Decal contributed by Katie Magee, Fairfield’s assistant director of Marketing and Admissions.
Correction: The previous edition of this article said that the Fairfield University logo will be replaced by the antler logo as seen above. However, “the antlers are simply a design element that will be woven through all our materials. It is not a replacement for the logo. The logo is alive and well,” said Katie Magee, Fairfield’s assistant director of Marketing and Admissions.
With a blood pressure of 160 over 90 you might begin to feel the rapid beat of your heart, the sweat from your pores and the difficulty of catching your breath.
“You wouldn’t want to sustain that elevated blood pressure for long before seeking medical attention, but that’s the type of excitement that we try to embody in our projects,” said Cory McCall, creative director at 160over90, a branding agency based in Philadelphia.
McCall, along with Senior Account Executive Jasmine Rupert, are two marketing professionals who were contracted in February 2012 by Fairfield to aid in the rebranding efforts of the university.
160over90 said that they will focus on rebranding the website, which is used to attract prospective students. “We all know that Fairfield’s website is our number one marketing resource,” said Cathy O’Donnell, director of Marketing for Academics and Admission.
Speaking to a crowded Kelley Center presentation room of about 80 Fairfield staff and administration on Nov. 20, 160over90 announced that the the site will relaunch in the middle of January 2014. With the focus on prospective students, Fairfield’s student body should not expect any immediate changes to my.Fairfield.
The 160over90 team has worked with three groups – each composed of Fairfield faculty, staff and administration – over the past year to create an online experience that is “real and believable and represents who we are.”
After months of research and developing strategy, McCall and Rupert were able to conclude that Fairfield’s unique selling proposition lies in the university’s commitment to the core.
“It’s the core essential message that we need to be communicating,” said Rupert. “This is not externally facing, this is not a tagline, this is the essence of the brand.”
While 160over90 has helped rebrand larger universities such as UCLA and University of Florida, as well as major organizations like the Philadelphia Eagles, Rupert admitted there was something unique about working with a smaller university like Fairfield.
“I think the level of enthusiasm and participation and excitement is so much greater [here],” said Rupert. “[Students] were inviting, they shared their experiences with us and helped us learn quickly what the essence of Fairfield is.”
McCall and Rupert’s connection with the university’s community has led to “about four to five projects that have projected timelines currently.” One project, that may or may not launch around the same time as the new fairfield.edu, is a “three-minute or so” rebranding video that has been filmed on and off campus over the past month.
“It’s a video that will be shown to prospective students for recruitment purposes,” said Katie Magee, assistant director of Marketing and Admissions, but she confirmed it was a “project with legs” much like the website, meaning it will be adapted and changed overtime to be used where the university sees fit.
While 160over90 has focused mainly on the design portion of the rebranding, they have also helped in ensuring the new website is adaptable and sustainable. The agency has trained “about 100 new web editors” who can make sure content for the site is streamlined and always up-to-date.
Students, faculty and staff should be aware that content on the current fairfield.edu website will cease to be updated as of Dec. 13.
Rupert concluded that the university’s new brand will reflect its personality.
“We found that Fairfield is loyal, is impassioned, proud, intense, devoted, welcoming and focused,” said Rupert.
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