Start with the “Why?” : Unlocking the Power of a Brand
When St. Thomas Aquinas College set out on a brand refresh initiative, the leadership team had clear and carefully defined goals—to renew the energy and focus of the College, improve brand position and reputation, and increase awareness and enrollment.
Where would the plan’s creative thinking be grounded?
St. Thomas Aquinas leaders didn’t start with “let’s redesign our enrollment materials,” or “a new tagline will point us in the right direction.” Sure, those elements would be part of the branding plan, but that’s not where they would begin. They knew better than to jump prematurely into visual design and messaging.
Wisely, this team started with the “why”—Why would a prospective student choose St. Thomas Aquinas College?
The Discovery Process
Answering the why question would unlock the power of the St. Thomas Aquinas brand. And this would fuel every step forward in the branding process. To move toward their goals, St. Thomas Aquinas College found a like-minded ally in 5° Branding.
“We wanted to partner with a team that understood that defining the value proposition of St. Thomas Aquinas College was going to be essential to re-launching our brand. It was important that whoever we worked with understood small colleges, the challenges in defining a brand, and the advantages that a successful brand launch could have for us,” said Mike DiBartolomeo, Vice President for Enrollment Management.
In search of the underlying why, the project began with research to delve into the school’s strengths and challenges. By moving beneath the surface, the intent was to get to the heart of what sets the school apart. Nothing short of this understanding would deliver the memorable and marketable branding St. Thomas Aquinas anticipated.
Research included an assessment of previously collected internal research along with a competitive analysis, followed by these qualitative and quantitative components:
The Global Pulse Survey (GPS)—a proprietary tool from 5°—evaluated the perceptions of administration, faculty, and staff concerning the institution’s marketing strategy and execution.
Surveys of key constituent groups identified trends and measured the depth and scope of opinions, priorities, perceptions, and concerns.
Focus groups with administration, faculty, staff, and students probed for insights to elaborate on the survey data findings.
What We Discovered
Summarizing the wealth of information garnered through the research process, a complete findings report identified strengths and challenges that had consistently emerged. Analysis didn’t stop with simple identification, though. The team was committed to understanding how the findings showed the why.
To paint a holistic picture, the 5° research team drilled into the strengths. There were strengths that were simply assets—valuable, but common to many comparable schools—like an appealing selection of programs and a highly regarded faculty. The team understood that, while these essential attributes contribute to the brand, they do not particularly differentiate the College.
For any higher ed institution, then, realizing a distinct brand means digging deeper. It is not the assets themselves that define the brand, but the distinct translation of these characteristics, from descriptive features to transformative benefits. We call this the “essence,” or the “heart qualities” of the school’s brand. For St. Thomas Aquinas, the research revealed these elements of the College’s essence:
Support for student success: At St. Thomas Aquinas, the supportive, caring environment means education is personalized and geared to individual success. Whether a student needs academic support or wants to be challenged, there are opportunities here. Student success is fostered by faculty engagement, support resources, experiential learning opportunities, and a sense of community among the student body.
An emphasis on career readiness: Students feel “set up” and confident to start their careers, backed with strong preparation and credibility. Central to this, there is an intrinsic focus on helping students find their best fit for a career based on personality, interests, and strengths.
A prevailing satisfaction and upbeat spirit among students: St. Thomas Aquinas is a happy place. A captivating, upbeat spirit characterizes the campus and draws others in. Students are realizing the scope of their talents and ingenuity, and they are thriving in this College environment.
Where the Discovery Led
To further crystalize the stand-alone distinction of St. Thomas Aquinas College, the research team considered the distinctive blend of these essence points. How is it, that in bringing these qualities together, the College is one-of-a-kind?
And how does this answer the question that launched the exploration in the first place: Why St. Thomas Aquinas?
For St. Thomas Aquinas, the answer to the why, we discovered, isn’t simply that they are delivering the list of heart qualities. It is, rather, the school’s exceptional effectiveness in doing so.
The College is distinctly weaving together the St. Thomas Aquinas experience in a way that generates uncommon results. Students are realizing new potential, aspiring to new heights, and achieving more than they imagined. They are discovering their passions—and moving forward confidently with those discoveries.
We heard it time after time after time, across constituent groups.
Herein lies the “aha”—the answer of our quest—the “edge” that sets the College apart from the pack.
Each and every day, throughout the entire experience, St. Thomas Aquinas is igniting inherent passion in the students they serve. This is why students are empowered to succeed, why they feel prepared for their careers, and why they’re happy.
What We Can Do with the Why
In identifying the why, the next steps in branding flow naturally.
“We wanted to unify our brand voice so that we could share our authentic institutional narratives about what makes us so unique. It’s about our story. What makes us who we are,” said Annie Lombardi, Director of Enrollment Marketing and Campus Communications.
For St. Thomas Aquinas, this meant developing a positioning statement that would lead to a tagline, that would serve as the framework for all brand messaging. All grounded in the why. This is where the tagline and accompanying value proposition were born.
Ignite Your Passion
What’s your big dream? At St. Thomas Aquinas College, we dare you to imagine all you can achieve—in your career and beyond. In a close-knit community dedicated to your success, your education is personalized for what matters most to you. You’ll learn by doing, discover your gifts, and ignite your passion.
“We know that our students and alumni are our brand ambassadors, and this brand refresh captures what we offer our students,” President Ken Daly said. “I see passion ignited, creativity ignited, futures ignited when I walk around our campus and when I teach in the classroom. This new brand platform showcases our distinctiveness in a way that only we can.”
And just take a look at the power of the brand revealed.
VIEWBOOK: “IGNITE YOUR PASSION” IS BOTH A CHALLENGE AND A PROMISE TO PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS. THE NEW VIEWBOOK AND SUPPORTING ENROLLMENT MARKETING COLLATERAL ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO FIND WHAT THEY LOVE AND PURSUE IT WHOLE-HEARTEDLY.
VIEWBOOK SPREAD
VIEWBOOK SPREAD
DIE-CUT TRAVEL PIECE
STAC.EDU THE NEW WEBSITE IS A TOTAL OVERHAUL—FROM IA TO UX AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN.
WHAT MIGHT THIS MEAN FOR YOUR SCHOOL?
As you promote your school to prospective students, it’s tempting to start by rolling out your favorite attributes. We challenge you to step back and dig deeper—to search for the why.
