Description
Wayne State University is expanding its “Warrior Strong” platform with a new campaign, “Warrior Strong Is ___.” The effort aims to close a perception gap around the university’s broader impact across Michigan, moving beyond traditional student recruitment messaging to reach a wider civic audience.
The creative centers on a simple provocation: Anyone can say they are strong, but Warriors prove it. Developed in partnership with Doner and Doner Media, the work reframes the idea not as a static trait, but as a daily choice.
In the :60 hero spot, that proof shows up in tangible ways. Students and faculty run clinics, launch startups, and work to fix systems from the inside. The message positions Wayne State as a place where ambition stops being abstract and starts rolling up its sleeves.
The university, long woven into the fabric of Detroit, sees its deep integration across healthcare, education access, economic development, and research as a powerful differentiator. The campaign seeks to elevate that story statewide, reinforcing Wayne State’s leadership in access, care, innovation, and impact.
While higher education marketing often focuses narrowly on prospective students, “Warrior Strong Is ___” expands its lens. The partnership carries a strong hometown connection. Both Wayne State and Doner are long-standing Detroit institutions, and several contributors on the agency side are university alumni. That connection informed a production approach focused on authenticity.
All on-screen talent are real Wayne State students and faculty, and a university graduate delivers the voiceover. By grounding the work in lived experience, the campaign underscores its central thesis: Warrior Strong is not a slogan. It is an action, practiced daily in classrooms, clinics, labs and neighborhoods across Detroit and throughout Michigan.
The work is live today across paid social, OLV, DOOH, and streaming audio.
This professional campaign titled 'Warrior Strong Is ___' was published in United States in March, 2026. It was created for the brand: Wayne State University, by ad agency: Doner. This Film and Integrated media campaign is related to the Education industry and contains 1 media asset. It was submitted 20 minutes ago.
Credits
Wayne State
Doug Kuiper, Sr Assoc. VP, Wayne State University
Carolyn Berry, Assoc. VP, Wayne State University
Art Lionas, Creative Director, Wayne State University
Regan Boldman, Graphic Designer, Wayne State University
Darryl Shreve, Assoc. Director, Wayne State University
Mary Benitez, Dir. Project Management, Wayne State University
Vinnie Roberts, Project Manager, Wayne State University
Rachel Flum, Project Manager, Wayne State University
Account
Craig Conrad, President, Doner
Laura Slywka, VP Account Director, Doner
Creative
Steve Osterman, Executive Creative Director, Doner
Sarah Henry, Associate Creative Director, Doner
My-Lou Vang, Associate Creative Director, Doner
Tadgh Ennis, Associate Creative Director, Doner
Brian Nelson, VP Creative Director, Doner
Anthony Karagosian, VP Creative Director, Doner
Strategy
Alima Trapp, EVP Inclusive Strategy and Intelligence, Doner
Production
Michael Stark, VP Managing Executive Integrated Producer, Doner
Sam Koretz, Integrated Studio Producer, Doner
Jessica Shamma, Integrated Studio Production Director, Don
Amy Bem, Production Designer, Doner
Mary Littell, Associate Design Director, Doner
Adina Lipsitz, VP Studio Enablement, Doner
Matt Sommerfield, Retouch Director, Doner
Dieter Miler, Senior Retouching Artist, Doner
Susan Castleberry, Sr. Business Manager, Doner
Jane Greening, Sr. Talent Manager, Doner
Jake Wrubel, Director, Unreasonable Studios
Kevin Connor, Producer, Unreasonable Studios
Matt Reznik, Line Producer, Unreasonable Studios
Nicki Howe, Production Coordinator, Unreasonable Studios
Tony Del Bel, Audio Engineer, Unreasonable Studios
Media
Jennifer Schulties, EVP Head of Media Strategy and Operations, Doner
Nicole Miller, Director Media Planning and Strategy, Doner
Natalie McLaughlin, VP Media Operations, Doner
Dwight Bush Jr., Director of Paid Social, Doner
Mark Aguinaldo, SVP Head of Data and Analytics, Doner
Ryan Ginger, Director Digital Marketing and Media Analytics, Doner
Chelsey McGrogan, Associate Director Project Management, Doner
Jacob Mosley, Sr Data Strategist, Doner
Rondell Wilson, Ad Ops Manager, Doner
Adina Shecter, Sr Analyst, Doner
Maxwell, Programmatic Trader Sr Manager Doner
Kathy Fessler, Associate Director Social, Doner
