Saint Joseph’s College has named Ethos Marketing and Design of Westbrook, Maine, to assist in research and development of its branding and branding communication. “We have every confidence that this firm can provide the solid research needed to assess how Saint Joseph’s is perceived and to help us shape key messages about our identity,” says William McCarthy, director of marketing and public relations at the college.
Ethos and market research partner, Pan-Atlantic of Portland, Maine, will conduct surveys and focus groups with key target audiences, including high school juniors, parents of high school juniors, current on-campus students, high school guidance counselors, faculty, staff, online students and prospective online students. The firms will also research competitors and the contemporary educational environment.
“The process is all-inclusive and open because everybody should have an opportunity to speak to this important issue. This is about much more than a logo or a look. It’s about who we are,” says Brent Wooten, director of online marketing for Saint Joseph’s.
The college Strategic Plan named branding as a crucial step to increase enrollment. The final product – the establishment of a brand, along with a strategic communications plan for implementing the brand at large – will be forthcoming by early 2012.
