Playing the ranks. Leveraging brand strategy to rise to the top.
Whether they like it or not, universities have become brand powerhouses—and recognizing reputation management, communication, public engagement and brand development are key priorities their leadership must maintain to separate them from the pack. Often, this is easier said than done, as reimagining a brand is a major undertaking, and without the proper guidance, schools risk that their rehauls will fall flat. Luckily, with the right approach and a trusted partner like heavy, your institution can take the steps necessary to command its brand and build its reputation.
Setting the stage for a new U
When reevaluating a university’s brand, the heavy approach focuses on three key elements; reputation, promise, and awareness. This starts with an analysis of the institution’s current standing and whether or not that reputation aligns with institutional goals. By identifying personal strengths and weaknesses, we can work together to develop a brand that feels earnest and consistent while building new strategies to improve reputation in the near and far future.
Second, we look at brand promise and ensure that the institution remains true to its claims. This promise should speak to the lived experience of all campus stakeholders, including students, faculty, alumni, and administration. We accomplish this through a deliberate discovery process, where we interview campus stakeholders from all over the institution and evaluate their impressions against those of the university. This way, we can build long-term positive relationships with the campus community, and depend on them to help increase our credibility and develop our local, regional, and national reputations.
When working with the University of Florida, we made sure that each unit across the university could uphold our brand promise and had the resources to align their messaging with that of the rest of the school. This consistent tone—reiterated throughout academic and administrative units- proved that the university was working collaboratively to bring its goals and vision to life.
Finally, some self-awareness
Brand awareness and brand reputation go hand in hand. Keeping a pulse on your brand and its impact directly influences your institution’s reputation. If everything has fallen into place as it should, stakeholders will be intimately aware of the university’s distinguishing features, values, and strengths—making it easy to effect positive perceptions.
A keen sense of your brand also helps evaluate missed opportunities or places where you can expand your audience. This was the case when working with Saint Louis University, where we developed a refreshed brand to appeal to their current target audience while also expanding markets into Kansas City, Chicago, and Indianapolis.
Keeping tabs on your brand can also help forecast potential challenges, such as the cost of implementation or pushback from stakeholders weary of change. When working with the University of Denver to reimagine their logo, we considered feedback from stakeholders across the university to ensure that our resulting design served as an inspirational icon that properly represented the university and its mission.
When it all comes together
With a well designed strategy and the help of a trusted partner like heavy, your university can confidently take charge of its brand. These crucial steps are what you’ll need to craft genuine messaging and a compelling aesthetic guaranteed to grab attention.