SimpsonScarborough discussed with David Brond, Vice President of Communications and Marketing, at University of Delaware, the brand identity study we recently conducted with them.

Q. Why did University of Delaware decide to do this study?

A. The University of Delaware (UD) had recently undergone a leadership change and was interested in learning more about the perceptions of key stakeholders regarding the University's image. The University had never embarked on external market research to measure its brand awareness or perception among graduates, business leaders, employees and others. The new senior leadership developed a strategic plan for the University and one of the guiding principles of this Path to Prominence plan is to strengthen the impact of the University by making public UD's  actions, activities and achievements. In order to develop an effective re-branding strategy and image-building efforts across the University, we had to conduct this type of research study to determine our current positioning and opportunities for a unique selling proposition that would resonant with our various constituencies.

Q. Do you recall anything surprising to you that was revealed by the research? If so, what?

A. Perhaps the most surprising revelation for this research was the affirmation of a positive educational brand that our current students, prospective students and alumni had of UD. Through this study attributes associated with the University included, "challenging, educational, interactive, real-world, fun, excellent, rewarding and amazing." Our project team, representing nearly every part of the UD campus, collectively thought the image of UD would be based on attributes far less meaningful for an institution wanting to enhance its educational prominence.

Q. How do you plan to use and apply the findings of this study? What is next for the University?

A. This research will be used in two meaningful ways that will have a lasting impact on the University. We are currently using this research to develop a UD "Style Guide" that will re-affirm and re-brand the University and become our brand bible for all units, departments, faculty and others to use in promoting a clear and compelling brand on a consistent basis. Secondly, we will be incorporating questions from this original research into future institutional research in order to measure the "return" on our future marketing and communication efforts.

The real benefit of this research study was the opportunity to combine existing internal researchers and previous research with the experience of outside researchers familiar with the industry. This comprehensive study was conducted on a thoughtful, timely basis and was an attempt to become very inclusive for the University. One of the tangible benefits that this study has promoted is the need for all colleges, units, departments, faculty, staff and alumni to promote and live one consistent brand.