Repositioning a Public University as an Innovator
in Liberal Arts Education
Faced with a declining number of high school graduates and an increasing number of post-secondary choices, the University of Maine Farmington (UMF) approached us with this challenge: increase their brand awareness and their prospective applicant pool within their primary market, New England.
A Unique Story to Tell
We began by putting a new face on this 150-year-old university with its unique liberal arts curricular approach. Once considered a teacher education college, Farmington today is “redefining” the liberal arts as a “new kind of education for a changing world.”
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Differentiating the Brand
Our communications program emphasizes four key pillars of the Farmington curriculum, Independence, Hands-On Experience, Integration and Social Responsibility, showcasing exemplar academic programs in each area.
We also took advantage of the University’s appealing location in Maine’s western mountains and lakes region to capture the attention of the wide array of students interested in outdoor recreation. Farmington’s location became a core attribute of its brand.
Communicating with Students and Key Influencers
To help Farmington increase its applicant pool, particularly out-of-state prospects, we created a striking “search” overview brochure that was mailed to high school juniors throughout the Northeast. A 12-page follow-up booklet provided more in-depth information about the Farmington experience.
To reach the all-important guidance counselor audience, we created a series of four mailers designed to convey the energy, focus and personality of this dynamic institution.
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Partnering with Leadership Organizations
Beyond student recruitment, we’ve also developed a general brand awareness campaign in target-student-rich southern Maine. Leveraging a limited budget, we’ve partnered Farmington with local leadership, arts and civil rights organizations under the theme of “Creative Leadership,” targeting the influencer crowd. By sponsoring our partner organizations’ major events and promoting them through advertising, Farmington is building recognition and awareness as a leading public liberal arts university.
Growing Brand Awareness
Early results suggest that Farmington’s new brand is receiving a welcome reception, and awareness of the university’s unique liberal arts approach among guidance counselors, prospective students, and business and community leaders is building. Response rates by prospective students for the new 2007-2008 academic year “search” piece showed a dramatic increase over the previous year. And 2008-2009 enrollments in the academic program areas promoted in the new materials also experienced tremendous growth.
University of Maine Farmington