive environment”. This embraces our student-faculty relationship. Our excellent student services. And the diversity, internationalization and Indigenization of our campus.
Tip: use the lead paragraph “Meeting students where they are” as an overview of this key message.
More than a tagline
At the end of the Find Your TRU site, we connect the three key messages back to our tagline. This is our brand at its most aspirational.
Here, when you pursue your path, your passion, your connection, you’ll find your TRU.
When you use the "find your TRU" tagline as part of your communications, try to tie it to our key messages. Our brand should be evident in our content—not standing in for it.
If you are using one of the templates for PowerPoint presentations, posters, reports, or CCTV slides in the Downloads section of this guide, you're starting out with all the visual elements of the brand. Now use the content on this page and at the links provided to help you tell TRU's story, consistent in both brand voice and message.
Did you know? A wealth of stories about our students, faculty and staff can be found on Inside TRU, TRU's newsroom. To contribute, contact Marketing and Communications.
