California State University, Stanislaus
Stan State’s new president and new AVP of Communications, Marketing & Media Relations wanted to revitalize and focus the institutional brand in order to reinvigorate the campus community vision, engage campus stakeholders collaboration, and unify messages to key audiences.
Stan State selected Stamats to lead both the brand market research and discovery effort as well as identifying and assembling the university’s core message platform expressed with key brand attributes, core message theme to best represent the university, and establish proof points to lay the foundation for marketing communications at all levels.
Seeking an experienced partner who would conduct high-quality qualitative and quantitative research was critical to establish credibility and trust across campus and ensure the new message platform would be relevant, believable, and authentically Stan State. The university wanted to gather input from 11 separate audiences on two campus locations to inform the effort.
Qualitative Market Research Beginning:
The Stamats brand strategy team led with more than 27 qualitative discussions over two days on both campus locations (Turlock and Stockton) to interview over 100 campus community members, including students, faculty, and staff, as well as advisory board members, business leaders, and alumni to capture all viewpoints and perceptions of Stan State. The attributes, messages, and themes heard in the qualitative sessions were infused into the next step, the quantitative survey to validate findings.
Quantitative Market Research Validation:
Three web surveys with similar lines of questioning were developed for the greater campus community, area residents, and prospective students to establish brand perception benchmarks on attributes and messages associated with Stan State. By quantifying the unifying perceptions held by key audiences, Stan State brand decisions were based on data rather than individual viewpoints or intuition. Stamats was able to provide Stan State with confidence in the results, crucial to winning the endorsement of campus members and business leaders who would need to support a pivot in the brand direction.
The qualitative and quantitative insights gleaned contributed to a refreshed brand ethos, brand positioning statement, and brand attribute matrix with proof points by key audiences to unify the communication strategies and messages with an authentically inclusive and aspirational element that was missing.
Successfully capturing the brand identity and reflecting it in a refreshed brand platform laid the critical foundation for subsequent creative efforts. Campus communication has already incorporated leading messaging and proof points into web content, social media, speeches, admissions materials, and other outreach and image-building endeavors.
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The Challenge
Stan State selected Stamats to lead both the brand market research and discovery effort as well as identifying and assembling the university’s core message platform expressed with key brand attributes, core message theme to best represent the university, and establish proof points to lay the foundation for marketing communications at all levels.
Seeking an experienced partner who would conduct high-quality qualitative and quantitative research was critical to establish credibility and trust across campus and ensure the new message platform would be relevant, believable, and authentically Stan State. The university wanted to gather input from 11 separate audiences on two campus locations to inform the effort.
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The Project
Qualitative Market Research Beginning:
The Stamats brand strategy team led with more than 27 qualitative discussions over two days on both campus locations (Turlock and Stockton) to interview over 100 campus community members, including students, faculty, and staff, as well as advisory board members, business leaders, and alumni to capture all viewpoints and perceptions of Stan State. The attributes, messages, and themes heard in the qualitative sessions were infused into the next step, the quantitative survey to validate findings.
Quantitative Market Research Validation:
Three web surveys with similar lines of questioning were developed for the greater campus community, area residents, and prospective students to establish brand perception benchmarks on attributes and messages associated with Stan State. By quantifying the unifying perceptions held by key audiences, Stan State brand decisions were based on data rather than individual viewpoints or intuition. Stamats was able to provide Stan State with confidence in the results, crucial to winning the endorsement of campus members and business leaders who would need to support a pivot in the brand direction.
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The Results
The qualitative and quantitative insights gleaned contributed to a refreshed brand ethos, brand positioning statement, and brand attribute matrix with proof points by key audiences to unify the communication strategies and messages with an authentically inclusive and aspirational element that was missing.
Successfully capturing the brand identity and reflecting it in a refreshed brand platform laid the critical foundation for subsequent creative efforts. Campus communication has already incorporated leading messaging and proof points into web content, social media, speeches, admissions materials, and other outreach and image-building endeavors.
