ON CAMPUS
campusreview.com.au
USYD’s Brooklyn the British bulldog.
Because dogs are
commonly perceived as
good judges of character, this
reflects favourably on their
university owners as loving,
upstanding and responsible.
Brand’s best friend
What’s with universities and dogs?
By Loren Smith
S
croll through university social
media for long enough and you will
come across numerous dog posts.
Whether it’s a pooch ‘getting ahead’ on
his readings for the upcoming semester at
UQ, or UWA law school’s resident sausage
dog, Julius Caesar Juris Dogtor, chilling
on the lawn, ‘inviting’ students to pat him,
anthropomorphised canines are seemingly
everywhere.
Too hot for #UQmarketday outside,
but honorary prof jeffrey is enjoying the
aircon and getting a headstart on some
reading. Check out social science,
criminology, sociology, anthropology
and archaeology courses and enjoy
#Oweek and see you soon in lectures
and tutes. pic.twitter.com/XdMTnjTOu0
— UQ Social Science (@uqsocsci)
February 20, 2019
Universities’ very good boys of choice?
Usually labradors and golden retrievers
– still among the most popular breeds in
Australia. With their kind, friendly, confident
temperaments and crowd-pleasing
UQ’s Honorary Professor Jeffrey.
tendencies, they make ideal walking,
wagging de-stressors – and mascots.
So do dachshunds, apparently. Such is
the popularity of Julius Caesar Juris Dogtor
that he has his own Facebook page.
At USYD, Brooklyn the British bulldog is
joined by so many canine companions, like
Chicken the pug and Pepper the schnauzer,
that they have their own web page.
American universities, meanwhile, have
had dog associations for aeons, mostly
in mascot form. California’s University of
Redlands, for example, heralds its bulldog
(currently ‘Addie’) as “the living embodiment
of the strength, loyalty and tenacity that
drive our success”.
Back in Australia, however, while they’re
not quite ‘petfluencers’, canines indirectly
market their university environments.
By showcasing dogs as an everyday part of
university life, institutions project an image
of friendliness and loyalty.
Nowhere is this notion more apparent
than in advertising, where friendship,
inspiration, warmth and happiness –
characteristics dogs connote – predict an
ad’s virality. Indeed, according to Disruptive
Advertising, Google Android’s “undeniably
cute” ad about ‘unlikely animal friends’ is the
most shared one of all time.
There have even been canine icons born
of ads. Think, the Kleenex puppy, used by
Kimberly-Clark since 1972.
The presence of dogs on university Twitter
feeds during O-Week is also significant, as
this is when universities demonstrate their
culture beyond academia. Australia has
one of the highest rates of dog ownership
in the world (which is steadily increasing).
By featuring dogs, then, universities show
themselves as culturally in tune. Additionally,
because dogs are commonly perceived
as good judges of character, this reflects
favourably on their university owners as
loving, upstanding and responsible.
Somewhat ironically, by embracing
man’s best friend, institutions reveal
their humanity. ■
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