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The University of Wyoming:  New Thinking

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     As part of the enrollment management process, the campus is currently involved in an integrated marketing campaign.

     The higher education market today is very competitive.  Prospective students have more that 4,000 community colleges, four-year colleges, and universities from which to choose.   What really differentiates one public university from another?  Why should a student choose one school instead of another?  How can a university set itself apart from its competitors?

     Last fall, the University of Wyoming began the process of establishing itself as a brand that stands for something special within the higher education market.  That process relies in part on integrated marketing communications - giving people throughout the university the tools they need to build a distinctive identity for UW in the minds of prospective students, as well as donors and supporters of the university.

     The core of UW's integrated marketing communications program is a positioning statement that defines what the university stands for.  Historically, that's been a significant challenge.  The University of Wyoming is so complex that different UW offices often have described their individual attributes to prospective students without giving them a clear picture of the entire university.  Using the results of focus groups conducted with students, faculty, staff, and administrators, UW officials worked with an integrated marketing consultant to develop a positioning statement that defines what the university stands for:

     The University of Wyoming is a nationally recognized public research university focused on students who seek personalized learning in a Rocky Mountain environment.  UW is the perfect size:  big enough for great opportunities, small enough for students to become involved and to make a difference.

     Unless UW's basic character changes radically, this positioning statement should continue to describe the university for the foreseeable future.  Supporting the positioning statement, and derived from actual focus group responses, are seven key messages intended to show prospective students why UW is their best choice.  They include:

          »  opportunities for undergraduates to get involved with cutting-edge research and scholarship
          »   the opportunity for students to explore a wide variety of educational and extracurricular options
          »  personalized education
          »   a culture that encourages student involvement
          »   superior academic programs and activities
          »   a safe campus in a friendly community

     Brands often are known as well by their advertising tag lines - for example, Nike has developed tremendous brand recognition and appeal through its "Just Do It" tag line.  Lengthy discussions between the university and its consultants resulted in the development of a potential advertising and recruiting tag line - "New Thinking."  The tag line was intended to convey two primary messages:  that UW is a dynamic institution, changing and growing through innovation; and that students attending UW will broaden and expand their thinking while attending college.

     Armed with this potential tag line as well as visual concepts that illustrated the positioning statement and key messages, UW admissions staff and consultants conducted focus groups with high school students in Laramie, Cheyenne, Casper, Cody, and Denver.  The goal was to see whether the tag line and any of the visuals resonated with prospective students - without the students knowing that any of the materials referred to the University of Wyoming.

     Designers abandoned UW's traditional "mountains and meadows" look for something more contemporary and eye-catching, intending to convey energy and activity, quality, and opportunities for personal growth.  Students responded enthusiastically to the visuals, saying, "It's a place where you can have fun doing some serious work;" "It's a college that's different, in a good way;" "There's a lot of opportunity and choices;" "A high quality education in a fun and friendly setting."

      And after learning that "New Thinking" was intended to describe UW, students in the focus groups said, "It makes you believe that you could become part of something really big and exciting;" "UW is willing to move forward, looking to the future;" "I wasn't thinking about UW before, but if this is what UW is actually like, I might give them a serious look."  Those certainly are encouraging comments.

     Key messages and visual images - all featuring UW students and faculty members - are being integrated in to publications, advertising, and Web sites, and public relations activities developed by offices across the university.  During the next few years, these messages and images will feature prominently in UW's effort to form in the minds of potential students, donors, and opinion leaders a new perception of the University of Wyoming - as their school of choice for enrollment and support.

     Will this enthusiastic reaction translate into increased enrollments, enhanced giving, and greater support for the University of Wyoming?  Only time will tell, but if UW can replicate the experience of other universities that have embraced the concept of branding through integrated marketing communications, the results should be positive and measurable.