Two milestones: University of Siegen launches "Liegt nah" campaign and presents new website

Anyone walking through Siegen over the next few weeks is likely to notice the message "Liegt nah": The two words will appear in large letters on digital screens at street crossings and in the City-Galerie. Visitors will also come across the claim on the University of Siegen's new website. It is the centerpiece of the university's new marketing campaign. Both projects, the campaign and website relaunch, pursue a common goal: to make the University of Siegen more visible to young people - and to inspire more prospective students to study and live in the crowning city.

"Studying at the University of Siegen is simply close by. Not only in a geographical sense, but above all in human terms. Those who study here benefit from a top student-to-staff ratio in NRW," says University Rector Prof. Dr. Stefanie Reese. "Our focus is on people and not student numbers. In concrete terms, this means that there are many small courses and the opportunity to support students individually. This, combined with the cutting-edge research at the University of Siegen and our good network with the regional economy, not only opens up excellent career prospects for our students, but also gives them room for personal development."

The claim "Liegt nah" ("It's close") forms the bracket for a variety of advertising motifs that get to the heart of the advantages of studying in Siegen: personal support, modern and meaningful degree courses, excellent career opportunities, short distances - and all this in a city worth living in, surrounded by greenery. The campaign will be rolled out regionally and nationally. The focus is on targeted online and social media ads that lead the target group to the new website. The special feature: The motifs show real students, familiar places from everyday university life and well-known Siegen locations.

The campaign was developed in a university-wide process: since summer 2024, a project team from the Press, Communication and Marketing Office and the agency mc-quadrat has been working on the concept, strategy and design in close coordination with the faculties, course directors and the Rectorate. The students played a central role in this: they evaluated the various design ideas in a survey with over 800 participants.

New website: Clearer, barrier-free, user-friendly

The first expansion stage of the new website went online almost simultaneously with the launch of the campaign on May 14. It boasts a clear design, intuitive navigation and target group-specific "showcase pages". Editorial maintenance has also been significantly simplified for employees.

The project, which was launched in March 2023 with a market survey and the involvement of the entire university, will be gradually expanded over the coming months. In order to perfectly coordinate the campaign and website, we worked together with the agency mc-quadrat and the Drupal agency PROGRESSIVE digital.

"The campaign and website are two central components of our communication strategy," says Prof. Dr. Petra Vogel, Vice-Rector for Young Talent, Diversity and International Affairs, who oversaw both projects. "The University of Siegen is positioning itself as a modern university and sharpening its profile in a publicity-effective way - with a degree program that is close to the students and opens up new perspectives."