Flashback: I’m The One, Asbury University
Ichthus event branding for Asbury College, 2005
Today, our family is making the 500-mile trip to bring my daughter to a youth conference at Asbury University, my former employer. Later this summer, we'll bring my son (who was actually born on campus) back again—this time as a freshman.
Time is weirdly cyclical.
In honor of our reentry into the Asbury universe, I've been looking back on one of my favorite event-branding projects.
The Background
For years, Asbury University partnered with Ichthus, one of the oldest—and at one time largest—Christian music festivals in the United States. The festival took place practically in the university's backyard, drawing thousands of students every year.
The Idea
Rather than the standard "fill out a card and get a free T-shirt" approach, our communications team created a fake reality-TV singing competition in the style of American Idol.
We invented a band called Macklem Drive (a nod to Asbury's address) and built a story around the group searching for its missing final member—"The One." Festival attendees could audition for the spot at Asbury's promotional booth.
We developed branding, promotional giveaways, and video content in advance, all tied directly to the Asbury brand.
The Implementation
During the festival, students lined up to audition for Macklem Drive. While waiting, they interacted with admissions counselors and picked up free swag.
Most auditions were predictably terrible, yet a surprising number of kids took them very seriously.
Every audition was recorded and posted to Asbury's website—this was before TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube became what they are today. Students wanting to watch and share their videos had to visit the university's site, generating significant traffic and engagement.
Meanwhile, our ridiculously talented video team produced highlight reels each day, often turning them around within hours. Those videos appeared on the festival jumbotrons each evening, creating even more buzz around the campaign and the university.
The winner wasn't actually joining a band, of course, but did get to take the stage and receive a prize.
The Results
The campaign was successful enough that it returned in 2006 and 2007, with the stakes raised each year. By the final iteration, the winner actually performed on stage alongside a real band.
More than 20 years later, this remains one of the most fun projects of my career. It was the perfect combination of a bold idea, complete team buy-in, and a group of creative people who fully owned their part of the process.
It's funny to be heading back to Asbury all these years later. The students have changed, the technology has changed, and the marketing tactics certainly have. But the memories of building something creative with a great team are still as vivid as ever.
Ichthus event branding for Asbury College, 2005
Original promotional t-shirt, 2005
Promotional t-shirt, 2007
Promotional t-shirt, 2007
2007 contest winner, digital promo
Initial promo video, produced by the brilliant Jason Parmer and starring Asbury students. There’s also a 27-year old version of me in there is you look closely enough.