The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford unveiled a new
marketing campaign that was “beyond” anyone’s expectations.
The university’s new campaign – with a theme of “beyond” – was
introduced to an audience of more than 300 Wednesday morning at the
Bromeley Family Theater in Blaisdell Hall. University officials
believe the campaign will allow the university to better
communicate the benefits of a Pitt-Bradford education.
“This new brand marketing campaign will become the vehicle to
showcase our finest attributes and communicate to the public the
benefits of attending our terrific university,” said University
President Dr. Livingston Alexander. “We’re also confident that this
marketing effort will bring positive attention to the City of
Bradford and the region of northwest Pennsylvania.”
Calling the unveiling “one of the most important events in the
life of the university,” Alexander explained that the launch of
this marketing campaign is the “first such in the history of this
campus.”
The campaign will focus on the benefits of a Pitt-Bradford
education: the personalized attention that professors give their
students; the many academic programs available; the friendly
atmosphere; the opportunities for students to participate in
research projects and internships; and the chance for students to
be exposed to different ideas, places and experiences.
Pat Cercone, director of communications and marketing, explained
the process included faculty, staff, students and various boards to
choose a brand that would suit the campus – a “safe, friendly
institution for students who want to earn a world-renowned degree
in a personalized environment. The next step is to communicate that
brand, and there are several ways to do that.”
The university can communicate the brand in their actions,
words, pictures, publications and advertising.
“We are already living our brand,” Cercone said. “We are
friendly … when they see each other on campus, they smile and say
‘hello.'”
Examples of this in the university environment are professors
who know their students by name and people hold the doors open for
one another.
“We’re already good at living our brand and now only need to
focus on it a little more acutely and weave it into everything we
do,” Cercone said.
Another part of the brand is the experience the students receive
while on campus, whether it’s through an internship, starting a
club or bettering their lives.
“Beyond represents the essences of stories heard from the campus
community,” Cercone said.
In addition to incorporating student participation, the new
campaign was developed using input from the entire campus community
as well as prospective students, Cercone explained.
The new campaign will be used in newspaper, radio, television,
outdoor and online advertising throughout the six-county region
and, in the future, in Erie. The “beyond” theme also will be used
in the university’s publications, including recruitment materials
used by the Office of Admissions and Pitt-Bradford’s Web site,
which is currently being redesigned.
“This campaign however,” Alexander continued, “is much more than
just an advertising campaign. While we will use a variety of
methods and media to communicate our brand, we realize that the
most effective way to do that is to live the brand. That is what we
do on a daily basis, and we are poised to continue to do so.”
The new campaign was designed by Stamats Inc., a nationally
recognized marketing and communications consulting firm based in
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, which conducted market research and compiled
both quantitative and qualitative research to create the new brand
marketing campaign.
