# The University of Pennsylvania

- Link: https://chatterblast.com/case-study/the-university-of-pennsylvania-2/
- Published: 2025-08-20T00:27:22-04:00
- Author: Kyle Krajewski

The University of Pennsylvania is one of the most respected academic and research
institutions in America.  Over the last decade, we’ve worked with the Wharton School,
Penn Bookstore, Penn Dining, Penn Procurement, Penn Business Services, and the Office
of the Senior Executive Vice President to craft tailored content strategies, produce
targeted creative, and build communications systems that reach students, faculty,
families, alumni, and the West Philadelphia community.

That long-standing relationship reached a high point in 2023: the launch of **Penn&
Philly**.

![](https://chatterblast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/CBM_0725_CaseStudy_HeaderImages_Updated2025_UPENN-
1024x569.png)

Services

Creative Services | Photography & Videography | Activations & Interactive Experiences
| Strategy | Paid Advertising

## The Challenge

Penn’s Economic and Social Impact Report is a deeply important document—but not 
an easy one to digest. Dozens of departments, reams of data, policy-focused language.
Our challenge was to turn a static institutional report into a city-facing campaign
that felt human, accessible, and unmistakably Philadelphian.

It was about shifting a mindset, uniting voices across departments, and building
a campaign that spoke to city officials, community leaders, local residents, students,
and neighbors.

![](https://chatterblast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/CBM_0725_CaseStudy_DeviceMockups_Penn_Tablet-
1.gif)

## Our Approach

We developed Penn & Philly as a storytelling-forward digital campaign—a celebration
of the shared success and partnership of the university and its city.

 * **Narrative Strategy: **We moved the focus from metrics to meaning. Through a
   unifying campaign concept, we aligned 12 schools and departments under one story:
   that Penn and Philadelphia thrive together.
 * **Human-Centered Storytelling:** We produced the “Your Stories” video series—
   featuring voices from faculty, staff, community leaders, and students—and built
   a visually engaging website to bring their stories to life. By anchoring complex
   data in real experiences, we turned policy into people and made impact feel personal.
 * **Stakeholder Engagement: **We conducted 20+ interviews and 5 focus groups to
   understand and connect with the “moveable middle”—people who weren’t already 
   bought in or checked out.
 * **Integrated Communications: **We launched a digital ecosystem that included 
   a custom website, paid and organic social media, and a toolkit for Penn staff
   to carry the message forward.

![](https://chatterblast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/CBM_0725_CaseStudy_DeviceMockups_Penn_Desktop-
1.png)

![](https://chatterblast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/CBM_0725_CaseStudy_DeviceMockups_Penn_Desktop-
2.gif)

40k+

Web sessions

3.8M+

Social impressions

400k+

Video views + climbing

## The Results

The campaign repackaged the data and redefined how Penn tells its story.

 * 40K+ sessions on the campaign website
 * 3.8M+ paid media impressions
 * 400K+ views (and climbing) for the “Your Stories” video series
 * Dozens of presentations and strategy sessions with schools, community organizations,
   and city entities
 * Buy-in across the Penn ecosystem—from Wharton to West Philly
 * Winner of the Pepper Pot Award for Audio/Video Programs from PRSA Philly

Penn & Philly has become a model for how higher ed institutions can show up for 
their cities.

![](https://chatterblast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/CBM_0725_CaseStudy_DeviceMockups_Penn_Phone-
2.png)

![](https://chatterblast.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/CBM_0725_CaseStudy_DeviceMockups_Penn_Phone-
1.png)