Dartmouth College, Thayer School of Engineering

As is true of every client we serve, this engagement brought with it unique challenges. Here the challenge was two-fold: to establish a strong and distinguished divisional brand (Thayer School) in the context of the stronger but less focused institutional brand of Dartmouth; and to provide the Dean and his faculty with an effective way to position Thayer School amid the best of the nation?s far larger engineering schools (a category of education in which ?bigger? is generally regarded as ?better?). The strategic answer involved finding new language to preempt those larger schools, each of which has recently begun to espouse the longstanding Thayer School concept of an integrated engineering sciences education that de-emphasizes the traditional ?silos? of study. (Hence the development of the School?s brand signature: ?The box does not exist.?) In addition to completing a full Market Voicing brand development study that produced a definitive codification of the Thayer brand, we developed a new identity system (one that distinguishes Thayer, while fitting elegantly into the overall Dartmouth identity system), messaging and graphic guidelines, and designed a completely new website. We were especially gratified that the School?s internal advancement and communications team, with whom we collaborated intensely throughout brand and website process, received the Faculty?s Distinguished Service Award at the 2006-07 Investiture Ceremony.

 

Gettysburg College

Our Market Voicing study for Gettysburg College resulted in a brand platform, brand standard guide, and an integrated marketing plan ? exciting initiatives for a college seeking to solidify its spot among the top 50 liberal arts colleges in the nation. With approval of the Board of Trustees, we also designed, produced and introduced a wholly new college seal to better reflect the school?s heritage and promise. We have designed various sub-brands for the College,

produced campaign communications, and serve as ongoing

consultants to the Brand Management Council.

 

Based on our recommendations, the College also created a

new tradition on campus, now known as The First-Year Walk.

The Walk encourages each new student of Gettysburg College

to reflect upon the meaning of place. Our focus was not the

Battle of Gettysburg, but rather on Nov. 19, 1863, the day that

every student and teacher of the College walked with President Abraham Lincoln through the streets of Gettysburg to the National Cemetery site, where Lincoln made his ?Few Remarks on the Dedication of the Cemetery at Gettysburg.? Today, each incoming class of Gettysburg College participates in its own Walk from the campus to the Cemetery site where Lincoln and Gettysburg College stood, to hear a reading of Lincoln?s address by an invited guest. This ?brand moment? does more than send a signal to the new students that they?ve arrived at a special place; it provides a very tangible way to introduce the college students to their townspeople, to connect today?s students to generations of alumni, and to remind everyone in the college community of their special responsibility to history that obliges everyone at the college?students, staff and faculty alike, to, as the brand signature says: ?Do great work.?

 

Wells College

Our work for Wells began at a time of institutional transition, occasioned by the 2004 decision of the trustees of this venerable women?s college that Wells would become coeducational. We are very proud of the comprehensive marketing and communications support we continue to provide to Wells. The brand work was particularly helpful to the administration in positioning the move to coeducation as preserving, rather than extinguishing, the essence of Wells. It assured those whose love for the college stemmed from its devotion to the education of women that the DNA of their alma mater had not been fundamentally altered by the introduction of ?Wells men.? The comprehensive new identity system for the college will assist the college in its upward trajectory. Our consulting and communications services to the college include the admissions website and recruitment materials that bring the brand to life for current and prospective members of the Wells College community.

 

Millersville University

The institutional identity program for Millersville followed a very open and inclusive process. It was led by the President and engaged hundreds of representatives of the entire campus community, alumni, partnering businesses, and regional government. The brand identity work was performed in concert with the committee charged with updating the university?s mission and vision statements. At the conclusion of each major step of the brand identity process, we facilitated review sessions with numerous campus groups including staff, faculty, trustees, alumni, students and administration. A full communications audit was conducted and the University?s identity system was evaluated. A set of recommendations regarding the University?s wordmark and departmental identifiers was provided. We helped implement a new wordmark and formal departmental identification system, working closely with the internal communications department and graphic designers who developed the final set of marks. The new identity program was launched to the campus community by the President in the context of opening Convocation, at which point the key messages of brand, the new graphic identity system, and a celebration video depicting the promise of the University were unveiled. A perceptual awareness study was conducted among alumni and the regional population that will serve as a baseline against which to measure the impact of a regional identity awareness campaign that consists of television advertising and an accompanying website containing stories of Millersville people.

 

Hudson Valley Community College

As a result of in-depth discussions with this college?s constituency, we recognized that there was a gap in the public?s understanding of the quality of the academic program. Though this misperception was due in part to a policy of open enrollment given that it is a ?community college,? it also had to do with aspects of how the college was projecting its brand. A full brand study was conducted, including extensive primary research and the analysis of previous studies. The recommendations for a brand strategy were presented to the campus community in a series of open forum sessions. We developed the tools of brand (positioning statement, promise, key messages and the signature), overhauled recruitment marketing, development, and alumni communications, and developed a strategy for advertising. We manage the ongoing placements of all media advertising and adherance to brand standards for messaging and identity. We contributed to speech development for the President and produced a celebration video he delivered at an All-College gathering.

 

The College at Brockport

A significant aspect of our total brand strategy work for SUNY Brockport included changing the name of the institution to The College at Brockport, State University of New York. This, along with a comprehensive brand messaging platform and new graphic identity system, are being used by the College in every aspect of relationship-building and advancement including student and faculty/staff recruitment, publicity, and development. A key component of the new graphic identity mark is the founding date of the College, important to the task of instilling in everyone at the College a sense of pride in the particular history and heritage of the institution. A standards guide for the graphic identity and messaging rounds out the new brand identity system. The website was completely redesigned to portray the brand and was launched in August 2008. To foster ownership of these major identity initiatives, focus group review sessions were conducted with campus stakeholders at all major phases of the brand strategy, identity system and website design.