"More. From day one." Indiana State University's tagline, tops the list in the No. 1 spot of the 50 best branding ideas across the country as compiled in the December issue of University Business, a highly regarded higher education monthly magazine.
Staff of the national publication developed the list in an effort to get college and university administrators thinking about the promises they make to students, parents and other stakeholders and how those promises might be better communicated.
"Ground your brand in truth," begins the section on the No. 1 branding idea. It goes on to explain how the tagline was developed during brainstorming sessions by Indiana State faculty, staff and administrators. Those attending the sessions kept coming back to a comment a student made about why Indiana State was different.
On move-in day, the student saw a sign seeking reporters for the student newspaper, the Indiana Statesman. He stopped by the Statesman office and was hired on the spot.
"He commented on how surprised and pleased he was to be given this experience from the first day of his college career," the article states. "That comment became the inspiration for Indiana State's tagline 'More. From day one.'"
The magazine quotes Steve Mckee, president of the Albuquerque, N.M. marketing firm McKee, Walwork and Cleveland, as saying "institutions tend to focus their identities on things like research capabilities and academic reputation, but that's not necessarily what hits the emotional buttons of prospective students."
"Our process in developing a successful brand was not something that could be accomplished quickly or in a vacuum," said Mark Edwards, ISU's director of marketing. "A diverse group of participants deliberated innumerable hours to ultimately forge a brand and a tagline that would accurately reflect the reality of the ISU student experience."
Since the brand launched four years ago, university officials have heard from others whose college experiences have mirrored that of the student newspaper reporter. They include a finance major who served a banking internship at the end of his first year at ISU and a geology student who capped his freshman year by participating in an oceanographic research expedition to Antarctica.
"We are very pleased to have been selected and recognized by one of the countrys leading higher education publications," said John Beacon, vice president for enrollment management, marketing and communications. "We try to deliver more from day one to every one of our students and it shows by the increasing number of individuals who are choosing to attend ISU every year."
The complete "50 best branding ideas" article is online at www.universitybusiness.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=1179.
Photo:
Students live ISU tagline
Geology major Darin Lang capped his freshman year at Indiana State University by taking part in an oceanographic research expedition in Antarctica.
Contact: Mark Edwards, marketing director, Office of Communications & Marketing, Indiana State University, 812-237-8512 or m-edwards7@ indstate.edu
Writer: Dave Taylor, media relations director, Office of Communications & Marketing, Indiana State University, 812-237-3743 or dave.taylor@indstate.edu