By Zara | Brand & Positioning, Signal & Strategies
When marketing a fictional character, it’s easy to focus on the most obvious selling points: their appearance, popularity, romantic relationships, or reputation. But strong character-led marketing goes deeper. It gives audiences a reason to connect with the person behind the image.
For our fictional Off Campus campaign concept, I wanted to explore how Dean Di Laurentis could be positioned beyond his confident, outgoing reputation.
The campaign concept: More Than the Reputation
Campaign headline: There’s More to the Story Than Meets the Eye.
Dean is introduced as a confident college hockey player, but his story offers room to explore vulnerability, relationships, personal choices, and growth. With his story alongside Allie Hayes becoming the focus of the second season, this campaign concept looks beyond first impressions and encourages audiences to consider the different sides of his character.
The goal isn’t to erase Dean’s reputation. It’s to give audiences another perspective.
The visual direction
For the Canva mockup, I’d use an official promotional photograph of Stephen Thomas Kalyn as Dean, paired with a darker, editorial design.
Colour palette
- Midnight charcoal:
#24252B - Forest green:
#456454 - Warm ivory:
#F5F0E8 - Muted gold:
#C1A36B - Soft grey:
#B8B8BC
I’d use charcoal as the background, ivory for the main copy, and forest green or muted gold for subtle accents. Playfair Display would give the headline an editorial feel, while DM Sans would keep the supporting text clean and readable.
The final graphic would feature Dean’s portrait, the headline “Beyond the Reputation”, and a short supporting line:
The person behind the confidence. The story beyond the surface.
The footer would read: OFF CAMPUS · FICTIONAL MARKETING CONCEPT · S&S.
Three content angles
Rather than repeating the same message across every post, the campaign could explore three connected themes:
1. Beyond the Reputation
Introduce Dean as a character with more dimensions than his public image. Invite audiences to look beyond first impressions.
2. The Person Behind the Confidence
Explore how confidence and vulnerability can coexist. This post would focus on the more personal side of his journey without making assumptions about what audiences should feel.
3. A Story Still Unfolding
Position Dean’s next chapter as an opportunity for character development, relationships, and self-discovery. The creative would invite conversation rather than promise a particular outcome.
What marketers can learn
A recognisable character or personality can attract attention, but a strong positioning strategy gives that attention somewhere to go.
For freelancers and marketers, this approach demonstrates how one central idea can become a cohesive visual identity and a series of social posts. Each execution serves a different purpose while reinforcing the same overall message.
It also shows why accurate representation matters. The campaign should build on established character information, avoid misleading claims about the series, and leave room for audiences to form their own opinions.
The takeaway: Effective branding doesn’t have to flatten a character into one memorable trait. It can use that first impression as the starting point for a richer story.
This is an independent, fictional marketing concept created for Signal & Strategies. It is not an official campaign for Prime Video or the Off Campus series.