Knowing Who We Are: The DePaul Brand

Presentation to HighEdWeb 2011

October 24,2011

Today’s Topics

• Why branding in higher ed is so challenging• DePaul’s process for gaining agreement to a university-wide brand

strategy• Results of our latest research and brand refinement

• Twitter: #MMP2• @debmaue

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DePaul Highlights

• Located in Chicago, IL• Six Campuses• 2,500 FT Employees• Ten Colleges/275 Academic Programs• 140,000 living alumni/100,000 in Chicagoland• Big East Athletics• Budget of $550 Million

Catholic Universities Private Universities

DePaul University 25,145

St. John's University 21,354

Georgetown University 16,871

Loyola University Chicago 15,951

Saint Leo Univesity 15,565

Fordham University 15,158

Boston College 14,015

Saint Louis University 13,875

University of Notre Dame 11,985

Marquette University 11,806

New York University 43,404

University of Southern California 36,896

Brigham Young University 32,982

Boston University 32,727

Northeastern University 29,528

Nova Southeastern University 29,153

Harvard University 27,291

Columbia University 25,221

DePaul University 25,145

George Washington University 25,135

DePaul University is the largest Catholic and the ninth largest private university in the nation.

Why is Branding so Difficult in Higher Ed?

• In most organizations, the brand is the outward expression of the mission– Not so in Catholic higher ed

• Brand is defined by the experience people have had with you– You’re not starting from scratch

• Many audiences who want many different things from their interactions with you– Prospective students– Alumni– Donors– Employers

• Decentralized organizational structure– No clear process for gaining agreement– Little leverage to get colleges, departments, divisions to adopt brand

standards and messaging

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“Principles” of Higher Ed Branding

• It starts with what you are• It’s an on-going, evolving process• It’s more about what you do than what you say• To be effective, your brand must be:

– Distinctive– Ownable– Benefit-oriented

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History

• DePaul started to talk about the concept of branding in 2000 at the start of our last strategic planning process

– Initial work done in three phases

• Graduate/adult, Undergraduate, Advancement

– By 2005, we had common brand architecture, common brand language, and consistent logo

usage

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DePaul’s “Brand Architecture” – pre-2003

Barat LA&SCTI Education Kellstadt Law

SNL OCPE The Theatre SchoolMusic

DePaul’s Brand Architecture – Post-2003

• DePaul now goes to market with the DePaul Dominant structure.– The Theatre School is the only exception to the DePaul dominant structure

KGSB* CTI*DePaul Dominant

DePaul Endorsed

Education LA&S SNL*Law Music

DePaul Shared

Stand-alone

OCPE

Office of Continuing and Professional Education

The Theatre School*

The Theatre School

The Process of Defining the DePaul Brand

• Understand what people think about DePaul and its main competitor schools

– Students

– Alumni

– Faculty/Staff

– Community at large

• Understand the gaps between how we want people to think about DePaul and how they think about us now

• Figure out what we need to do and say to close the gaps

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Project Objectives

• Develop the unified brand language• Refine the individual audience messaging strategies• Develop key messages to support the unified brand strategy

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Project Phases

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• 28 Interviews

• 19 In-depth Interviews• 13 Focus Groups (132

total inputs)• Online Survey• 1,517 completes

• Refined Unified Brand Strategy

• Refreshed Positioning Strategies

• Key Messages

Research Objectives

• To understand:– What characteristic are important to people in determining the

reputation of a university– What characteristics people associate with DePaul and its competitors

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Key Findings From Quantitative Research

What’s Important

• The characteristics that were most important in determining a university’s reputation were:

– Academic reputation and recognition

– Faculty contributions and interactions

– Strong price/value relationship

• Career connections and outcomes, having a current curriculum, and having strong student support services are also very important

• People indicated that prominent alumni, school pride, athletics and religious affiliation were less important to them in determining a university’s reputation

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Key Findings From Quantitative Research (cont.)

What DePaul is Known for

• The characteristics most closely associated with DePaul were:

– Being connected to a world-class city

– Teaching approach

– Having a variety of curricular options

• Diversity in the student body, recognized programs, and providing an education that encourages service are also strong characteristics

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DePaul vs. Key Competitors

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DePaul vs. Key Competitors

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DePaul vs. Key Competitors

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Mapping the Characteristics

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Mapping the Characteristics

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Mapping the Characteristics

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Mapping the Characteristics

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Mapping the Characteristics

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Mapping the Characteristics

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Mapping the Characteristics

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Mapping the Characteristics

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Mapping the Characteristics

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Characteristics Benefit Role

• Academic reputation• Program recognition for excellence• Highly ranked programs• Faculty experts• Grads hired by top employers/grad

schools

Respected Academically Requirement

• Ongoing support for career• Connections to top companies• Alumni in local economy

Career Opportunities Requirement

• Faculty with real-world experience• Teaching focus/small class size• Current curriculum• Wide variety of programs• Flexibility

Prepared for the Real World Strategic Driver

• World-class city• Global issues• Diversity• Balanced education

Multicultural Perspectives Supporting Differentiator

• Education encourages service and social responsibility

• Catholic• Relationships with community

Social Awareness Supporting Differentiator

Benefits Sought from DePaul Audiences

For the university’s primary audiences, DePaul is the university that prepares graduates to work, succeed and contribute in the global community.

Its foundation of respected academics and real-world knowledge, balanced with the urban and multicultural experiences of Chicago and an awareness of social responsibility, is what makes DePaul unique.

• DePaul’s ranked programs and faculty experts contribute to its tradition of respected academics

• DePaul prepares its graduates through a current curriculum that incorporates real-world

knowledge and experiences of Chicago and beyond, faculty focused on teaching, and

individualized attention

• Academics are balanced with an exposure to and an understanding of the global community

through DePaul’s unique combination of its urban environment (Chicago), diverse student body,

and global issues infused in the curriculum

• DePaul builds integrity among students, alumni and employees by fostering a sense of one’s

social responsibility as a member of the global community through its support for service and

foundation of Catholic values

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DePaul Unified Brand Positioning

DePaul Brand Identity

Catholic

Respectful / Caring

World-Class City

Student Focused

Connected

Current

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EXTENDED IDENTITY

Urban educated.World ready.

RespectedAcademics

Real-WorldKnowledge

MulticulturalExperiences

SocialResponsibility

Implementation

• Approved by senior leadership 12/10• Brand presentation kicked off the initial 2018 strategic planning

meeting summit• Brand presentations made to key college and divisional staff and all

front line staff (Admissions, Career Center, Financial Aid, Student Records)

• Re-launched brand resource site• New advertising campaign launched 9/11

• http://bit.ly/DePaulAd

Print ad

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Print ad

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Outdoor – bus shelter ad

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APPENDIX

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Methodology and Quantitative Research Plan

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Methodology 15 minute, online survey to key DePaul audiences; Administered by DePaul’s EMR via Human Capital CorporationGift certificate and I - pad drawing incentives; Survey in field from June 21st – August 7th

Respondent Strategic Weighting

Survey Group Survey Targets

N Response Rate

Completed Strategic Weighting

Sample Source

Under-graduate

30% Prospect freshmanProspect transfersCurrent students (fresh – senior)Parents

100100100

variable

20, 3796,1812957

2957

0.7%2.0%4.8%

5.1%

138126141

151

32%8%

50%

10%

EMAS: Fall 2010EMAS: Fall 2010PeopleSoft

PeopleSoft (from the Quad)

Graduate / Adult

30% ProspectsCurrent students (incl. Law)OCPE (Applicants and Enrolled)

100100

100

7,1961,620

972

1.4%6.7%

7.7%

102108

75

30%60%

10%

EMAS / Law School DbasePeopleSoft

OCPE prospect & enrolled student dbase

Advancement 30% AlumniEmployersCommunity

100variable

100

3,953400

19,995

5.6%12.0%1.1%

22348214

70%20%10%

Advance (grads post 1970)Marketing Strategy sourceeRewards (5 mi radius of LP/Loop)

Faculty / Staff

10% Full time faculty & staff, part-time faculty

100 3.696 5.4% 198 100% PeopleSoft

Total Completes:

100% 900 70,306 2.2% 1517* 100%

A total of 11 different respondent groups were surveyed which represent DePaul’s main audiences and align with previous qualitative research inputs

*Total Completes = 1809 including partially completed surveys

Quantitative Analysis Summary