American University’s WONK Brand Campaign

The WONK brand campaign, one of the most recognizable and awarded in higher education, was created completely in-house by members of American University’s communications and marketing team under the leadership of Deborah Wiltrout.  Scroll down to learn more about how it came about.

WONK samples courtesy of American University, University Communications and Marketing.

THE CHALLENGE

Like many colleges and universities, American University’s academic quality and institutional progress were stronger in reality than they were in the perceptions of the marketplace. For one thing, there was a lack of awareness and
 understanding of AU outside of Washington, D.C. In addition, inside the Beltway, there was a lack of differentiation between Georgetown University, George Washington University and American University. 
These issues impacted American University’s ability to attract the best students and faculty, and engage alums. On the positive side, American University was investing in faculty, programs and facilities, and seeing progress in the number of applicants, retention rates, and donor support. Finally, there was little brand integration among the institution’s marketing efforts (something many colleges and universities are probably familiar with). Graduate advertising was specific to each school. Enrollment materials had another look and feel altogether. There was no thread connecting one institutional communication to another, creating a mish-mash of messages, none of which were memorable. An institution-wide brand campaign was needed to overcome the negative, promote the positive, and get us all moving in the same forward direction. In addition to increasing awareness and recognition, the brand effort set out to:

• Strengthen the academic and research reputation
• Enhance the quality and diversity of undergraduate enrollment
• Increase and enhance graduate enrollment
• Improve engagement, support and advocacy among alumni

THE PROCESS

The WONK brand campaign was the product of extensive research and involved the campus community from the very beginning and at every turn. In fact the brand campaign and all subsequent marketing efforts were developed and deployed by American University’s internal Communications and Marketing department (UCM), and not by a large, full-service agency that does this sort of work on a regular basis. The UCM team was talented and skilled at delivering solutions for the school’s diverse needs, but had very little experience developing and executing an integrated, institution-wide branding campaign—especially not under ambitious time constraints and significant institution-wide scrutiny. What the team did have in abundance was institutional knowledge and a commitment to the campaign’s ongoing success. This group knew the brand inside and out—they just needed some guidance and permission to think outside-the-box. The brand team, headed up by marketing director Deborah Wiltrout, represented almost all of the expertise that you’d find within a full-service agency: marketers, writers, designers, editors, media relations, web and interactive, photography and video. We did recognize a few gaps in our skill set along the way so we brought in freelance expertise as needed, like creative muse and copywriter Tierney Sadler. The team worked intensely and collaboratively for a month, immersing themselves in research, industry best practices and a creative team environment. The outcome was an agency-style presentation of two completely different brand concepts to a campus-wide advisory taskforce. The WONK campaign, the bolder of the two options, was overwhelmingly endorsed, and eventually adopted and integrated throughout the university. Click here to hear first-hand about the team’s experience.

THE SOLUTION

The brand team realized that to reach our ambitious goals —with a limited budget, in a crowded and expensive marketplace—our brand effort had to stand out. We took inspiration from the Heath brothers’ “Made to Stick” and set out to “create a simple, bold and credible institutional campaign that demonstrated the quality, progress, and distinctiveness of American University—one that rallies the troops, instills pride, gets noticed, gets integrated, and gets results.” The brand team landed on WONK, a Washington, D.C. term used to describe someone who’s an expert in their field and passionate about what they do (think policy wonk). Those characteristics—Washington insider, smart, expert, passionate—define the people of American University. Plus, WONK is KNOW spelled backward, something that really helped define WONK and link it to our higher education mission. The campaign shows how American University’s students, faculty, staff and alums apply their influence, intellect, and passion in all areas—communications, business, law, science, humanities, international service, the arts, and, yes, public policy—to have an impact on the issues they care about. The campaign was refined and thoughtfully deployed based on initial feedback and creative testing. It was introduced internally on campus and to alums before launching it publicly via print ads, outdoor, Metro, TV and partnerships with the Washington Nationals and Washington Post’s Wonkblog. It was also integrated throughout the institution to include undergraduate enrollment, the visit experience, development and alumni relations, the schools and colleges, human resources, and the campus environment.

THE RESULTS

Here are some indicators of the success of the campaign:

• Rise in U.S. News and World Report ranking
• Record number of campus visits, applications and early admits
• Increased full-time faculty by 23%, attracting from (and away from) some of the best institutions
• Alumni engagement increased 55% since the campaign launched
• President Bill Clinton named 2012 WONK of the Year, Anderson Cooper 2013
• Recognized with numerous industry awards including an Emmy for our television spot, ADDYs (from the American Advertising Federation), several CASE Grand Golds, and an AMA Top Marketer of the Year award for the brand team.

By turning to the internal team to take on the work of the brand, American University saved a considerable amount of money, jump started the campus-wide integration process, raised the credibility of UCM, and instilled a greater sense of pride and ownership in the brand work across the institution. Please visit american.edu/wonk to learn more about the campaign.