The University of Newcastle, Australia

An innovative advertising commercial will help build the reputation of the University of Newcastle and help it cement its place in the competitive tertiary education sector.

Screened from today, the animated advertisement will be broadcast for the next seven weeks into more than 1.95 million homes, in communities that traditionally make up the student catchment area for the University.

University of Newcastle Director of Marketing and Public Relations Andrea Hammond said the commercial promoted the success of its graduates, the connection with local communities, and the Hunter region's enviable lifestyle.

"This is new territory for the University of Newcastle and we are very excited about it," Ms Hammond said.

"The commercial aims to speak to people living and working in the region, about how our graduates hit the job market career-ready, thanks to the relationships and partnerships we have formed with our communities."

The commercial will be broadcast through regional television networks NBN Channel 9 and Southern Cross Ten.

"Feedback from professionals, employers, graduates and prospective students in Newcastle, Port Macquarie and the Central Coast, consulted during the development of the commercial, has been very positive and their ideas have been used to create the final product," Ms Hammond said.

"From 2010 Universities will be funded according to how many domestic students they admit. Ambitious Government targets that aim to have 40 per cent of Australians aged 25 to 34 degree qualified by 2025 puts pressure on Universities to ensure awareness and recognition is high.

"We are hoping our commercial will raise awareness of the University for people living in our region who already know us, or may not know what we do. It will also reaffirm our strengths and close community connections."

The advertisement will be screened from Sunday evening and can be viewed from links on the University website.