American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine Brand Refresh

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INTRO & GOAL

In 2013, DeVry Education Group acquired American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine (AUC), located in Sint Maarten. DeVry already owned a competitor institution, Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM), located at the time in Dominica. 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 mistakable 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 its sister institution, Ross Med

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 AUC prospective students and alumni.
• Refined and documented 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 along with a concurrent increase in perception and reputation metrics.