‘Silliest university slogan’ goes to Groningen

The Platform for the Reform of Dutch Universities is irritated at the increasing number of marketing campaigns in further education. It therefore launched a competition for the silliest university slogan. By far the most votes went to Groningen for its slogan Born leaders reach for infinity.

Senseless advertising slogans, ‘branding campaigns’ and growing marketing and PR departments at universities: these are the excrescences of ‘the soaring commercialisation of universities’, according to the Platform for the Reform of Dutch Universities (H.NU). The idea that the university is a commercial business that has to be marketed leads to money-wasting competition, says the platform. So the H.NU introduced a silliness ranking for the slogans used by Dutch universities.

And the winner is…

On the H.NU website, people could post their top 3 of silliest advertising slogans. Over 3,200 people voted, with by far the most votes going to Born leaders reach for infinity, by the University of Groningen. The University of Amsterdam came second with We are U, with Leiden University’s Excelleren in vrijheid [Excelling in freedom] coming in third. The Rotterdam slogan Make it happen was not among the voting options.

On Thursday evening, the H.NU will be celebrating the winners during a debate about the funding of further education.