The webinar discussed Bloomfield College's brand development process, which included research through interviews, focus groups, and surveys. Key findings from the research informed the development of a brand promise - "Bloomfield College empowers bold and courageous students to write their own story and make an impact in the world." Visual identity concepts were tested and refined, leading to a brand manual to guide implementation across communications. The brand was launched through internal engagement and establishing brand storytellers to share the Bloomfield story.

1. With special guest presenter from

2. Thank You for Joining Us!
Beatrice Szalas
Vice President
TWG Plus
Adam Castro
VP for Enrollment Management
Bloomfield College

3. Today’s Webinar
Using Bloomfield College as an example we plan to explore:
• What it means to develop a brand for a college or university
• How to engage key constituents throughout your brand
development process
• The role of research in developing and testing your brand
position
• How to bring your brand to life through the development of
a creative campaign
• How to launch your brand from the inside out
• How to extend your brand promise to every touch point for
maximum impact

4. About Bloomfield College
• Founded in 1868, Bloomfield College is a small, non-profit, liberal
arts college in Bloomfield, NJ, serving approximately 2,000
students annually
• The College offers more than 60 degrees and programs for
undergraduate students attending from Northern New Jersey, New
York City, the surrounding area and 30+ countries
• The College's mission is to prepare students to attain academic,
personal and professional excellence in a multicultural and global
society
• Ranked 11th in the country by U.S. News and World Report for
diversity

5. Why Brand Bloomfield?
• Lack of clear identity and low levels of awareness highlighted
the need to better position the College
• A need to get EVERYONE on message
• Build internal engagement and a sense of pride
• Capitalize on recent "wins" in enrollment, a new campus
master plan, and increased coverage in the press

6. Our Branding Process

8. Quantitative and Qualitative Research
• Interviews and focus groups with key constituents including
current students, faculty, staff, alumni as well as business
and community leaders
• Followed by a survey of internal audiences
• Survey of prospective students
• Competitor positioning analysis
Phase 1: Discovery & Research

9. For example, we examined:
• The most important attributes students looked for when
selecting a college
• Perceptions of Bloomfield, our academic offerings, and
programs
• Qualities that make Bloomfield truly distinctive or unique
• Qualities which prospective students identified as our primary
strengths and weaknesses
• How prospective students think we compare to the competition
(and who that competition is)
• Ways prospective students get their information about
Bloomfield(and other colleges which they are considering)
• The extent to which prospective students currently viewed
Bloomfield as a top choice institution
Survey of Prospective Students

10. Please indicate how important each attribute is to you using the
following 5-point scale, where 1= not at all important and 5= very
important.
Attribute Mean
Quality of the program/major of interest 4.7
Graduates getting good jobs or getting accepted into
good graduate programs
4.6
Expertise and knowledge of faculty in their field 4.5
Overall quality of faculty as teachers and mentors 4.4
Student opportunities for a wide variety of internships 4.3
Cost to attend 4.3
Overall quality of academic facilities 4.3
Campus safety 4.2

12. • Convene Steering Committee
• Present and discuss key findings
• SWOT analysis
• Brand positioning workshop to develop 3-5 potential
brand promises for testing with key audiences
Phase 2: Brand Positioning Framework

13. Bloomfield’s Brand Promise

14. • A one-of-a-kind promise about who you are, what you stand
for, and what sets you apart in a meaningful way
• The brand promise is a pledge upon which you build your
brand and stake your reputation
• An internal statement against which all interactions with
internal and external audiences should be tested
• It should be realistic and aspirational, grounded in who you
are now and who you aspire to become
What is a Brand Promise?

15. • It is important to test your brand promise with key audiences
• An online survey to determine which promise is most:
• Relevant - Is the promise important to them?
• Distinctive - Does the promise differentiate Bloomfield from
key competitors?
• Authentic - Is the promise true to who we are and where we
are going as an institution?
• We received 343 responses from current and prospective students,
faculty, staff and alumni
• Able to assess how each promise performed on all three dimensions
Brand Promise Testing

16. Prospective Students’ (n=225)
Favorite Promise Statement Overall
70
62
50
35
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Bloomfield College is a
canvas for bold and
courageous students who
want to write their own
story.
Bloomfield College is the
starting line for students
who want to beat the odds
and make an impact in the
world.
Bloomfield College is the
tool for ambitious students
who want to realize their
potential.
Bloomfield College is the
real deal for motivated
students who want to
succeed.

17. Which of the following words and/or phrases do you feel are "must-
haves" as part of the promise statement: Bloomfield College is the
starting line for students who want to beat the odds and make an impact
in the world.
Value Percent
make an impact in the world 50.50%
students who want to beat the odds and make an
impact in the world
48.70%
beat the odds 24.30%
students who want to beat the odds 20.70%
starting line for students 18.00%
starting line 17.10%

18. Which of the following words and/or phrases do you feel are "must-
haves" as part of the promise statement: Bloomfield College is a canvas
for bold and courageous students who want to write their own story.
Value Percent
canvas 25.30%
canvas for bold and courageous students 42.90%
bold and courageous students 30.80%
students who want to write their own story 71.40%

19. Bloomfield College empowers bold and
courageous students to write their own
story and make an impact in the world.
Bloomfield’s Brand Promise

20. Brand Attributes
• Key messages that support the brand promise
• Life-changing opportunities for students who want to
write their own story
• Innovative programs for launching careers
• A community where students realize their potential
• Passionate faculty committed to student success
• Empowering students to make an impact in the world

21. • Our brand positioning framework included:
• Brand promise
• Brand rationale
• Brand attributes (key messages, proof points, etc.)
• Message segmentation strategies
• Elevator speech
• The Result: a shared brand positioning framework that will help
tell the Bloomfield story in a collective, compelling, and enduring
way – in turn, enhancing and strengthening the Bloomfield College
brand for years to come
Brand Positioning Framework

23. Phase 3: Visual Identity Development
& Rollout Planning
• Bringing the brand promise and attributes to life
• Brand creative development - two distinct concepts
• Included a strategy statement and rationale as well as sample
treatment to illustrate design and copy direction
• Testing and refinement via focus groups (online testing is an
option as well)

24. “Bloomfield Because…”
Concept #1

29. “Write Your Own Story.”
Concept #2

34. Focus Testing the Concept
• Conducted focus groups with both
internal and external audiences
• An opportunity to once again engage
key audiences and build support
• We wanted to know:
• Which concept best conveys the
essence of the Bloomfield brand?
• Which concept distinguishes
Bloomfield from other colleges and
universities?

35. What did the focus groups tell us?

36. Best of Both Concepts

37. Brand Manual

39. Launching the Brand
• Prioritized key audiences and developed action plans to
integrate the new brand in all marketing and communication
efforts (both internal and external)
• Website, signage, recruitment publications, print materials,
events, electronic communications, community outreach
activities, etc.
• How do we introduce the brand to internal audiences first
and empower them to share the Bloomfield story?

40. Building Internal Support

41. Brand Cover Story

42. Bloomfield Storytellers

44. Taking It Further
• Engaged the Steering Committee in brainstorming additional strategies
and tactics to ensure that our brand was being experienced at every touch
point
• No idea was too small or too big:
• Parking lot attendant
• Online marketing
• Direct marketing
• Social media campaign for Bloomfield alums
• It’s your story – tweet it!
• New student luncheon with President and alum
• Monthly “story” from the President
• My Bloomfield Story Portfolio for all graduating students
• Then prioritize those action plans, assign a budget and define key metrics

45. Final Thoughts
Branding should never be treated
as a project that has a beginning
or an end.
The real art of branding is in the
promise keeping.

47. Beatrice Szalas
TWG Plus
Vice President
512.9137712
Beatrice.Szalas@twgplus.com
Adam Castro
Bloomfield College
Vice President for Enrollment Management
973-748-900 ext 1219
Adam_Castro@bloomfield.edu