As an out-of-state student contributing to the brand refresh and logo redesign, I saw the institutional changes as an opportunity for the state's flagship university to start intentionally marketing some of the most attractive elements about New Mexico, namely the outdoors, arts, culture, food, and history. While working as the University's Brand Marketing Coordinator, and with the support of UNM's University Marketing Director Argy Maniatis, we launched The Lobo Life as a student-focused campaign spotlighting life beyond academics at UNM, hosting content on a blog-style website and Instagram.

The target audience was prospective and current students, and the medium was student produced photo, video, and written content, so the first point of interaction had to be Instagram. The feed was a mix of content produced by myself and other staff members along with UGC generated from #thelobolife which quickly became a deep well of student created content. The art direction followed that of the UNM brand standards: beautiful imagery showcasing students in action, this time beyond the classroom. Copywriting followed suit, as simplicity was sprinkled with student-centric language and the voice was curated to feel like a friend's Instagram as much as a brand account. As the following grew and partnerships were established around the state, contests were also worked into the strategy.

Being a University marketing initiative, the momentum had to be funneling back toward the parent brand, which also meant operating within the confines of the University's website builder. The blog-style website was designed with prospective students in mind, giving a look at University life beyond the classroom by featuring the various adventures students were going on around the state, who the students were, where these places were on an interactive map, and how to get involved or apply to the university. This is reinforced across the University's marketing materials as the University homepage and various representations in visitors guides and other promo materials leads prospective students to The Lobo Life website.

The Lobo Life concept was spurred by the notion that as an out-of-state student, I was eager to explore my new home, and being a photographer I was bound to bring my camera. Being a key contributor to the institutional brand refresh, I saw how key my images could be in showcasing UNM as a destination simply by virtue of all NM has to offer. As a result, the photos I was already making became the foundation of a hugely successful marketing initiative that enabled me to continue making said images.

As my role evolved and the initiative grew so popular, hundreds of students were looking to get involved. The original format was as simple as me bringing a few students along with me to a place I'd like to visit, but by the end of the third month of operation we saw the need for multiple "adventures" per weekend to accommodate the volume and various interests of students, along with meeting the demand from destinations around New Mexico hoping to host us and become a destination for UNM students. This led to the formation of a student org I cofounded in order to establish additional student leaders capable of organizing adventures, establishing partnerships around the state, and managing the community. In practice, this meant creating chartering documents with the Student Activities Center, creating a private communication channel through facebook, hosting weekly meetings for active and prospective members, and relying on officers to continue the work of leading adventures around the state. Prior to my departure from the UNM Marketing Department and graduation from the University in 2018, I was proud to watch a new president be elected and see both the marketing initiative and student organization continue to thrive beyond my tenure.