The University of Texas at Austin’s New Brand Strategy:
Building On Our Leadership Reputation
The University of Texas at Austin has reached a “leadership moment.”
By many measures, it is one of the top universities in the nation. With more than 50,000 students and 3,000 faculty members, UT has more bright, motivated people on one campus than any other university. Its professional schools are ranked among the best across disciplines – from business and engineering to education, public affairs, law and the humanities. Its faculty is world-renowned for its research in critical areas such as children’s health, alternative energy, new technology and economic policy. Its alumni are leaders in every walk of life – from politics and law to business and entrepreneurship to entertainment and medicine. And, its athletic program has consistently set standards for excellence and high performance in almost every sport.
In short, more than any other university, it combines public access to excellence at undergraduate and graduate levels of education and across an unmatched breadth in faculty, programs and research.
Yet, its alumni base of nearly 400,000 around the world is not fully engaged. With a flat 14 percent average annual giving rate among its alumni, UT lags behind many other top universities. Moreover, its funding from the state has been severely reduced over the past several years and the university now faces unprecedented budget shortfalls.
It is time for the University to strengthen our leadership in a bold and dramatic way.
“This is our moment. There is something very special about being public in higher education. And we have a new way of thinking about the role of a university,” President William Powers Jr.
In a world where change is happening at breakneck speed, and with global problems – security, climate change, hunger, energy – continuing to escalate, the nation and the world are increasingly looking to vision and leadership from colleges and universities to help find solutions for the future.
More than any university in the U.S., The University of Texas at Austin is positioned to create a new model for public higher education. And in ways that can help change the world – now and in the future.
To make this happen, the entire university community – alumni, faculty, students and their families, staff, elected officials -- must focus on this common purpose. And, to do so, we must embrace a new framework for how we think about and communicate about the university.
During the past months, we have conducted extensive research with all of our key internal and external stakeholders to develop a set of tools that will help us unify our communications. These include:
- Positioning Statement
- Supporting Positioning Messages/Screening Questions
- Target Mindset
- Brand Personality
- Brand Identity
Positioning Statement
Our research indicates that the statement below resonates for our key constituents while emphasizing UT’s strengths. The purpose of this statement is to inform the way we communicate about UT.
The University of Texas at Austin, a global community united in creating a new vision of leadership in higher education for the next generation of leaders, will have more impact on changing the world than any institution of its kind. With a depth and diversity of assets unmatched by other universities, it drives economic, social and cultural progress as one of the world's most powerful centers of learning, research and creativity.
Supporting Positioning Messages/Screening Questions
These are the key messages that support the positioning statement and define the university. For each supporting message, there are questions that can be used to ensure that we have content that is aligned with each of the supporting points.
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Leading for Change
The university will define what it means to be the leading public research university in the nation by setting a new national agenda on higher education and addressing key issues facing the world.
- How can you show you are you the best?
- How are you re-inventing, setting a new agenda, changing the game?
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Engaging in a Common Purpose
The university's enduring leadership and impact are grounded in its ability to unify, collaborate and build partnerships, internally and externally, and to instill a commitment among alumni, faculty, students and staff to work together to make this shared vision a reality.
- How are you building lifelong relationships with key constituents?
- How are you working across boundaries, disciplines and departments to solve complex problems?
- How are you working in a unified way toward the common goal of being the best?
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Focusing on Creativity and Critical Thinking
The university's culture of innovation and its position as the hub of the leading creative community of Austin drive a continuous focus on new ideas and approaches to address complex economic, social and cultural issues across Texas, the nation and the world.
- How are you approaching and solving current problems and issues in a creative and innovative way?
- How are you exemplifying a spirit of innovation in your programs, activities and outreach?
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Making the Greatest Impact
Through its community, its creative culture, and its unmatched scope and scale, the university is having and will continue to have a greater impact than any institution of its kind on issues, people and events that are changing the world.
- How are you improving lives around the world?
- How are you advancing knowledge?
- How are you impacting economic growth and prosperity
Target Mindset
Our research shows that in order to achieve our positioning goals, we must connect with a new generation of “game changers” who will help lead the charge – those in our community and around the world who are smart, youthful and possess a global outlook. Game changers expect the university to change in order to be the best. In essence, they are where change will begin.
Brand Personality
The research identified the “personality” attributes that are an important part of our brand identity. We must be conscious of communicating in ways that convey the authentic personality of the University of Texas at Austin. We are bold, passionate, competitive, loyal, unique and innovative, and those qualities should be reflected in everything we say and do.
Brand Identity
The research showed our brand identity has started to splinter. For instance, you can find more than 70 shades of burnt orange in our communications materials. To move toward a more unified brand, while still allowing some creative flexibility, we are refreshing our brand identity system. It will be rolled out in the coming months.
