60x30TX Communications: Crafting a strategic home run Kelly Carper Polden External Relations 60x30TX is now our world. The Coordinating Board staff and stakeholders will live and breathe the plan through 2030. Our mission is to help Texas achieve the goals laid out in the new strategic plan, making 60x30TX a “household” name just as was done with Closing the Gaps. Our goal is to craft a strategic home run that successfully communicates the plan, the four goals, and the agency.

What is brand vs. branding vs. identity? A brand is externally focused. It must resonate with stakeholders. Branding is the universe of activities an organization undertakes that affects perceptions. Institutional identity is internally focused. A brand is a perception. It is what stakeholders have experienced with an organization or heard about based on other people’s experiences. At its core, a brand is a promise to consumers or stakeholders. As a state agency, we have a mission to accomplish and a brand promise to deliver to our targeted audiences. To be successful, we must convey our mission – our promise – in clear and compelling terms. A good brand is not what we want to be when we grow up, it’s what we truly are today and what is central to our existence. Branding plays a role to introduce the brand, reinforce its reputation or work against a negative reputation. Effective branding exists at the intersection of what the agency is really about and what the target audiences really want, creating a win-win situation. Institutional identity is internally focused. It is the agency’s “true north” that is developed to guide the agency as it carries out its mission.

60x30TX brand One of the important factors in good branding is knowing when to update the brand so that it successfully conveys the essence of the agency mission. The adoption of the 60x30TX plan is our opportunity to update our brand and convey a consistent image. The 60x30TX logo now becomes the agency logo. The star and mortarboard goes away.

The First Years Are Critical Develop a 60x30TX brand - A great brand is built from the inside out Develop coordinated design and messaging - Tie everything back to 60x30TX Engage multiple stakeholders - A brand must resonate with key audiences The next two years will be critical to ensure the 60x30TX plan is embraced prior to the next legislative session. During this time it is crucial to present a compelling case that achievement of the plan is critical to the social and economic future of Texas.

Communications Plan Statewide announcement Working with Gov. Abbott’s staff Message development Address critical audiences Legislative recommendations Tie to 60x30TX plan Branding efforts Regional meetings Materials Social media Media relations Op ed pieces 60x30TX talking points We are developing a statewide communications plan, with the aim of also attracting national attention. Funding for the plan has been requested from Lumina. We hope to hear next month. The first critical step in launching and sustaining this ambitious, student-focused effort will be engagement of multiple stakeholders using a variety of communications venues and vehicles.

Communications Plan “The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has hit a home run with the 60x30TX plan. No other education plan will impact businesses in a more positive way than this one will.” - Bill Hammond Texas Association of Business Initial reactions to the plan have been enthusiastic. We have had more than 20 media stories on the 60x30TX plan and we haven’t even had our official announcement yet. This quote was the lead sentence in an op ed that continues to run in publications across the state. In addition, during their trip to Washington, DC, Commissioner Paredes and John Wyatt received an overwhelmingly positive response about 60x30TX from Texas’ federal delegation. Several offices requested 60x30TX talking points to incorporate into presentations. As we promote 60x30TX, we intend to continue hitting home runs with our communications efforts.