UW, Bothell Brand Audit Sandeep Krishnamurthy March 2001

Brand n A brand is the identity of a product or service. n It represents the essence of the product, its personality. n The brand stands for something in the mind of the consumer. n Not all brands are equally “strong”.

Indicators of Brand Strength n Awareness n Brand Image u Strength of Brand Associations u Favorability of Brand Associations u Uniqueness of Brand Associations n Consumer Attitude

Associations could include- n Product Attributes/Benefits u Sony VCR has a feature nobody else has. n Product Memories/Experiences/Images u We always have Sunny Delight for breakfast. n Feelings/Beliefs u Tide is the best detergent u Hyundai is a bad car n Product Folklore u We always have Coke for Thanksgiving dinner. u Kids in our family always go to UW.

Benefits from Strong Brand n Better targeting- appropriate students self-select n Easier recruitment of students n Greater loyalty from students, alumni, faculty/staff n Less vulnerability from competitors’ actions n Less vulnerability from crises n Greater community cooperation

What did we do? n First half of class focussed on branding theory. n Second half focussed on project. n Students were assigned to stakeholder groups and were asked to audit these groups. n Focus on awareness, perception, credibility and communication effectiveness.

A Comment n This project’s focus was on qualitative/exploratory research. n We make no claims of statistical generalizability. n We recommend using this data as a stepping stone to conduct future survey research.

What we Found n Relationship to UW, Seattle unclear u UW, Seattle is a natural comparison point. u General public does not get the concept of “tri-campus university”. u They think of us as a branch campus and hence, are somewhat uneasy about coming here.

Recommendations n New logo- UNIVERSITY OF W ASHINGTON Bothell Seattle Tacoma n Font equality. n Training and communication of UW,S advisors and counselors u Present UW,B as an alternative EARLY- not when the student does not make it. Positive reference. n Joint recruiting at community colleges. n Area-based targeting?

What Students Like About UW, Bothell n Parking is easy. n Facilities are new and high-tech. n New computers. n Professors are approachable and student-friendly u “Professors here, they actually teach. If they look at you eyeball-to-eyeball and if you are not getting it, they present it in another way.” n Team-approach to learning.

What Students Miss at UW, B n Social Interaction u No clubs, interesting activities u No gym(why can’t they use IMA?) u No cafeteria- YET n Limited Program Offerings u Announce new programs EARLY. n Low morale u They are insecure about the value of their education. u They tell everyone they go to “UW” and not “UW, Bothell”.

Thoughts on Cascadia n We better market to CCC students. They are not a “gimme”. n No transfer program u CCC students have not thought about what credits will transfer- may assume all will. u CC students generally leave their campus to attend 4 yr. college- will CCC students have a sense that going to UWB means “staying home”?

More Thoughts on Cascadia n Faculty/staff worried about excessively close relationship to CCC. e.g. Complaints about CCC link on our website, academic standards. n What needs to be done u Transfer program u Communication effort directed at CCC students and UW,B faculty/staff. u “Sit in class” program.

Web Activity n Link to UW, B on has worked to raise awareness- BUT NOT KNOWLEDGE. n Faculty members(especially- but also others) complained about the quality of our website u DOES NOT COMMUNICATE KEY ATTRIBUTES. u Hard to locate information, not updated frequently, poor integration with UW, Seattle, white space.

Other Recommendations n “Visit the campus” program in summer and spring- u Open to general community. u Run by student volunteers. u Barbecue? n Sell UW, Bothell merchandise at all UBS stores- i.e., Seattle and Bellevue. n Direct mailing of class catalogs to households on Eastside and “Northside”. n Information booths at CC and other regional events. n Promote successful Bothell graduates. n Emphasize any professors that teach on both campuses to show Bothell’s credibility.

Branding Challenges n With most groups, awareness has been achieved- the challenge is to gain credibility. n What is needed is a clear and coherent message that resonates with all stakeholder groups. n Major work needs to be done on our website if it must appear credible. n Survey research.