Google, Apple, Starbucks, Nike, Southwest Airlines. With some of the most recognized brands in the world, these companies enjoy huge customer loyalty. That’s because they offer a particular, unique experience to the people who buy their products or use their services. These brands make a promise to their customers, and their ability to consistently deliver on that promise is what has led to their success.
York College of Pennsylvania. What kind of experience does York offer? What does the College represent to prospective families, alumni, donors, friends and the general public? Is there a consistent expectation every time one of these audiences interacts with York? In other words, what is York College’s brand promise?
Branding plays a vital role in the success of any enterprise. While retailers have long realized the importance of distinguishing their products from competitors, higher education has been slower to embrace the need to brand. Now, at a time when more and more colleges are utilizing countless tools to compete for students, money and reputation, branding is essential.
“ . . . this global economy, coupled with a climate of overwhelming communication clutter, requires institutions to take specific steps to be more effective in attracting the best students, raising enough money, and building a credible academic reputation,” wrote York Junior College grad Larry Lauer ’62 in his book Competing for Students, Money, and Reputation.
As vice chancellor for marketing and communication at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Lauer is considered by many of his peers to be one of higher education’s most knowledgeable communications professionals. He has for years been discussing, writing about and presenting on the topic of marketing in higher education. While it often takes a near crisis (for instance, a drop in enrollment or fund-raising dollars) within a college or university to launch a marketing or branding campaign, “the current economic crisis has every college or university looking carefully at its brand identity,” according to Lauer.
“Brand is the differentiation, the competitive advantage, the identity of the institution,” he said. “A brand is what your customer feels when he or she sees or thinks of your name. It’s the sum total of that person’s experiences of your institution. When students make their final decision on a college, for example, they say ‘I’m choosing this institution over that institution because of the relationship I think I will have with it. I’m taking on the identity of the institution as part of my own identity.’ ”
Why York Is Branding
“People ask me why brand now and not years ago,” said President George Waldner. “With new facilities, faculty and programs, we have enhanced the great educational experience we’ve always offered. Now, with these improvements, it’s even more important that we let people know about York College and what it has to offer.”
York College has made substantial changes throughout the past few decades to improve the educational experience it offers. Since 2004, York has spent $150 million on new and enhanced facilities, tweaked its academic program to offer innovative majors and programs, doubled the number of faculty who hold PhDs and increased its student population to 4,600. These enhancements make branding the College even more important than ever.
Robert Reichley ’48 has watched York College make its way “up the ladder” since his days as a student at York Junior College. With 29 years of experience at Brown University, where he is currently executive vice president and secretary of the university emeritus, he believes York College is in a strong position to increase its visibility through a branding effort.
“I have watched York from a distance, but it is an informed distance given my working years at Brown,” he said. “The schools I know best are those on the move, whose faculty and students grow in numbers and intellect. The alumni are an important measure of how good a college is, and York has been on the move upward.”
Although the College has made substantial investments in its plant and academic program, Reichley believes the environment in higher education is so competitive that these improvements alone are not enough. “There are no magic wands I know of aside from just hard work in presenting York to the world,” he said. “My view is that everyone has a curriculum, good faculty, facilities and all that. But what sets York apart from its greatest competitors?”
The York College Brand
To discover and clearly articulate its competitive advantage, that which sets its apart from other colleges, York College hired a higher education marketing consultant. George Dehne and Associates (GDA) was brought on board in January 2008 to assess the College’s communications and marketing efforts; determine potential for student recruitment in key locations; recommend promotional, communication strategies in support of the YCP brand; and clarify and sharpen the YCP brand.
Their charge began with an audit of the Public Relations and Publications Office and an audit of the communications vehicles currently in use. They also reviewed previous research conducted for YCP that tested a variety of themes college-bound students found to be very attractive.
“We took these themes and asked alumni how accurate these themes were to them,” said George Dehne. “We know from experience that branding is built on trust. Those familiar with York College, such as the alumni, must be able to confirm what the College says about itself.”
In addition, GDA also surveyed employers in a variety of industries in the local area. “We chose this group because, if they are enthusiastic about what the College claims as its strengths and distinctions, they are far more likely to look favorably on York for donations and to provide future employment for graduates,” according to Dehne. “While we asked alumni how accurate the positioning themes are, we asked the employers how attractive the themes are to them.”
The resulting branding statements, which were strongly supported by both alumni and employers, will be used to share York College’s story. They fall into five categories: Distinctive York Learning Process, Distinctive York Outcomes, Ideal Learning Environment, Preparation as a Professional and Value for the Dollar.
“The Dehne report was really stunning in terms of what our alumni say about their alma mater,” said Dean of College Advancement Dan Helwig. “First, they were overwhelmingly positive about their experiences: 90 percent were positive or very positive about York College, and that’s an incredibly strong percentage. Second, more than many institutions, York’s alumni say that the skills they needed to succeed as a professional were developed largely through their undergraduate experience. That’s true across the decades and across the majors. We help men and women develop professionally, and they recognize that strength in our program.”
Moving Forward
The branding statements developed by GDA, which were presented to the campus community, the board of trustees and alumni leadership in October, have been received positively by these groups. “We’ve received great support for the statements Dehne has brought forward,” said Waldner. “Those who know York College, who have a relationship with us, say that these statements honestly represent what the College has offered students throughout the years.”
“GDA has helped us determine the unique position that distinguishes York College from its competitors,” said Professor of Public Relations Robert Carroll, who has also served as an ad hoc member of the branding effort. “We all now have the opportunity to communicate to prospective students, their families and other important publics exactly what makes York College distinct among colleges and universities in this region.”
To support the work of Carroll and others who will share the York College story, the Office of Communications will generate stories about faculty, students and alumni to bring alive these branding statements. These stories will regularly be shared with the College’s various constituents through a number of tools – Websites, publications, email, advertising and stories in the media.
Such an integrated, comprehensive approach is necessary for a successful branding effort, according to Mary Dolheimer, assistant dean of institutional advancement, who oversees the Office of Communications. “Branding that works grows from the inside out, with everyone reading from the same book,” she said. “My office will be responsible for providing the tools people need to share the York College story, but the work will be shared by all who have a relation-ship with the College – faculty, staff, students, parents, alumni and friends. All of us will be out there telling those we know and encounter what York College does best.”
by Mary Dolheimer
The resulting branding statements, which were strongly supported by both alumni and employers, will be used to share York College's story.
Distinctive York Learning Process
• YCP encourages students to try in the “real world” what they learn in the classroom.
• YCP helps students develop a concrete plan to attain academic growth and career success.
Distinctive York Outcomes
• YCP’s professors are committed to bringing out the potential in all students.
• YCP is dedicated to personal, professional, and social growth
of all its students.
• YCP believes in developing the whole person.
• YCP challenges students to look at the big picture.
• YCP provides an education for leadership and service to society.
• YCP gives students confidence to pursue their goals, no matter how ambitious.
Ideal Learning Environment
• YCP is large enough to offer many options, but small enough for one to be appreciated as an individual.
Preparation as a Professional
• YCP is dedicated to personal, professional and social growth of all its students.
• YCP prepares students as a professional regardless of the career pursued.
Value for the Dollar
• YCP is a center of affordable academic excellence.
Commenting is closed for this article.