July 13, 2023
Providence College’s ‘For Those Who Seek’ brand earns national recognition
Providence College won a top national award from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education for its new brand initiative that presents the college as a place “For Those Who Seek.”
PC was selected for a 2023 Gold Circle of Excellence Award for creative achievement in the institutional branding category. CASE described the brand messaging as “modern and authentic without deviating from institutional values.”
The brand was developed by the college’s Division of Marketing and Communications. It is the team’s eighth CASE award since 2014.
“We began this project aiming to create a brand identity that is authentic and distinctive above all,” said Joseph Carr ’83, PC’s senior associate vice president for marketing and communications. “Thanks to the participation of so many in our community, we have in place a brand creative and messaging platform that is accessible, flexible, and durable.”
Work on refreshing PC’s brand began in earnest in early 2021 with extensive market research. In addition to assessing the competitive environment, PC worked with its brand project partner Ologie to develop an online survey of constituent groups, in addition to a qualitative research phase involving more than a dozen focus groups (four of which were faculty-only). Others participating included Dominican friars, current students and parents, staff members whose work involves communications, and alumni.
The project’s second phase involved creating the brand strategy, which defines the combination of characteristics that sets PC apart and sets the stage for telling the associated story. Development of a creative expression – another collaborative project involving multiple stakeholders – followed. The most prominent example of that expression is the “For Those Who Seek More” campaign to recruit the Class of 2027, launched in July 2022. A concurrent website redesign project brought the brand identity to life on providence.edu and the updated brand significantly influenced alumni magazines published in Fall 2022 and Spring 2023.
An extensive brand website describes the brand strategy and associated messaging framework, while also creating for college communicators access to a brand toolkit they can use to foster brand consistency and to access resources helpful in their work.
The brand website also includes sample print and digital brand expressions, including video, social media, and website representations, in addition to examples of the admission and recruitment print pieces Marketing and Communications creates in collaboration with Department of Admission colleagues.
CASE is a nonprofit association dedicated to educational advancement in alumni relations, communications, development, marketing, and advancement. In the 2023 Circle of Excellence competition, CASE received more than 4,000 entries from 583 institutions in 22 countries.
Stasia Walmsley, PC’s assistant vice president for brand management and marketing, provided further insights on the impact of PC’s brand project in this online interview with Jacqueline MacKay, the college’s director of parent programs.
