Georgia Southern University Issues Branding RFP

Georgia Southern University is looking for a brand/marketing partner to capitalize on the university’s distinctive combination of Southern charm and uncompromising academics. We are a Carnegie Doctoral/R2 institution serving about 26,500 students through nine colleges on three beautiful oak-lined campuses in Statesboro, Savannah, Hinesville, and via a growing online program. Throughout its degree offerings at the associate’s bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels, Georgia Southern cultivates community collaboration, world-class scholarship and hands-on learning opportunities. Following consolidation and with a priority on enrollment growth, Georgia Southern University is looking to establish a distinctive brand identity that will unite internal audiences and excite external audiences.

Georgia Southern seeks a marketing partner that can uncover common brand attributes for the university while also developing a marketing strategy that sells individual campuses and caters to individual audiences.

Scope of Work:

Georgia Southern’s University Communications and Marketing division is responsible for managing the overall Georgia Southern University brand. To this end, Georgia Southern is seeking an experienced partner that can assist in establishing, articulating and communicating a distinctive brand identity that will drive enrollment, excite its audiences and elevate the reputation of Georgia Southern (GS).

The supplier shall create a consistent, powerful identity that provides GS with a competitive advantage and will communicate the core values that sets the university apart from other universities.

Minimum Expected deliverables include:

1. Recommendations on new brand articulation, and how it should be incorporated throughout the university’s current communications and marketing efforts (i.e. websites, advertisements, newsletters, banners, etc.), and future efforts. Final package should include compelling, differentiating and recognizable brand messaging/imagery that catches and draws the public/consumers to the GS individual campuses or colleges.
2. Review of current media distribution, targets, and assessment strategies for effectiveness, and suggestions for any improvement to ensure we have an effective integrated media plan for engaging key internal and external constituencies.
3. Advertising/messaging strategies for the university as a whole, and also complimentary tools for individual campuses and programs. Goals would be to drive enrollment specific to admissions needs and raise brand awareness.
4. Tools for defining and communicating a clear, compelling identity in an increasingly competitive environment that allows us to:
   1. Recruit a diverse student body, both undergraduate and graduate.
   2. Increase enrollment in programs.
   3. Attract a highly qualified, diverse faculty.
   4. Communicate the value of a GS degree to prospective employers, funders, partners and alumni
5. Ways to enhance the visibility of campuses or programs to current and potential students. Create a clear comprehension of GS’s promising future.
6. Suggestions for increasing external funding and support from grants, the state of Georgia, donors, foundations, and alumni; enhancing recognition and credibility with the populations that GS serves; and cultivating an effective brand that makes a positive first impression, that is easily and lastingly remembered and that builds on current positive perceptions.

Project Requirements

The Supplier must:

1. Outline a strategic process for discovering the foundations of the GS brand, articulating that brand through compelling words and images, and for ensuring the successful launch of the brand on and off-campus.
2. Assess and review current brand assets, including analysis from our strategic planning processes and research from recent marketing analysis to analyze and determine the efficiency and effectiveness of our distinguishing characteristics, positioning, messaging, and creativity.
3. Conduct a competitive analysis of similar-sized institutions, their position in the market, and their current marketing efforts
4. Work with GS marketing and communications staff to develop discovery focus groups and interviews with internal and external stakeholders as needed.
5. Develop potential brand concepts (a minimum of two) and visual expressions that capture the essence of the GS promise.
6. Test potential brand concepts among key audiences, i.e. focus groups for prospective and/or current students, alumni, and non-alumni donors.
7. Provide a detailed brand platform standards guide in an editable format that can be used by Georgia Southern that includes:
   1. Brand guidelines, including a brand book and quick reference guide
   2. Tagline suggestion
   3. Advertising guidelines
   4. Tools and templates to help guide schools and colleges, research centers, and other administrative groups to help them comprehend and utilize the GS brand
8. Develop and present branded templates based on brand concepts (sample advertising copy, web/landing pages, print collateral, etc.)
9. Make recommendations on how to delineate and distinguish GS from other educational institutions and how to communicate this to current and future stakeholders
10. Provide presentations to GS leadership of the research findings, analysis, and recommendations at the end of each stage in the process.
11. Create a plan to introduce the brand to the campus community, and ensure campus-wide acceptance.

Due Date:

08/30/2019

Address:

http://ssl.doas.state.ga.us/PRSapp/PR_index.jsp

hkirkland@georgiasouthern.edu

Relevant agencies to consider include Hunter PR and M. Booth PR.