A presentation for the UNH Communications Summit 2013

1. Branding and Messaging
for UNH
Communications Summit
July 9, 2013

2. Goals
• Increase UNH visibility and brand
awareness
• Support Admissions recruiting strategy in
the Northeast
• Reinforce perceptions of UNH strength in
New Hampshire
• Develop private fundraising capacity

3. Strategies
• Attitudinal survey
• Messaging strategy
• Marketing platforms
• Storytelling

4. Market Research
• May 2012: Attitudinal survey
• Students, parents, alumni, faculty and staff
• Tested 30 messages about UNH used or
anticipated for use in admissions and
campaign

5. Reach Analysis: Best Message Packages
STUDENTS
5
High-quality public education is an investment in the future of our state, our communities, and
the world in which we live.
Because the state of New Hampshire has reduced its support of UNH from 12% of the school’s
budget to 6%, UNH needs our support more than ever.
UNH is a national leader in sustainability, supporting sustainability studies and research across
the curriculum, as well as developing sustainable operations.
Supporting UNH helps educate young people who become outstanding leaders and citizens.
Supporting UNH helps the University continue to provide cutting-edge research opportunities to
faculty and undergraduate students.
92%
+4
88%
+6
82%
+11
71%
+27
44%

6. Key Finding
• Deep pride in the University’s mission of
teaching, research and outreach,
specifically as forms of service.
• Rooted in a sense of UNH’s historic role
as a land-grant university, its commitment
to educating students from all walks of life,
and the resourcefulness its faculty,
students and staff have demonstrated in
pursuing their work with real success
despite often scarce resources

7. Brand Identity
• Our brand identity must position UNH as
an institution that embraces its historic
mission while innovating for the future. We
believe that this message, when combined
with messages that describe UNH’s
singular academic culture, its commitment
to sustainability, and its forward-looking
institutional strategy, can drive our
success in the marketplace.

8. Highest level messagingPrimary messaging alignment
Supporting messaging & proof points
Re-imagining public
higher education in
a time of reduced
support
Sustainability
Mother Nature lives and
thrives at UNH
Sierra: one of the
greenest colleges
Creating leaders
and making a
difference
The new era
Discovery
Learning in action
Cultivating transformation
“Watchers of the skies”
Frugal Yankee values and
resourcefulness
New forms of pedagogy
In local communities
In New Hampshire
University dialogue
Bending the cost curve
At UNH
Part of our DNA
In America
In the world
Re-imagining time and
space
Innovation via technology
Fiscal responsibility
How our students
experience UNH
How we teach
How we take care of our
campus
How we support business
Senior Capstone
Leadership creation
8

9. Messaging Strategy
9
Admissions
messaging
Engagement
and Giving
messaging
Media relations
messaging
Faculty and
staff messaging
Highest-level messaging
NH messaging

10. Marketing Platforms
• Where education is more than a matter of
degree (admissions)
• I Believe So I Give (fundraising)
• UNH Works for New Hampshire
(appropriation)

11. Graphic Identity
• Our brand identity should position UNH as
an institution that embraces its historic
mission while innovating for the future.

12. Graphic Identity

13. Next Steps
• Messaging workshop with Andy Beaupre
July 31
• Visual identity panel to make
recommendations this summer
• Implement, test, repeat!