What Does Branding Mean for Students?

During the summer of 2009, Messiah College will conclude nearly two years of engagement in a branding initiative. Carla Gross, Director of Marketing and Public Relations, says the branding initiative is mostly about strengthening Messiah College's current ability to meet their enrollment goal. John Chopka, Vice President for Enrollment Management, says there has been an enrollment decline since the fall of 2003, when Messiah College enrollment peaked at 2,952 students.

Last fall, the college was 26 students short of their enrollment goal. Gross says strong enrollment lifts all parts of the institution and is an important revenue source for every other area of the college.

Speaking of the branding initiative, as well as other initiative the college will be taking, Chopka says, "This economy has pushed Messiah into more creative thinking."

According to an email by Gross, "The ultimate goal of the branding project is to more clearly and powerfully communicate Messiah College's distinctive and outcomes in the higher education marketplace."

She says the current economic downturn has increased competition in the student recruitment market and sent many other colleges and universities scrambling into branding initiatives.

Gross says because Messiah College began the initiative in 2007, they are now well positioned to begin leveraging the results of the branding program at exactly the right time.

In early 2008, after an interview and selection process, Messiah College hired Crane Metamarketing Crane, a small branding firm, to conducting branding research.

A brand is the position an organization holds in the minds of their stakeholders as well as the promise an organization makes and keeps to its stakeholders that distinguishes it from its competitors. Crane Metamarketing defines brand as "that position in the marketplace that only you can own."

"The roots of Messiah's current branding initiative go back to market research that Messiah conducted in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and in the work of the College's Visibility Task Force that President Phipps launched in 2006 to help Messiah strengthen its local, regional, and national visibility and reputation," writes Gross.

In their research for Messiah College, Crane set out to determine the variables in the following equation: Messiah College is the 'x' that achieves 'y' through 'm' because of 'v.'

Crane defines 'x' as the "category of one." Gross explains this is what Messiah College does that other Christian colleges and universities either do not or cannot do.

According to Crane, 'y' is the transformative outcome. Gross says this is what Messiah College does that makes a difference in real time for real students, and why it is important.

'M' is the unique mechanisms that Messiah College uses to accomplish the outcomes, while 'v' has to do with Messiah College's mission's statement and distinctive values.

Regarding the cost of the project, Gross writes, "It's not the College's typical practice to release specific costs of individual programs or projects, but I can share that this project is being funded through the existing operating budgets of the President's Office and the Marketing and Public Relations Office and is drawing on monies that would have generally been spent on this type of marketing/visibility program for the College. "

Gross writes that from April 27 through May 1, the writing and photography team from Crane MetaMarketing, "will be visiting campus to conduct interviews, focus groups, and a photo shoot that will help develop the language and visuals for the College's new marketing materials."

In regards to the project as a whole, Gross says the college is trying to show what the Messiah College community is really like. "We really want it to be authentic," Gross says. "It can't be artificial. Our audience is too smart for that."

According to the research, Gross writes, "All audiences [surveyed]-students, parents, alumni, and former parents-reported strong overall satisfaction with their Messiah College experiences. Most also perceived the overall value of a Messiah education to be high, despite a common perception that the College is comparatively expensive." Additionally, she writes "Nine out of ten current students and current parents said that they would choose Messiah again-the highest numbers Crane has ever seen for a college or university (secular or faith-based)!"

Gross writes that the research found that, "Among the relatively few respondents who would not choose Messiah again, students were most likely to comment on various aspects of campus atmosphere, ranging from 'too much conformity' to geographic isolation. Current parents, former parents, and alumni were most likely to mention the expense."

According to Gross, the research also determined the college's "identity has been effectively cloaked by the absence of a set of clear and unambiguous messages. One outcome has been families finding their way to the College without fully understanding its promise or the choice they were making."

Gross writes, Messiah College is now obliged to spend inordinate time and attention managing relationships. She writes, "Now is the ideal time to rearticulate and reframe Messiah's identity, moving from cloaked to crystal clear."

"In the long-term, students will benefit from the results of the branding project, because the stronger Messiah's brand and reputation is, the stronger our institutional ability is to recruit quality students and faculty and to raise funds for financial aid and other student programs. A strong brand also strengthens the name recognition of a Messiah College degree in opening doors and opportunities for Messiah alumni," Gross writes.

According to Gross, the college plans "to use the results of the branding research to develop a new marketing tag line for the College and new print and web marketing communication materials for prospective students." She says the College's mission and identity statement, motto, and the logo will remain the same.