The University of Lincoln’s degree of usefulness

Created by Snap London and directed by Nick Jones, through Be Lucky, the ‘Get Real World UsefUL’ duo of spots rejects glossy ads featuring students smiling inanely while lounging on campus lawns and drifting around corridors and instead asks a simple question: what makes a university education genuinely useful?

Each of the social-first films, Sofa and Hikers, depicts refreshingly offbeat scenarios where people in need of practical help are told to find University of Lincoln alumni, famed for their sagacity and practical skills. 

Ed Hughes, Chief Marketing Officer at the University of Lincoln, says, "Too many advertising campaigns for higher education look and sound the same, despite prospective students making decisions in completely different ways today. We wanted to create something people would actually enjoy watching, while making a bigger point about the value of higher education. 'UsefUL' is our response to the growing narrative around 'useless degrees'. Rather than simply talking about employability, we're showing that the people everyone depends on in the real world are graduates with practical skills, curiosity and the ability to solve problems."