Rebranding an institution's messaging and identity is a highly complex yet critically important endeavor that impacts the entire organization. Successful results require thoughtful market research, community-wide input, focus groups with prospective audiences, and organizational partnerships. Explore data-driven methods and gain valuable insights on how one college used all of these approaches and more to navigate a complex brand dilemma.

1. MoreThan A Logo:
How Market Research and Brand Cultivation Impacts Admission
Grant M. Gosselin, VP of Enrollment, Wheaton College Massachusetts
Dana Edwards, Vice President and Partner, SimpsonScarborough
Gene Begin, VP of Marketing & Communications, Wheaton College Massachusetts

2. Setting the Scene
• Enrollment and Marketing & Communications Partnership
• Higher Education Landscape
• Why is Market Research Important?
• Sample of Wheaton’s Market Research
• Brand Cultivation

3. Higher Education Landscape

4. • An increasingly competitive higher education marketplace requires
institutions to better understand their diverse constituencies and their
differentiators
• Prospective students apply to an increasing number of institutions
• Awareness and perception can affect a school’s ability to enroll students –
understanding this data informs strategies for more effective messaging
• Decreasing population of high school graduates in select geographic regions
• Focus on outcomes data while the liberal arts curriculum is being
challenged
• Employers demand graduates with workforce-ready competencies AND
writing and problem-solving skills
Challenges Facing Higher Education

5. The Headlines
Tuition Revenue Isn’tWhat It UsedTo Be For Universities
Why Businesses NeedTo Look BeyondThe College Degree
Moody’s warns Trump presidency could hurt colleges counting on
international students
WhyThe PriceTag Of College ContinuesTo Rise
With Trump, Investors See Profits Again in For-Profit Colleges
When Education Brings Depression
When The College Degree Is Useless And The Debt Is Due
Student Loan Debt In America: Lend With A Smile, CollectWith A Fist
Is college worth it?

6. Why Is Market Research Important?

7. Why is everyone talking about
data, analytics and benchmarking?
• Need for validation of appeal and importance of current messages
• Need for data to inform recruitment marketing
• Fewer resources available
• More recruitment and marketing tactics
• More accountability demanded
• More ways to measure
• DATA has become the buzzword that won’t stop

8. Benefits of Market Research Data
• Allows insights to move beyond anecdotes
• Generates understanding between target audiences
• Mitigates risk and builds confidence in decision-making
• Proves or disproves hypotheses
• Generates buy-in
• Gathers key performance indicators
• Admissions
• Visibility
• Desired attributes

9. • When you need to gain credibility
• When you need someone to facilitate internal buy-in
• When you need an objective perspective
• When you need a broader knowledge of the higher education landscape
• When you lack knowledge/expertise in research methodologies
• When you do not have the internal resources
• When you need to meet ambitious deadlines
When to Hire an Expert

10. Branding Research
Blueprint for Collection, Measurement, & Analysis of Data
Analysis/Insights
Data Collection
Instrument Development
Kick-off/Planning
Research Design/Methodologies
Guiding Questions/Objectives

11. Audience Details Option 1 Option 2 Option 3 Fee
Prospective Undergraduate
Students
• 20 in-depth phone and video interviews X X $10,000
• 12-minute online survey (n=400) X X X $28,000
Parents of Prospective
Undergraduate Students
• 20 in-depth phone interviews X $10,000
• 12-minute online survey (n=400) X X X $28,000
High School Counselors
• 20 in-depth phone interviews X X $10,000
• 12-minute online survey (n=300) X X $28,000
Higher Ed Peers
• 20 in-depth phone interviews X $10,000
• 12-minute online survey (n=300) X $28,000
Alumni
• 20 in-depth phone and video interviews X $10,000
• 12-minute online survey (n=400) X X $28,000
Internal (undergrad, grad,
and professional students,
faculty and staff)
• 4 focus groups X $10,000
• 12-minute online survey (n=1,000) X X $28,000
Business & Industry Leaders • 20 in-depth phone interviews X $11,000
Total $76,000 $150,000 $229,000
Institutions conducting a similar study
Franklin & Marshall College
Ball State University
Saint Joseph’s University
Santa Clara University
Wheaton College
Michigan State University
Butler University
University of Richmond
American University
University of Rochester
Northwestern University
Fashion Institute of Technology
Harford Community College
Miami University Ohio
Syracuse University
Examples of Research Scopes

12. Awareness Momentum Choice PromotionFamiliarityQuality
Most Useful Types of Market Research Data for Admissions

13. FROM 2016 BIANNUAL SURVEY OF
HIGHER EDUCATION MARKETING LEADERS
Nearly
64%measure success through
anecdotal feedback
Not So Good News
More than
65%have a brand strategy
Good News
Don’t just collect data one time. Track progress.

14. Web
Page views
Unique visitors
New vs. repeat visitors
Average time spent
Traffic sources
Top pages
Web inquiries
Search terms
Traditional Advertising
Traditional reach and frequency
Impressions
Cost-per-click, cost-per-impression
Traffic to trackable URL
Digital Advertising
Cost-per-click
Conversion rate
Cost to acquire lead
Social
Facebook (page views/likes,
interactions/posts,groups)
Twitter (Tweets/retweets,
followers, mentions, profile views,
@Reply ratio, clicks per tweet)
Blog RSS feed subscribers
LinkedIn contacts
YouTube (views, top videos)
Instagram
Pinterest (referral traffic, links, pins,
followers)
Media Relations
Media placements
Type of placement
“Tone” of media coverage
Key terms and brand language
Direct Response
Email campaigns (click-throughs,
open rates, unsubscribes, shares)
Direct mail (hits to URL’s, reply
cards, call-to-action response)
Admissions/Enrollment
Inquiries, applicants, deposits
First choice
Admit rate
Yield rate
Brand and Reputation
Rankings
Brand strength metrics
Awareness
Collect Metrics - Dashboards

15. Samples ofWheaton’s Market Research

16. What attributes influence consideration for prospects?
Notes:
“Don’t know” excluded from calculation of means. Sorted in descending
order by mean ratings. Unlabeled bars represent <5% of respondents.
Question Wording:
(Prospects) Rate your likelihood to consider attending a college or university that offers or focuses on each of the
following. / (Parents) Rate your likelihood to encourage your child to attend a college or university that offers or
focuses on each of the following.
Scale: 1=Not at all likely, 10=Extremely likely, 11=Don't know
Wheaton not identified as study sponsor
8% 9% 13%
6% 9% 5%
16% 11% 12%7%
12% 11%
13% 17% 15% 18%
16%
19% 18%35%
45%
41% 41%
46%
35%
46%
40%
45% 47% 42%
59%
45% 39% 38%
27%
37%
27%
34%
22% 23% 25%
8.7
8.2 7.9 7.8 7.5 7.4 7.3 7.3 7.1 7.1 7.1
Mean
9 to 10 (Top 2 Box)
6 to 8
3 to 5
1 to 2 (Bottom 2 Box)
Don’t Know
Likelihood of attending a college with each of the following attributes. (Mean and Distribution by Rating)

17. Academic quality is important but how do we talk about it in a way that matters
to our target audiences?
Notes:
“Don’t know” and “none of the above” not shown; each represented 1% or
fewer of prospects, parents, and counselors. Unlabeled bars represent <1%
of respondents.
Question Wording:
(Prospects) When thinking about the QUALITY OF ACADEMICS, which of the following are MOST IMPORTANT
to you…in the school you ultimately would like to attend? (Parents) …in the school your child ultimately attends:?
(Counselors) In assessing the QUALITY OF ACADEMICS, which of the following are MOST IMPORTANT to you?
(select all that apply)
69%
69%
59%
58%
54%
41%
40%
33%
31%
30%
28%
23%
22%
20%
18%
10%
5%
70%
52%
55%
54%
58%
30%
43%
27%
22%
28%
12%
18%
17%
11%
6%
7%
76%
64%
43%
43%
71%
41%
45%
28%
15%
61%
15%
17%
9%
8%
9%
11%
9%
Many areas of excellence
Experiential learning
Employment after graduation
Small class size
4-year graduation rate
Undergraduate research funding
Full-time professors
Grad/prof school placement
U.S. News rankings
Incoming student quality
Study abroad
Elite accreditation
Faculty honors
Junior year at partner institution
Selective admission
Fulbright/Rhodes Scholars
Other
Prospects Parents Counselors
Which attributes are most important in assessing quality?
Wheaton not identified as study sponsor
Shading identifies top mentions

18. How should we talk about outcomes in a way that matters?
Notes:
Don’t know” and “none of the above” not shown; each represented 1% or
fewer of prospect and parent respondents. Unlabeled bars represent <1% of
respondents.
Question Wording:
(Prospects) When thinking about LIFE AFTER GRADUATION, which THREE of the following are MOST
IMPORTANT to you? (select up to 3)
(Parents) When thinking about your child’s LIFE AFTER GRADUATION, which THREE of the following are MOST
IMPORTANT to you? (select up to 3)
51%
49%
42%
40%
33%
22%
21%
13%
10%
6%
52%
48%
28%
37%
51%
20%
23%
17%
5%
4%
Little or no debt
Discovered new interests
High starting salary
Strong employer name recognition
High job placement
Global alumni network
Grad/prof school acceptance
Alumni give back to communities
Alumni with awards/honors
Noteworthy alumni
Other
Which three aspects of life after graduation are most important to you?
Prospects Parents
Wheaton not identified as study sponsor
Shading identifies top mentions

19. 38%
33%
27%
25%
23%
23%
21%
19%
19%
15%
13%
12%
11%
10%
39%
40%
25%
24%
38%
18%
14%
30%
22%
7%
8%
8%
39%
41%
15%
32%
57%
21%
8%
25%
32%
7%
7%
7%
Well-rounded education
Intellectual curiosity
General coursework
Learning to view problems from multiple perspectives
Critical thinking skills
Encouraged to consider different perspectives
Indivdual attention
Communication skills
Exploring different areas of study
More innovative, non-traditional academics
Encouraged to question conventional wisdom
Active role in community
Removing barriers b/w areas of study
Small courses (<=20 students)
Liberal political view
Most Important/Beneficial Aspects of Liberal Arts
Well-rounded education and intellectual curiosity are widely seen as
benefits. Parents and counselors also cite critical thinking skills.
Which of the following are the most important/beneficial aspects of liberal arts?
Notes:
Unlabeled bars represent <5% of respondents. “None of these” not shown
(represents 2% or less of respondents in each audience).
Question Wording:
(Prospects) Looking at the same list, which THREE of the following are MOST IMPORTANT to you? (select up to
3) / (Parents) When thinking about LIBERAL ARTS, which THREE of the following are MOST IMPORTANT to you
for your child’s education? (select up to 3) /(Counselors) When thinking about LIBERAL ARTS, which THREE of
the following are the GREATEST BENEFITS? (select up to 3)
Prospects Parents Counselors
Wheaton not identified as study sponsor
Parents more
interested in
Wheaton mention
intellectual
curiosity more
often as a benefit
of liberal arts
Shading identifies top mentions

20. Awareness of More than OneWheaton College Before Survey
Three quarters of counselors, but fewer than half of prospects and parents, were
previously aware there were twoWheatons.
Notes:
This question was not asked of respondents who had never heard of
Wheaton College in Massachusetts AND Wheaton College in Illinois.
Question Wording:
Before taking this survey, were you aware that there is more than one Wheaton College?
42%
45%
76%
58%
55%
24%
Prospects (n=368)
Parents (n=284)
Counselors (n=392)
Before taking this survey, were you aware there is more than one Wheaton College?
Yes No
Wheaton not identified as study sponsor
Note: Among those who knew there were two Wheaton Colleges, half of prospects, 40% of parents and about
25% of counselors did not know any differences in the two Wheaton Colleges.

21. Brand Cultivation

22. Market Research and Brand Strategy
Strategic
Plan
Market
Research
Brand
Strategy
New Brand
Framework &
Identity
Owned Media
Rebrand
Website
Reimagination

23. Brand Discovery Research
Primary
Simpson Scarborough
Market Research
Strategic Plan
Focus Groups
Workshops
Interviews
Survey
Institutional research
Outcomes data
Supplemental
Competitive
landscape
Socioeconomic trends
Demographic trends
Market trends
Higher education
trends
Communications
Audit
Current brand toolkit
Email
Print
Website
Social Media
Departmental
collateral

24. Building a Brand Essence Framework
Brand
Attributes
Emotional Benefits
Functional Benefits
Brand Characteristics
Brand Idea

25. Brand Cultivation Process

26. BrandTesting with Prospective Audiences
 Opportunity to engage with prospective students with a
focus on brand
 Explore brand impact on the college search process
 Additional input on current perceptions of college brand
 Explore preferences in messaging
 Reactions and immediate perceptions of brand
expression visuals

27. What can a rebrand include?
Name change
Positioning
- Usually accompanied with a positioning statement
Messaging
- Brand idea, style and tone
- Messaging architecture, key messages, headlines, taglines
Design
- Design intent
- Color palette
- Photography framework
Logo/Mark/Symbol

29. Questions?
Grant M. Gosselin
Vice President of Enrollment
Wheaton College
gosselin_grant@wheatoncollege.edu
Dana Edwards
Vice President and Partner
SimpsonScarborough
de@simpsonscarborough.com
Gene Begin
Vice President of Marketing & Communications
Wheaton College
begin_gene@wheatoncollege.edu