Rebranding Initiative

Introduction

In 2022-23, Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà (Áù¾ÅÉ«ÌÃ) developed plans to initiate a three-phase marketing research and rebranding process to replace the Build a Boundless Future brand with a more emotive and connective brand that all Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà stakeholders will view and experience with pride. This process entails an innovative strategy that does not follow the traditional mode of branding and research higher education institutions historically leaned on for the past 30 years or more. Generally, this old method of research and branding adheres to a cookie-cutter approach that consists of the following:

  1. Hire marketing research and branding firm.
  2. Identify stakeholder participants from alumni, faculty, staff, current students and prospective students.
  3. Benchmark other like institutions.
  4. Engage in marketing research.
  5. Formulate new brand slogans.
  6. Test with university stakeholders.
  7. Introduce final slogan based on stakeholder voting and plan for launch.

During 2015-2016, Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà engaged in a marketing research and rebranding effort with BD&E, based in Pittsburg, Penn. The goal was to develop and introduce a compelling new brand in conjunction with the launch of a new website. However, the brand recommended by the firm was poorly conceived and failed to resonate with Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà stakeholders. In addition, the website redesign was not fully completed before the launch date despite expert recommendations by MarCom to wait until all content and taxonomy efforts were completed. Based on a SWOT analysis, these two issues were the result of timing constraints imposed by the leadership at that time; incomplete/poorly run focus groups by the selected marketing firm; and poorly conceived and structured brand analysis and test groups. In the past eight years since the Build A Boundless Future brand was launched, all Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà stakeholders report a lack of connection or pride in the brand, which often begs this question: What does the brand even mean?

This situation also speaks to the history of the institution after its consolidation with Mercy College of Detroit in 1990. Prior to 1990, the university was known as University of Detroit. Many University of Detroit alumni have long identified their alma mater as the University of Detroit or U of D, even after the consolidation and name change in 1990. Mercy College of Detroit alumni also felt frustrated and slighted as they perceived Mercy College of “rescuing” U of D from financial straits. Although this consolidation was an important milestone in the institution’s history, the study, development and rollout of a new brand in 2015-16 that encapsulates the values, impact and importance of two highly respected institutions was short-sighted and improperly developed, thus contributing to a lack of identity for the University, which is still felt by university stakeholders today.

While no one element is to blame for the inconclusive research effort undertaken by BD&E in 2015-16, some participants report that the selected firm did not have a full understanding of the SE Michigan region and the city of Detroit, Mercy College and U of D, or the history of our neighborhood in which we operate. Additionally, Detroit’s resurgence since it declared bankruptcy in 2013 was not closely examined, nor its connection to prospective students. Sadly, the agency took a cookie-cutter approach, which has resulted in a brand incapable of market penetration and unable to generate any concrete connection to alumni, faculty, staff, students, parents and the community at large. This has led to an identity crisis of sorts, as the institution struggles to understand and develop a clear sense of itself as one of the leading institutions of higher education in the state of Michigan and Midwest.

Despite efforts by the Marketing & Communications Department (MarCom), Enrollment Management and other offices to craft serviceable “bridge brands” (The World Needs Titans, Titans Are Boundless, etc.) in recent years and with some success, Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà leadership recognizes that a new, more emotionally connective core brand must be developed with input from all stakeholders if Detroit Mercy wishes to gain national prominence.

This historical context, combined with recent successes of Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà in securing major project and programmatic support, donor contributions and recognition for an array of initiatives, demands a unique approach that takes into consideration our institutional history, biases, diverse experiences and stakeholder input when working toward a new brand. As Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà approaches the institution’s 150th anniversary in 2027, there is every hope that the University will unveil a new brand that everyone can take pride in while celebrating the institutional birthday at the same time.

Three-Phase Research Process

Phase 1: Elevate, AJCU Research & The Wall Street Journal Insights Report

Elevate

In 2023, MarCom, in concert with Enrollment Management and Admissions, established a partnership and conducted in-depth research studies with Elevate, a national marketing research firm.

As a national firm dedicated to client success, Elevate seeks truth through their research efforts as they work to provide clients opportunity for the kind of growth that has a ripple effect.

The first study that Elevate undertook for Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà was from November to December 2022. Participants were students who were accepted at Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà but did not enroll. A total of 405 students completed the survey. The study consisted of a short, quantitative survey coupled with a series of one-hour interviews with select students. In the spring of 2023, Enrollment Management and MarCom presented the results of this research to the President’s Council (PC) and University Leadership Council (ULC). Additionally, Enrollment Management and MarCom have worked to consistently apply concepts and recommendations from this study into the recruitment and marketing plans for the institution. We hope other members of the University community will take some time to review this information by visiting . Individuals seeking more information are welcome to contact the Marketing & Communications Department via email at marcom@udmercy.edu or erwingj@udmercy.edu.

The second study undertaken by Elevate was conducted in January 2024. The goal of this study was to understand the critical drivers students and parents use in choosing a higher education institution. Additionally, Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà was interested in finding out which elements resonate with prospective students and parents. This study also included measurement of Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà branding assets currently in place and identifying those values of parents and students that align with Áù¾ÅÉ«ÌÃ, the city of Detroit and desires of prospective students and parents. The survey also included a national study of parents of recent freshman and soon to be higher education students (ages 15 and over). MarCom and Enrollment Management shared results with the PC and ULC. Please take some time to review the results: .

AJCU

In the fall of 2023, Gary J. Erwin, AVP of Marketing & Communications, served as a committee member for the rebranding work undertaken by the Association of Jesuit Colleges & Universities for 2023-24. Following review of several proposals from national research firms, committee members recommended the selection of YES/Lipman Hearn to engage in an in-depth marketing research study and messaging project to help reposition the association and member schools. The focus of this project was to examine the values of Jesuit universities and colleges. The goal was to determine which values resonate with prospective students and develop new branding and messaging to connect with future students and their parents. New messaging for AJCU will be shared to all member institutions in the coming months and will provide additional value-related statements that Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà is able to use in marketing materials. For more, visit .

The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse Insights Report 2024 & 2025

In the fall of 2023, Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà learned that the institution was ranked No. 52 in the nation by The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse national rankings. As a result, the institution received an in-depth examination study conducted by The WSJ/College Pulse that provides details concerning the reasons Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà ranked so highly. To inform this ranking, one of the largest-ever independent surveys of verified college students in the U.S. was conducted via College Pulse. In total, 60,953 students and recent alumni were surveyed online between January and May 2023. The data was weighted to the profile of the population of each college. For the student outcome, publicly available data was analyzed to measure the salary impact versus similar colleges, graduation rates versus  similar colleges and price-to-earnings premium for a four-year degree. This allowed us to calculate the return on investment of obtaining a degree at a specific college and then comparing this return to the performance of similar colleges.

The WSJ/College Pulse study included an opportunity for Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà to benchmark against four other institutions to provide a comparative analysis of how Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà did in contrast to Loyola University Chicago, Marquette University, Creighton University and University of Dayton. This analysis provides another important layer of information and suggests new ways that Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà can market the institution to prospective students and their parents. To review the WSJ/College Pulse analysis, please visit .

Recently, Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà ranked No. 43 in The Wall Street Journal/Statista College Rankings for 2025, breaking the top 50 in the U.S. for the first time. In total, 112,084 students and alumni were surveyed. More than 1,500 colleges throughout the U.S. met eligibility criteria. In addition, the top 500 colleges in the country were awarded this year. For the 2025 rankings, Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà benchmarked against Loyola Maryland, Creighton University, Marquette and Loyola Chicago. To review the latest WSJ/Statista analysis, please visit .

Research Analysis Summary, Key Words & Phrases

Summaries of marketing research analysis, key words and phrases from prospective students, parents, community members, alumni and other Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà stakeholders are available . This information highlights critical attributes that Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà is currently layering into marketing and recruiting efforts today.

Additional Research Materials

In addition to the materials that will play important roles in the three-phase marketing research strategy, the MarCom department has also archived the following marketing research studies, reports, data and analysis used by Enrollment Management and MarCom when marketing Áù¾ÅÉ«ÌÃ.

Phase II: GreenHouse::Innovation Strategy Sessions

Based on the merger of two institutions to form Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà in 1990, the University has suffered by what many alumni, friends, faculty, staff and students describe as a kind of “identity crisis.” While there are many factors that contribute to such a characterization, overcoming this identity crisis represents a significant challenge for Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà that requires a new and innovative way to break free. Such an approach requires everyone with a stake in Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà to look in the mirror and come to terms with difficult questions about the organization, its programs, departments and colleges, the biases regarding the institution held by all stakeholders and their own individual perceptions toward the University.

GreenHouse::Innovation works to help connect organizations with thought leaders focused on social innovation to identify and tackle the hardest problems and design new models, frameworks and strategies for measurable change. The organization provides a portfolio of services ranging from innovation workshops, strategy design, insight labs and customized experiences tailored to unique objectives. Members of the GreenHouse network are well equipped to have the “un-have-able” conversation; to challenge biases and overturn assumptions to help an organization see the true conditions of the problems it faces. GreenHouse believes the biggest breakthroughs and the most inspiring insights happen when great minds from diverse backgrounds come together to solve pressing challenges. GreenHouse utilizes a process called Designed Thinking, which helps organizations break free of cognitive patterns that resist and undermine innovation and works from the ground and up in an organization.

In January 2024, Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà held an introductory strategy session conducted by GreenHouse with members of the University Leadership Council. The purpose of this session was to:

  • Subvert norms
  • Start to develop a new mindset, new behavior
  • Identify actions (“work that you can really use”) that befit a major league school charting a new future
  • Work in the short term/enhance in the long term
  • A new narrative to live…starting today

The benefits of this and strategy sessions that follow include:

  • Creation of a new north star for Áù¾ÅÉ«ÌÃ
  • Confidence and clarity for marketing/communications, for advertising, for publicity
  • Creation of new paths to engagement/impact among donors, potential faculty, prospective students, alums, local and national businesses, new actors altogether

Based on this introductory strategy session, GreenHouse identified that Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà suffers from a loss of “mojo” due to the following:

  • Loss of popular athletics programs
  • Merger with “Mercy”
  • Adoption of defensive attitude/longing for the good ‘ole days

Additionally, many faculty, staff and perhaps even students often perceive the institution from a deficit mindset that includes:

  • Loss of confidence
  • Sense of insecurity
  • “Culture of poverty”

Within this framework, however, the group discovered that many opportunities exist for Áù¾ÅÉ«ÌÃ. This session served as a launch pad for leadership to begin thinking in new ways about Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà now and what it can be in the future. Additionally, this session introduced the new approach we hope to use to help uncover Áù¾ÅÉ«ÌÃ’s true identity based on the view of participants in these sessions. To view the complete analysis of this Jan.18, 2024, session, please visit .

Following the successful conclusion of the first strategy session with ULC, GreenHouse convened the following additional sessions to obtain input and perceptions of Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà from other key stakeholders:

  • June 2024: a two-day strategy session Student Government Leaders. These student leaders are now part of the Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà Rebranding initiative student advisory group.
  • July 2024: GreenHouse principals met with Credo to discuss how the rebranding work will tie into the University’s new five-year strategic plan, which will be unveiled to the Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà community soon.
  • August 5-7: a three-day community strategy session with neighbors from the surrounding communities. These sessions took place at the Live6 Alliance Homebase and included the president, board of trustee members, community leaders and residents, and area business owners. From these sessions, Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà is working toward new opportunities to reinvigorate the university’s partnership with neighbors and neighborhood and develop additional ways to connect, sustain and enhance our future relationship on deeper and more meaningful levels. See 2024 updates on reinvigorated Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà community connections below for more details.  
  • 7: a half-day session with members of Marketing & Communications as well as other individuals who perform these duties for colleges and offices.

As part of the deliverables for this project, GreenHouse will unveil a documentary film that features our community strategy sessions and interviews with community members to help cement findings. Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà will unveil this video at an upcoming event on campus as we begin our work to solicit important input from faculty, staff, students and alumni in the coming months. Look for messages from MarCom inviting our internal community to join in future strategy sessions soon.

Next Steps: September-December 2024

  1. New updates communicated via Campus Connection internal digital newsletter with updates shared weekly and as they develop.
  2. Following completion of 1, MarCom will develop a PowerPoint presentation for updates made to deans, offices and departments. MarCom will then reach out to departments/colleges/offices to request a brief opportunity to share with their teams. This is a high-level overview of no more than 10 minutes.
  3. GH and MarCom to begin developing plans for unveiling of documentary in October/November at Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà in convocation-type meeting with college and university leaders to denote upcoming strategy sessions between then and June 2025. These would potentially include faculty, staff, students, leaders, community members and trustees. GreenHouse will work to configure such a gathering soon.
  4. Establish next series of strategy sessions with Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà faculty, staff, students, leaders, neighbors and neighboring businesses to obtain input into Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà identity.
  5. Work toward development and positioning in media about innovative approach Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà is taking toward a refreshed brand, one vastly different than what other institutions of higher education typically take; position the president as thought-leader on this effort; contemplate various messaging platforms to help with this effort; align with recent enrollment growth, new entrepreneurship initiatives; recent grants and framed-in terms of increased donor participation due to this approach. Demonstrated how this is a new model for higher ed that involves new tactics to change the world’s perception of Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà and ties to our increased enrollment. This may involve creation of three to five pillars of key messaging that can tie directly to our new five-year strategic plan and represent a significant component of strategic marketing associated with the new plan.

Phase III: Help from National Marketing Firm on New Brand & Testing

Phase II of the marketing research and rebranding process will involve Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà working closely with our alumni advisors to obtain the assistance of a nationally known marketing and branding agency. The goal is to identify a leading branding with significant success that can synthesize research, stakeholder input, GreenHouse analysis and Áù¾ÅÉ«ÌÃ’s “bridge” marketing efforts the past few years into several possible new brands for review and consideration by Áù¾ÅÉ«ÌÃ.

In addition, the expectation is for this firm to develop a process of stakeholder review comprised of the following activities and deliverables:

  1. Focus groups with all Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà stakeholders to measure their reaction, emotional connection and overall perceptions of potential brands. This includes leading evaluative, open-ended discussions on these potential brands with stakeholders to drive out additional perspectives to help refine potential brands.
  2. Refine potential new brands and narrow to the top two brands.
  3. Present final two brands for Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà consideration and lead discussions with Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà stakeholders toward adoption of final brand.
  4. Provide input and counsel on new brand launch tactical strategy and communications in conjunction with the Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà Marketing & Communications Department.
  5. Prepare a comprehensive branding and report that includes references to relevant data, insights and information from stakeholder focus groups and interviews. This report will serve as the benchmark for future marketing efforts and subsequent research. 
  6. An executive summary of the comprehensive report will be used to finalize the new brand.  
  7. A PowerPoint presentation summarizing key findings, methodology used to help develop the brand concept, and rationale behind the positioning of the new brand.

 Stakeholder groups important to this process include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Faculty
  • Staff
  • Alumni
  • BOT members
  • Corporate partners, foundations, community organizations
  • Current students
  • Prospects
  • Parents—Prospects and Students
  • Community/neighborhood members, business owners, residents
  • Donors

Next Steps: September-December 2024

GH/MarCom Branding Next Steps:

  1. New updates communicated via Campus Connection internal digital newsletter with updates shared weekly and as they develop.
  2. Following completion of 1, MarCom will develop a PowerPoint presentation for updates made to deans, offices, departments. MarCom will then reach out to departments/colleges/office to request a brief opportunity to share with their teams. This is a high-level overview of no more than 10 minutes.
  3. GH and MarCom to begin developing plans for unveiling of documentary in October/November at Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà in convocation-type meeting with college and university leaders to denote upcoming strategy sessions between then and June 2025. These would potentially include faculty, staff, students, leaders, community members and trustees. GreenHouse will work to configure such a gathering soon.
  4. Establish next series of strategy sessions with Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà faculty, staff, students, leaders, neighbors and neighboring businesses.
  5. Work toward development and positioning in media about innovative approach Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà is taking toward a refreshed brand, one vastly different than what other institutions of higher education typically take; position the president as thought-leader on this effort; contemplate various messaging platforms to help with this effort; align with recent enrollment growth, new entrepreneurship initiatives; recent grants and framed-in terms of increased donor participation due to this approach. Demonstrated how this is a new model for higher ed that involves new tactics to change the world’s perception of Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà and ties to our increased enrollment. This could include creation of three to five pillars of key messaging that can tie directly to our new five-year strategic plan and represent a significant component of strategic marketing associated with the new plan.

2024 Updates on Reinvigorated Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà Community Connections

  1. August: Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà held a meeting with Fr. Tim Hipskind (director of Community Engaged Learning), Dan Pitera (Dean of SACD), Chelsea Manning (program manager of TENN), Gary Erwin and Ron Bernas (MarCom), Kristin Johnston (director of ODEI), Fr. Charles Oduke (VP of Mission Integration) to address the following:
    • GreenHouse community roundtables, sustainable engagement efforts and importance and connection to a new Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà brand.
    • Centralization/clearing house of community partnership work via udmercy.edu/community.
    • Creating better communications paths for our neighbors, internal community (Campus Connection community newsletter options, community webpage and updates, work with Lauren Hood and Jeremy Lewis).
    • Opportunities for connection with community: pop-up food opportunities, tours of campus, discounts for Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà faculty, staff and students at establishments on the Avenue.
    • Need for budget and ways to support efforts in FY24-25. 
    • Establishing regular meetings of this group to discuss the reality of neighbor perceptions, realistic short-and long-term tactical opportunities, etc. 
    • MarCom updated the front-page website developed for the community at udmercy.edu/community.
    • MarCom established a community edition of Campus Connection, which is emailed to the individuals who engaged in the Live6 community strategy sessions in August. Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà has added and removed names from the list of people who receive it.
    • Gary Erwin and Kristin Johnston recently met with Jeremy Lewis about ways he and his neighbors might be able to help. Both will keep Jeremy involved through communications.
  2. September: Gary Erwin met with Lauren Hood for lunch and discussed the creation of an internal Community Coalition Group to help manage community partnerships and outreach, given how many connections various staff and employees have with community stakeholders. A MarCom staff member is currently drafting a concept brief of this based on notes provided to them.
  3. September: Livernois Proposed Property Development Discussion with President Taylor and Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà senior executives, members of the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation and Livernois Development organization, among others, who discussed new apartments in the area and development of mixed-use space on the Avenue that may be of interest to Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà students for living quarters.
  4. October: SACD is hosting a drive-in theatre night on McNichols for neighbors Oct. 19. Dean Pitera will send us information for use in the Campus Connection newsletters and community edition.
  5. November: TENN is hosting their annual community meal for folks in the neighborhood in November. In years past, TENN has been a little limited in numbers they could invite due to cost. This year, MarCom is happily supporting the event with a donation to help expand the event’s reach. MarCom also plans to continue this support into the future. Event is 11.8.24 from 5-7 p.m.
  6. Ongoing: development of short-term tactical list to help enhance and build on Áù¾ÅÉ«ÌÃ-neighborhood community connections.

Conclusion

At the present time, Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà continues to layer Elevate research results, AJCU research, The Wall Street Journal Insights Reports and work conducted by GreenHouse::Innovation strategy sessions into current marketing and recruitment strategies and tactics to help drive prospective students and their families to Áù¾ÅÉ«ÌÃ. MarCom is also working to develop positioning opportunities within the local, state and national media with senior leadership to develop an ongoing narrative regarding the Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà rebranding effort to gain attention in the institution’s unique approach. MarCom and Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà leadership will also set up strategy sessions in the near future with invitations to stakeholders to participate in providing input on our institutional identity. This includes the unveiling of a documentary video that covers the community strategy sessions and interviews with neighbors, board of trustee members, Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà employees and others regarding the process to date and their hope for the future of a new Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà brand and identity.

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