“Sell well what you have to tell” is the guiding rule of marketing. Done effectively, it can result in steadily rising vital signs such as enrolment, reputation, and research funding. Carleton is among a growing number of Canadian universities who are competing for the best and the brightest students, and private support by trademarking their story.
brand, noun: a distinct name or symbol which ident-ifies a seller’s goods and differentiates them from other competitiors; the impression of a product in the minds of potential users or consumers; the general or popular conception of a person or thing; a trade or proprietary name
By Emile Groat
The art and science of branding has come a long way since it was used to frustrate cattle rustlers. (Although, believe it or not, some urban youths have started to rent out personal skin space for the tattooing of corporate logos.) Simply put, branding is a cogent, concise way of helping people make up their minds.
Several of the more indelible brands will pop up from the subconscious at the mention of sports or clothing or motorcycles, but branding and universities in the same
sentence is a relatively new idea. It started south of here, and crossed the border in a minor way when talismans such as the Queen’s jacket and the X-ring of St. Francis-Xavier appeared. Until now though, few other Canadian universities have gone as far with the concept as Carleton.
After undergoing several years of academic renewal under the leadership of Carleton graduate and former professor Richard Van Loon, the university appointed Lucinda (Cindy) Boucher, BA/75, as its first vice-president (advancement), to further expand the university’s profile, external presence and alumni pride. As Boucher explains, Carleton’s brand wagon really started rolling when she arrived in 2001.
"We had our work cut out for us,” says Boucher noting that the university did not have a fully developed communications strategy or a positioning statement. “Going into the process, I knew that the fundamental effectiveness of our strategy would be rooted in its simplicity — simple and executable concepts would direct our plan to enhance Carleton’s pre-existing positive image and reputation.”
Boucher’s strategy would flow from the research she conducted with community leaders, deans, senior executive, members of the board of governors and president’s advisory councils across the country in the fall and winter of 2001. Then last year, Boucher commissioned Genesis Research to carry out the university’s first major market research study.
The results indicated that Carleton had a good reputation among Canadians familiar with the university. Those who were not familiar with Carleton still indicated a neutral to positive image. People unfamiliar with the school, however, could not pinpoint Carleton’s location. Based on the research and focus group testing, Carleton decided to adopt Canada’s Capital University as its main theme.
Cindy Boucher, vice-president (advancement), left, and Caroline Mitchell, BCom/81, HBS vice-president, client services, with examples of Carleton’s new branded materials. The clean grid system employs Carleton’s colours and features bright red miniature billboards, bold facts and photos. (Photo: Valberg Imaging)
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The team at Ottawa’s Hewson, Bridge and Smith [HBS] expanded and literally capitalized on Boucher’s homework. As Don Hewson, the company’s eponymous CEO explains, “Canada’s Capital University gave us an elegant, effective solution to the problem. It removed the geographical fog, and at the same time assigned a value to Carleton,” Hewson says.
"The word capital has meanings including “excellent” and “first rate”, and conveys the image that a student will amass intellectual capital helpful later in life,“ says Boucher. “It also conveys the meaning that Carleton University is in Canada’s capital city without using the word Ottawa. This was critical for us,” she adds. “We purposefully intended to avoid any confusion with the University of Ottawa.”
Following approval by the board of governors in August 2002, Carleton went public with the concept. More than 400,000 copies of a special supplement celebrating the university’s accomplishments, and highlighting the new brand, were sent to the top flight of influencers across Canada and were distributed inside the national edition of the Globe and Mail and in Carleton University Magazine.
The university is fortunate to have two of the country’s leading experts in branding — Louise Heslop and Nicolas Papadopoulos of the Sprott School of Business — who understand the value of a good brand.
Nicolas Papadopoulos (Photo: Mike Pinder)
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"Branding is important,” says Papadopoulos, “and it applies to any product or service, including a university. Whether a university likes it or not, a brand name exists. The minute it has a brand name, people will begin to associate something with it. The fact that we have a systematic, powerful, graphical approach is good. It means we have a strategy,” he says.
By now, staff and faculty, fresh double-cohort students skirting the campus expansion sites on the way to the bookstore, and journalism alumni covering Canadian peace-keepers in Kabul, are aware of the university’s new look. A new electronic sign on Bronson Avenue, the shine on the Carleton Web site, and the elegant grid layout of the university’s publications are telling adjustments to the university’s new image.
The task of continuing to roll out the new Carleton brand in all its details was handed over to Doug Wotherspoon, who joined Carleton last November as director of communications and community relations. His top priority was to introduce the brand to the Carleton community.
"Successful brands rely heavily on word of mouth,” says Wotherspoon. “The advancement team has worked exceptionally hard at ensuring students, faculty, staff and alumni have input at every stage of its development. Because of that effort, campus support has been exceptional.”
The tale of Canada’s Capital University now has a new cover, a few extra chapters, and the message is on the move. As Boucher says, “Carleton is a remarkable institution and it is our job to make sure everyone knows it. The next stage of our strategy is to take our message across the city, country and beyond.”
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Online exclusive
Carleton’s brand new look has been rolled out in a wide variety of publications, on the Web, in designer clothing, and much more. Meet the advancement team, a group of dedicated employees in the departments of communication and development and alumni at Canada’s Capital University.
