NAZARETH COLLEGE

Nazareth College is a 75-year-old institution with a rich heritage, an enormous opportunity, and an image problem. The College will soon complete the purchase of lands contiguous to its campus from the Sisters of St. Joseph, effectively doubling the size of the campus. With this extraordinary opportunity comes a big responsibility to raise monies sufficient to develop the College coherently and aggressively. While research indicates that over 90% of Rochesterians can identify Nazareth College on an unaided basis, understanding of the institution’s academic programs, its quality, its students, and its distinct value to the Rochester community (apart from that of the other colleges and universities in the area) is very low.

Cognitive Marketing was engaged by the College in 2001 and given the charge to develop a distinct brand identity for the College, one that would improve the chances for success in fundraising (primarily in the Rochester area), while also being supportive of undergraduate and graduate admissions.

THE IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY

The challenge was clear: we needed to understand the unique character of Nazareth College, identify its distinct contribution to the Rochester community, and then produce an advertising campaign that would change perceptions of the college in the local community. Strategically, we focused on the need to move people from certain inaccurate assumptions (“Nazareth is a quiet college of modest quality that serves primarily Catholic women from the local area”) to a new and far more accurate understanding of the College (“Nazareth is a high quality liberal arts college with a strong regional reputation, high academic standards, and rising admissions competitiveness”). But, to accomplish the goal, we had to dig deeper, and capture the value Nazareth College brings to the community which benefits most from the work of its graduates, “energetic citizens possessed of critical thinking skills and strongly developed values, who share a passion for improving the economic, cultural and social well-being of society.”

The long-term positioning strategy, which we have articulated in the phrase The Heart of Excellence, encapsulates the institution’s commitment not only to academic excellence, but also to the production of graduates who invest their energies in making our community a better place. The brand promise is true. It’s important to both prospective students and donors. And it is working, giving Nazareth its own place in our community’s consciousness.

EVIDENCE OF RESULTS

When the image campaign initially launched, the evidence of its effectiveness was compelling. First and foremost, the entire Nazareth College community, from the Board of Trustees to the Faculty to the Alumni, embraced the positioning strategy implied by The Heart of Excellence—not an insignificant achievement. Second, anecdotal feedback from the community to the college about the actual advertising campaign has been extraordinarily positive, with the campaign winning high praise for the quality of its production, the impact of its imagery, and the tonality of its message.

Moreover, results from our recent quantitative research with alumni nad community members have confirmed this anecdotal success. Sixty percent of all respondents (including 72 percent of alumni) had a positive reaction to the campaign (as opposed to neutral or negative). Plus 75 percent of respondents indicated that the Heart of Excellence message was an accurate portrayal of Nazareth College, demonstrating that the campaign did indeed ring true to the essence of the College. Perhaps the most dramatic findings in our research were the shifts in the community's perception of Nazareth's image. Among these were an increase in the following perceptions: the institution is growing (46 percent of respondents agreed with this statement in 2001, which went up to 85 percent in 2003), Nazareth graduates stay in the Rochester community (from 39% to 61%), and the College has high academic standards (from 49% to 82%).

Now entering its third year, The Heart of Excellence campaign has captured the attention of all of Nazareth's many constituencies. The advertising program has won numerous awards, but more importantly, the external campaign, combined with the strong endorsement and support of the leadership of the College, has galvanized the college community. The results are clear: the faculty is proud and strong and more cohesive than ever; students are of a higher caliber, and more engaged than ever in their Nazareth experience; the alumni are proud and increasingly supportive of the College even in a substantially down economy; and the Rochester community is taking notice. And the Capital Campaign has reached 60% of goal, ahead of its public announcement. In short, Nazareth College is seizing the moment.