CASE STUDY: University of Rochester, Warner Graduate School of Education & Human Development

The Warner School of Education and Human Development at the University of Rochester, one of only four graduate schools at the University, possesses one of the most distinguished faculty for a school of its kind in the United States. Yet the first day we went to meet with the Dean of the School, we had to ask three people before we could find one that could tell us where to find the school's offices (it was directly across the quad). The school had never before concerned itself with marketing, on campus or off, and it no had marketing materials whatsoever.

THE IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY
Our positioning work, which was approved by the Dean and the Trustees, had to accomplish two things at once: it needed to support Warner's claim of excellence within its field at the doctoral level amid competitors including Harvard, Penn, and Stanford, while simultaneously helping the school compete locally against much different institutions (SUNY Brockport and Nazareth College) for the "bread and butter" business of offering masters degrees.

The common denominator, and brand answer, was "Advancing Leaders in Education." This effectively sacrificed Warner's appeal to the aspiring teacher who wanted only to become certified in New York State in the most efficient and inexpensive way possible. This positioning allowed Warner to stand distinguished from its local peers, and competitive with its national ones, on the merits of its outstanding faculty and progressive pedagogy. The idea of "advancing leaders" ensured that the student who wanted to be among the best sixth grade teachers in the field would find a home at Warner just as much as the administrator that hoped to become superintendent or chancellor.

EVIDENCE OF RESULTS
The "look and feel" of the Warner School's marketing materials distinguished it, and raised its visibility dramatically, within the highly decentralized University of Rochester. But it also set Warner apart from its national competitors, while boldly setting forth its right to be included among them.