2014 Brand Identity Refresh & Branded Visual Systems Alignment
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[ details ]
Organization
Ross University School of Medicine
Project
Brand Identity Refresh & Branded Visual Systems Alignment
Role
Creative Director, Implementation Lead
Tools & Technology
Adobe Acrobat Pro | Adobe Illustrator | Adobe InDesign | Adobe Photoshop | Microsoft PowerPoint
Skills & Knowledge
Audience Segmentation | Brand Development | Brand Differentiation | Brand Standards | Brand Stewardship | Color Theory | Competitive Analysis | Creative Development | Creative Problem-Solving | Creative Services Management | Creative Team Leadership | Customer-Centric Mindset | Higher Education Marketing | Market Research | Photo Shoots | Stakeholder Management | Video Shoots | Vendor Management
Additional Credits
- Belinda Blakley: Digital design lead
- Jenna Calder: Marketing content
- Chad Hornyak: Graphic design lead
- Kristine Lester: Project management
- Alyson Morgan: Video production
- Howard Design Group: Agency of record howarddesign.com
- OneFifteen Films: Professional videography onefifteenfilms.com
- Len Rubenstein: Professional photography lenrubenstein.com
- Prophet: Brand assessment, differentiation recommendations prophet.com
Kudos
- 2016 Platinum MarCom Award – Ross University School of Medicine Website Redesign (Website: Educational Institution)
- 2016 Platinum MarCom Award – Ross University School of Medicine Clinical Brochure (Design: Print)
- 2016 Gold MarCom Award – Ross University School of Medicine Alumni E-Newsletter (E-communication: E-newsletter)
- Gold 31st Annual Educational Advertising Awards – RUSM Information Seminar Event Poster Series (Poster)
- Gold 31st Annual Educational Advertising Awards – RUSM Fall 2015 Information Seminar 0:60 Spot (Radio Advertising: Single Spot)
- 2015 Platinum MarCom Award – Ross University School of Medicine Summer 2015 Alumni Magazine (Magazine: Educational Institution)
- 2015 Gold MarCom Award – RUSM Brand Refresh Creative Execution (Branding Refresh)
- 2015 Gold MarCom Award – RUSM Fall 2015 Information Seminar 0:60 Spot (Audio/Radio: Single Spot)
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INTRO & GOAL
DeVry Education Group owned Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM), located at the time in Dominica. In 2013, it acquired the competitor American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine (AUC) in Sint Maarten. Shared services division DeVry Medical International (DMI) was subsequently created. Both institutions suffered from brand drift characterized primarily by a lack of visual and messaging continuity across touch points—negatively impacting brand awareness. Observed challenges included:
- Inconsistent use of color palettes and typography hindered brand awareness and recall—some digital ads were mistaken for a competitor.
- Changeable messaging was not in the market long enough or consistently to positively impact memorability.
- Undifferentiated messaging did not own a unique position in the minds of prospective students and influencers; it posed marketing challenges with respect to the sister institution, AUC.
In this state, the schools essentially had to reintroduce themselves at every prospective student interaction—limiting the ability to mature messaging and the brand.
STRATEGY & PROCESS
With no plans to merge the schools, the newly-created marketing team was, in partnership with their external agency partners, tasked with addressing the issue of cannibalization of advertising budget through branding and digital marketing strategy.
SOLUTION & OUTCOME
Refreshed and repositioned the two medical schools—visual systems first, followed by the value proposition and messaging alignment—to successfully recruit new students without cannibalizing the marketing budget. Specifically:
- Identified the shared mindset of Ross Med prospective students and alumni
- Established brand standards, including visual systems, brand voice, and photography standards
- Aligned brand visuals across all online and offline touchpoints
- Crafted a brand voice and reasons to believe that resonated and stood for something specific in the minds of key audiences
- Leveraged differentiated messaging consistently across channels
These efforts contributed to consistent, year-over-year growth in prospective student inquiries and a concurrent increase in perception and reputation metrics.