Rebrand = Success
3 Minute Read
International Awards, Local Team
Our recent partnership with the University of South Carolina Aiken and its rebrand is starting to get some national attention. We’re grateful to the USCA team for telling that story, and it got us thinking.
“Dayum.”
That’s what I believe I said out loud (or did I think that?) when I first saw the stats associated with The University of South Carolina Aiken’s rebrand. We are, of course, huge believers in the power and necessity of a strong brand for success in just about any industry. But an 84% increase in applications? That is something else.
Now, as anyone in our line of work knows, attribution around things like a rebrand can be tough. There’s media placements, economic drivers, all kinds of societal, not-quite-understood X-factors that can influence an upturn or downturn in any business. But, the sheer scale of USCA’s type of a jump is undeniable. Maybe the new identity and positioning didn’t have everything to do with it, but it had to be responsible for a lot of it.
That begs an important question:
How much of an invisible headwind is an enterprise with a sub-par brand dealing with?
As a cost of doing business goes, foundational work along these lines isn’t a huge expense in the context of overall operational budgets. I’d venture most universities blow more in landscaping in a year (I guess you can either plant your flowers or get your flowers, depending on what your priorities are).
All that being said, you have to have the right team and the right circumstances to pull off rebranding an enterprise with as much history as USCA. We followed the lead of the marketers within the organization who believed creating an authentic, energetic and modern identity would make a difference and resonate with their audience. Looks like they were right.
Alex Wier
Founder, Chief Creative Officer
