Maynooth University Puts Diversity and Bravery at the Heart of Irish Education
Maynooth University's 'Changing the Face of Irish Society' is a 2019 Irish education film campaign created by Dublin agency KICK, celebrating the real-world contributions of Maynooth graduates, students, and academics across fields including human rights, humane technology, and blind education in Ireland, according to Maynoothuniversity Ie.
Published in February 2019 and identified on Ads of the World as a single-asset film campaign, 'Changing the Face of Irish Society' takes a documentary-style approach to institutional storytelling. Rather than assembling aspirational composites or abstract brand promises, the campaign foregrounds the lived experiences of people whose Adsoftheworld.clapboard.com/archive/national-university-supporting-the-whole-you-education">Maynooth University education shaped consequential careers and social contributions across Ireland. Rebecca Doolin, director of external relations at Maynooth University, stated that the goal of the campaign was to celebrate those contributions spanning business, media, science, and justice, connecting the university's academic mission to tangible societal change.
The campaign sits within a broader strategic lineage. KICK had previously launched 'Know No Bounds' for Maynooth University in November 2017, a repositioning effort structured across multiple phases: the first focused on climate-change research and global relevance, and the second targeted Data Oireachtas Ie.clapboard.com/archive/ehl-the-shape-of-our-future-for-ehl-education">undergraduate recruitment to coincide with open days, according to Ads of the World. 'Changing the Face of Irish Society' extends this narrative into postgraduate and civic territory, shifting emphasis from the university's academic range toward the moral and professional character of its community. In doing so, it positions Maynooth University not merely as an academic institution but as a generator of people who reshape Irish society. The Clapboard Score for this campaign is 57 out of 100.
Maynooth University operates in an increasingly competitive Irish higher-education landscape. The Higher Education Authority reported 228,503 total enrolments across Irish higher education in 2018/19, up 2.1% year-on-year, according to the HEA. Within that cohort, university-level enrolments reached 156,884, representing growth of approximately 31% from 119,798 in 2014/15, per data published by the Irish Universities Association. Postgraduate enrolments across Irish universities grew approximately 18% in the same period, rising from 39,157 to 46,115 according to the Irish Universities Association — a trend that makes the masters students segment a strategically significant audience for any university seeking differentiation.
In Ireland, Maynooth University contends primarily with University College Dublin and Trinity College Dublin for reputational positioning and student recruitment. University College Dublin held an estimated 10 to 12 percent of university enrolments in the 2018/19 cycle, a directional estimate noted by Clapboard.com. Against competitors of that scale and heritage, Maynooth University's strategic response in 'Changing the Face of Irish Society' is to compete on values rather than volume. The campaign's emphasis on human rights, blind teacher inclusion, and humane technology signals a deliberate alignment with audiences who assess institutions by social purpose.
Open Communications served as the media agency on the campaign, responsible for distribution strategy across the Irish market, according to Iua Ie. The decision to anchor the campaign in film — rather than outdoor, radio, or display, which KICK had deployed for 'Know No Bounds' — reflects a shift toward depth of narrative over breadth of reach. In a market where new full-time undergraduate entrants declined 3% in 2018/19 according to the Higher Education Authority, the focus on postgraduate and civic storytelling represents a measured pivot toward retention-oriented brand equity rather than pure acquisition messaging.
Judith Goulet served as creative director on 'Changing the Face of Irish Society' at KICK, Dublin. The campaign was produced by Alfonso Films, also based in Dublin, an all-female production company headed by Claire Byrne, Emma Wall, and Jo Halpin, as documented by Adworld Ie and Ads of the World. The alignment between an all-female production house and a campaign foregrounding diversity and bravery in Irish society is not incidental — it reinforces the campaign's central argument at the level of production practice itself.
Stephen Bradshaw served as business development director at KICK, and Triona O'Brien held the role of senior account manager, according to Adworld.ie. On the client side, Lorrain Whelan, digital communications officer at Maynooth University, was among the named contacts for the campaign. This depth of team documentation is notable for an Irish education campaign, suggesting a coordinated and intentional production process rather than an ad-hoc institutional film.
The creative execution deploys real people — graduates, students, and academics — rather than actors, a choice that carries both risk and reward. Authenticity is harder to manufacture but more durable when achieved. The film medium allows the campaign to sustain emotional register across a longer narrative arc than static formats permit, and the single-asset structure concentrates creative investment rather than dispersing it. Production credits for the precise cinematographer or editor on 'Changing the Face of Irish Society' are not publicly documented beyond the Alfonso Films attribution, but the all-female production leadership lends the project a coherence of perspective that aligns with its themes of inclusion, blind educator visibility, and human rights advocacy in Ireland.
No verified performance data for 'Changing the Face of Irish Society' is publicly available. No published figures exist for applications generated, enrolment movement, brand-tracking shifts, digital reach, or media impressions attributable to this campaign. No shortlist recognition has been identified across Cannes Lions, D&AD, The One Show, Effies, Clios, Webby Awards, or WARC Awards.
Structural analysis, however, offers useful signal. The campaign's decision to build around specific, named contributors — including a blind teacher whose career connects directly to Maynooth University's academic environment — creates concrete proof points rather than abstract brand claims. In Irish higher education, where University College Dublin and Trinity College Dublin carry significant legacy reputations, a values-led narrative is a credible competitive strategy for a university whose scale requires differentiation on grounds other than historical prestige.
The single-film format limits reach by design but concentrates emotional impact. For a postgraduate audience — particularly masters students evaluating institutions on research quality, social purpose, and professional outcome — depth of narrative is arguably more persuasive than frequency of exposure. The campaign's alignment of production values, creative team composition through Alfonso Films, and thematic focus on human rights and humane technology creates internal consistency that strengthens brand credibility even in the absence of measurable response data. The Clapboard Score of 57 out of 100 reflects a campaign with clear creative conviction and well-matched execution, constrained by limited measurable ambition and a narrow single-asset footprint.
'Changing the Face of Irish Society' is a 2019 film campaign created by Dublin agency KICK for Maynooth University in Ireland. It celebrates real graduates, students, and academics whose work spans human rights, blind inclusion, and humane technology, positioning Maynooth University as an institution that generates meaningful societal change across Ireland.
Dublin agency KICK created the campaign, with Judith Goulet serving as creative director. Alfonso Films, an all-female Dublin production company led by Claire Byrne, Emma Wall, and Jo Halpin, produced the film. Open Communications acted as media agency, as documented by Adworld.ie and Ads of the World.
The campaign aimed to celebrate Maynooth University contributions across business, media, science, and justice in Ireland. Rebecca Doolin, director of external relations at Maynooth University, stated this goal publicly. The broader strategy positioned the university through diversity and bravery rather than competing on scale against University College Dublin or Trinity College Dublin.
'Know No Bounds' launched in November 2017 as a repositioning effort by KICK, using outdoor, radio, and digital formats focused on climate research and undergraduate recruitment, according to Ads of the World. 'Changing the Face of Irish Society' extends that narrative toward postgraduate and civic storytelling, deepening the university's values-led brand identity in Ireland.
The campaign received a Clapboard Score of 57 out of 100. This reflects clear creative conviction and coherent execution across the film format, constrained by a narrow single-asset footprint and the absence of publicly verified performance metrics or award recognition from major international shows including Cannes Lions or D&AD.
The Higher Education Authority reported 228,503 Irish higher-education enrolments in 2018/19, with new undergraduate entrants declining 3% that year. Postgraduate growth of approximately 18% since 2014/15, per the Irish Universities Association, made masters students a priority audience, supporting Maynooth University's decision to anchor its campaign in depth of narrative over broad-reach formats.
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