SOUTHFIELD—Lawrence Technological University is rolling out a new advertising identity campaign built around a famous quote from futurist and writer Arthur C. Clarke: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

The theme of the university’s new campaign tells students that at LTU, they can: “Be Curious. Make Magic.” The first 30-second ad in the campaign is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7VeleZDDRM. 

“LTU alumni designed the DeLorean, managed building the world’s tallest towers, invented keyless car entry, led the drive for electric and autonomous vehicles, and made components for Mars rovers and the Hubble Space Telescope,” LTU President Tarek M. Sobh said. “All of those things might have once seemed like magic. And we know our students today, and the students coming to LTU in the years ahead, will invent and perfect new technologies that will seem magical to us. This new advertising campaign simply tells students what they can expect in their LTU experience.”

The 30-second ad, to air on cable channels and over-the-top (OTT) spots on streaming services, starts with video of a baby staring wide-eyed at the wonders around her, then follows a diverse group of young people, centering on one who explores the workings of a bicycle—then designs a highly advanced model.

The campaign was produced by Yellow Flag Productions, a digital media agency with an office on LTU’s campus. Yellow Flag has been working on LTU sports marketing since the university reintroduced intercollegiate sports in 2011, and took over marketing of LTU’s academic programs last year.

“We’re proud to help LTU tell its story as the creative and innovative university of tomorrow,” Yellow Flag founder and CEO Louis Bitonti said.

Yellow Flag designed the new campaign in collaboration with the Milford creative agency TMV Group, whose founder and CEO, Bill Morden, worked with Bitonti when Bitonti was advertising manager for Jeep and Morden was a top executive at the global ad agency BBDO.

Bitonti added that it was natural to turn to Clarke—who co-wrote the screenplay for the science fiction epic “2001: A Space Odyssey” and dozens of fiction and nonfiction books on science and space travel—for the ad campaign’s inspiration. Another of Clarke’s aphorisms: “I just invent, then wait until people come around to needing what I’ve invented.” A prime example is the fact that Clarke predicted communications satellites, taken for granted today, in 1945—more than a decade before it was even possible to put a satellite into orbit.

Lawrence Technological University, www.ltu.edu, is one of only 13 private, technological, comprehensive doctoral universities in the United States. Located in Southfield, Mich., LTU was founded in 1932, and offers more than 100 programs through its Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Business and Information Technology, Engineering, and Health Sciences. PayScale lists Lawrence Tech among the nation’s top 11 percent of universities for alumni salaries. Forbes and The Wall Street Journal rank LTU among the nation’s top 10 percent. U.S. News and World Report lists it in the top tier of best in the Midwest colleges. Students benefit from small class sizes and a real-world, hands-on, “theory and practice” education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech’s 107-acre campus include more than 60 student organizations and NAIA varsity sports.