As a global Christian university, Trinity Western provides unparalleled educational experiences to equip graduates for life.
Telling this story in inspirational ways is the privilege of TWU’s Marketing & Communications team, whose latest Canada-wide campaign, Be the light, represents the heartbeat of the institution and the essence of its students’ positive impact in the world.
Earlier this year, alongside other internationally recognized brands such as Jeep, Philips, IKEA, and more, TWU’s Be the light campaign was given top honours as a Platinum Award winner by the LIT Advertising Awards—a global program recognizing excellence in advertising and brand communications.
Trinity Western originally partnered with Crew Marketing Partners to explore developing a new enrolment marketing campaign that would effectively capture and communicate an emotionally resonant expression of its brand promise, “Equipped for Life.” Crew rose to the challenge, bringing forward the Be the light concept, which was selected after resonating with both University stakeholders and prospective students during the campaign research phase.
Conceived as an omnichannel integrated marketing campaign, Be the light tells the story of nine students’ journeys as they embark on their university adventure—from their early childhood years to their exciting growth and development under the mentorship of faculty and campus peers, and their flourishing as equipped graduates.
Most compellingly, Be the light is an invitation for future students to catch a vision of who they can become as they seek to live “for the good of the world and the glory of God”—as expressed by TWU’s vision statement.
Honoured for excellence on the global stage
Trinity Western’s original storytelling has now been recognized by the International Awards Associate's LIT Advertising Awards, a worldwide competition celebrating strategic, creative work across the global advertising industry.
Be the light competed with entries from 20 countries—including the United States, Australia, Germany, Italy, and Portugal, and other Canadian entries—to be selected for top honours as a Platinum Award winner in the Integrated Marketing Campaign category.
Creative, effective outreach strategies
Be the light is the most comprehensive multiplatform campaign in the University’s history. Leveraging a diverse mix of digital and traditional advertising, the nationwide outreach garnered over 25 million views across TWU’s website and digital channels, effectively connecting many students and families to the University’s unique educational promise. Following the success of its initial year, the campaign continued in 2024 and 2025 with several new student stories and a fresh perspective added to the suite.
The strategy’s traditional elements of billboards, transit ads, and radio delivered over 85 million impressions, further amplifying TWU’s uplifting brand experience of Christian higher education.
Sharing an uplifting message
Saida Belonio, director of Enrolment Marketing, highlights how the campaign sought to share genuine student and alumni stories that reveal their transformational journey at TWU. She commented, “Their experiences show how a Christ-centred education equips them to bring light into their communities—a message of hope and purpose that anyone can understand.”
As an enrolment campaign, it proved highly effective, with the stories resonating deeply and contributing to record undergraduate domestic enrolment. Belonio noted that results from the campaign have kept pace with the previous year’s record-setting performance, which saw the highest levels of undergraduate enrolment inquiries in the University’s history.
Reflecting the light of Christ
For Trinity Western, as a global Christian university, the call for prospective and current students and alumni to Be the light is rooted in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. In what is largely considered the greatest sermon ever preached, Jesus presented powerful metaphoric imagery, encouraging his followers to reflect him in the world:
“You are the light of the world. … let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven”
(Matt. 5:14a, 16, NIV)
In a world facing increasing darkness, the Scripture-based Be the light language and its positive imagery have been a welcome breath of fresh air. “In a cultural moment marked by contention and division—typified by growing political polarization—it’s wonderful to share an uplifting, encouraging message rooted in the very words of Jesus. This positions Trinity Western as a beacon of hope in dark times while inviting people to be a positive influence in the world,” shared James Tweedy, vice president of Marketing and Communications and chief marketing officer (CMO), whose team led the campaign’s development and deployment.
Sharing an uplifting message
The Be the light campaign serves both as a challenge to TWU’s community of believers and as a source of wonder and curiosity to all who encounter its clear message of hope and truth.
Along with the LIT Advertising Awards honour, TWU’s Be the light campaign was also named runner-up for the 2025 Keystone Awards competition, Best Higher Ed Marketing Campaign. Earlier, the TWU Christmas campaign featuring a TWU worship collective student-led performance of Lauren Daigle’s “Light of the World” was recognized by The Council for Advancement and Support of Education with a 2024 Circle of Excellence Silver Award.
See the full collection of TWU Be the light alumni stories here.
About Trinity Western University
Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is a global Christian liberal arts university dedicated to equipping students for life. Uniting faith and reason through Christian teaching and scholarship, TWU is a research institution offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in the humanities and sciences as well as in several professional schools. It has campuses in Canada in Langley, Richmond, and Ottawa. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Instagram @trinitywestern, Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn. For media inquiries, please contact: media@twu.ca.