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Progress on the university-wide Key Messages is moving ahead.  During the next three or four days I’ll post the most recent work from the Public Relations & Marketing committee…great work, by the way.  Take some time to review the information and start to think about how you can incorporate the ideas into your daily, weekly, monthly, annual communications planning.

The posts will include a great deal of supporting information for each message and I encourage everyone to take that supporting information and build on it.  Create supporting messages that apply directly to your college and/or unit and you’ll have helped accomplish what we set out to do six months ago.

Its important to remember that the Key Messages merely provide the framework for our internal and external communications activities.  They represent a handful of concepts that seek to incorporate everything we do at NC State into a simple phrase.  I know a lot of you thought I was crazy when I asked for three or four sentences that would address everything that happens at NC State.  Well, we did it.

And Key Messages are not intended to be advertising tag lines, brochure copy or press release topics, though they could be.

When you’re reviewing the Key Messages, remember that we still need to develop themes for the supporting facts — themes that show impact [preferably involving multiple colleges] on issues that matter.  The supporting material that follows is grouped around areas that seem to make sense, but we need your input.

You’ve seen these before, but here are the three key messages (No. 4 was primarily for advertising purposes so I’m not going to include it here) with the basic points around each.

KEY MESSAGE I:
Everything you can imagine

NC State, the largest university in North Carolina, provides big-school opportunities in a global innovation hot spot while fostering a tight-knit community in one of the nation’s most desirable places.

Aligns with:

• Producing leaders for the state, nation and world
• Creating educational innovation

KEY MESSAGE II:
Driving the economy every day

NC State provides results that drive the economy – bringing critical thinking skills and discipline-based knowledge to all sectors of society through education, dynamic discoveries, and solutions to real-world problems.

Aligns with:

• Fueling economic development

KEY MESSAGE III:
Solutions for your world

NC State touches lives. With North Carolina roots and a global reach, we deliver solutions that anticipate and meet the needs of society.

Aligns with:

• Improving health and well being
• Driving innovation in energy and the environment

Passion Rules!

David Green sent this over today from the CASE  list serve.  Lots of Universities are asking questions about branding.  Brandy B. Aycock from Piedmont College is one of ’em who is asking.  Rob Moore with Lipman Hearne provides his thoughts.  Good reading and good insights.  Rob’s comments are in italic.

Happy Friday!
I am working on a project regarding college branding or rebranding.  I
was wondering if any of you have had experience with this in your
positions. Our alumni, development and communications departments are
all together with 6 staffers. I’ve done a lot of research and found many
articles, but I’d like to hear from those of you in the trenches.
Some questions:
1)      What do you think are the keys to success in a branding
initiative?
Presidential leadership. Solid base of market research. Shared
understanding among key leadership about the specific goals of the
initiative.
2)      What do you see as “the kiss of death” in branding?
Presuming you already “know” your brand.  You might know what you think
it is, or might know what you want it to be, but without market research
you don’t know where it resides in the minds of stakeholders—which is
where the brand actually lives.
3)      How long have you had your current brand in place?
This question is not answerable, if by brand you mean the place your
institution holds in the minds of its stakeholders. If you mean “brand
campaign” or a related public initiative to influence that brand
perception, the typical life of a brand campaign is 3-5 years—after
which it should be reexamined to see how it has changed the competitive
landscape and repositioned the institution. [Read more →]

Summer’s here and I’m getting lazy, at least where the blog is concerned. But that doesn’t mean that all’s quiet across campus.

As our communicators know, the calendar is a dominant feature of our home page, and we want our visitors, both online and offline, to know there’s more to do here this summer than attend departmental budget meetings, or see The Crazies  and The Princess and the Frog. (although they’re probably great movies)

So, now’s the time to re-stock the University Calendar with your summer events, exhibitions, camps, classes and, well, anything else that’s going on!

We’ve got a one-page submission form online, ready to be filled out.  The more info the better – so don’t be stingy!

http://calendar.activedatax.com/ncstate/oePublicForm.aspx

If you have any questions, feel free to email Dave Pond in University Communications.

Additionally, if you have ideas for homepage stories – either those that are upcoming to those you’ve already featured in your respective magazines, Web sites or newsletters that would interest a general audience – he’s the guy to talk to as well.

Passion Rules!

There have been some great posts on university marketing and branding recently.  I plan to share a few over the next few days.  The first from Inside Higher Education.

By Michael Armini

Inside Higher Education

In 1981, Grey Poupon took the nation by storm. Although the little-known Dijon mustard had been manufactured for more than a century, in the early ’80s it went from a minor six-figure business to a retail powerhouse.

Most people remember the famous TV ad in which one Rolls-Royce pulls up next to another. An aristocratic-looking passenger rolls down the back window to ask, “Pardon me. Would you have any Grey Poupon?”

In the cities where the ad ran, sales of Grey Poupon shot up 40 to 50 percent — a remarkable leap in the largely static condiment sector. Today, the Grey Poupon success story is frequently invoked as a highly successful “rebranding,” and an example of a singular advertising triumph.

Within the retail world, plenty of products have had their sales driven up, and their images buffed, through focused ad campaigns and catchy slogans: Don’t Leave Home Without It (American Express), Just Do It (Nike), and Got Milk? (California Milk Processor Board).

These successes — reinforced today by the hit cable TV show “Mad Men” — have led to an onslaught of branding consultants currently setting their sights on American universities. Many of these firms, battered by the recession and seeing higher education as a wealthy untapped sector, are coming to a campus near you. [Read more →]

From the quality logo products blog:

When Michigan State Spartans confirmed that they were moving forward with a re-branding effort which included a new logo (featured on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Web site) the outcry from students, alumni, and fans was deafening.

Before long, online message boards began filling with negative opinions on the new design. In fact, by the time of writing this post, more than 18,100 fans had joined a Facebook page entitled: “JUST DON’T — No new Nike-influenced Spartan helmet.” One alum even admitted he’s part of a grassroots Web effort to flood the e-mail inboxes of MSU officials and coaches to stop the logo change.

Tom Izzo, the Spartans men’s basketball coach, supported the new logo stating:

“For all of you out there that are complaining, shame on you, because … we are trying to do what’s best for Michigan State University, our athletic department and the great people that we associate with and Nike’s done a heck of a job …We are going to be moving into that new century here in the proper way and I’m excited about it.”

New logo is on Right

As a fan of many teams (none of which are the Spartans) I’d have to agree with Tom. Shame on students, alumni, and fans that would turn their backs on the organization they support so easily. Just take another glance at the two logos and see if these minor changes are worth so much fuss. It’s just a logo after all. [Read more →]

A story in the media today implies that NC State has made the decision to go back to the “We all go to NC State” ad campaign of the mid-1990s.  That is not the case.

While I like the message at the end of the ad and have blogged about it here and talked about it around campus, we’re not ready to go there.  This is one of several directions we’re considering.  We haven’t even gotten the Chancellor involved in the discussion, and I can tell you, nothing will happen without his involvement.

So for now, keep the ideas coming.  The creative process doesn’t happen overnight.  Red does mean go at NC State.  NC State is North Carolina’s University (and North Carolina is a pretty cool state). And when we have big challenges to address and problems to solve, we look to NC State.

Have a great holiday.

Passion Rules!

1 of Many

I had a good conversation today with James Gallagher from the Triangle Business Journal about university communications and our efforts to develop a new NC State television spot.  We talked about why branding is necessary in higher education and it got me thinking about a story we put together about university branding back in 2005.  I think it’s still pertinent today and have made a number of edits to bring it up to date.

Branding is an investment in the future.  It is an investment in the university’s ability to compete effectively for students, faculty, staff, and funding.

In the competitive world of higher education, universities must continually compete for top students, faculty and staff in order to remain viable.  We do not operate in a vacuum.  Our peers all market aggressively and many have already begun their own branding campaigns.

The reality is, the most recognizable university “brands” consistently attract the best students, faculty and staff; secure the most funding; gain the greatest accolades, and receive the most recognition in the press.  All of which are critical factors in the health, growth and long-term success of an institution.

The objective of our branding effort at NC State is to build the kind of public image that instills confidence.  Confidence on the part of the best students to select NC State University over one of our peer universities.  Confidence on the part of faculty and staff to want to be a part of a prestigious institution.  Confidence on the part of our alumni that their investment in time, money and passion is well placed. And confidence on the part of the Legislature and other funding bodies to invest more aggressively in an institution that is producing great returns for the state of North Carolina and the nation. [Read more →]

KEY MESSAGE I:
Everything you can imagine

NC State, the largest university in North Carolina, provides big-school opportunities in a global innovation hot spot while fostering a tight-knit community in one of the nation’s most desirable places.

Aligns with:

• Producing leaders for the state, nation and world
• Creating educational innovation

KEY MESSAGE II:
Driving the economy every day

NC State provides results that drive the economy – bringing critical thinking skills and discipline-based knowledge to all sectors of society through education, dynamic discoveries, and solutions to real-world problems.

Aligns with:

• Fueling economic development

KEY MESSAGE III:
Solutions for your world

NC State touches lives. With North Carolina roots and a global reach, we deliver solutions that anticipate and meet the needs of society.

Aligns with:

• Improving health and well being
• Driving innovation in energy and the environment

KEY MESSAGE IV:
We all go to NC State!

When the stakes are high and the dreams are big.

And the world we build for our children depends on how we answer some very tough questions.

We all go to NC State!

Passion Rules!

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