We thought it might be helpful to post a little bit more about what a "brand" really is. This text from Little & Company's Web site does a good job of summing it up:

"The term 'brand' refers to the sum total of all the experiences people have with your organization. It is an emotional relationship with your many internal and external constituencies. Your organization has a brand whether you mean it to or not. But because that brand resides in the minds of others, you don't really own it. You can, however, manage it and drive its direction."

We will continue to keep you updated as the process moves forward. As always, feel free to contact us with questions or comments.

"If our college and the work that it does went away, what would the world be missing?"

Of course, the College of Education and Human Development is not going anywhere; this is just another way to get us thinking about who we are. What do you think?

Focus group sessions have begun; a staff session was conducted Thursday afternoon, and another staff focus group was held Friday morning. A department chair focus group was held Friday afternoon. The remaining focus groups to occur in the next few weeks will be one with associate deans, two faculty groups, and three groups of students (undergraduate, graduate, and professional/licensure). Phone interviews are being conducted with alumni and members of the College's advisory council.

The focus group participants represent the range of units and functions within the College. The sessions last 90 minutes and participants have found the hands-on activities and conversations enjoyable. If you are contacted in the next week to participate in one, please try to make the time as these are difficult to schedule considering the tight time frame and everyone's busy schedules.

The last focus group session will take place April 9, ending the research phase. The next step is that research results will be pulled together and distilled into a brand essence. From there a visual and verbal vocabulary will be developed -- ways to talk about the College and the framework we use to portray the College visually. A major deliverable of this is what's called a visual identity system. This system and its accompanying deliverables is outlined in the original RFP, posted below this entry and downloadable as a Word doc.

Because of the tight timeframe on the research phase, we'd like to encourage you to take the opportunity to highlight and share the work that you value by commenting on this blog. Start with this post on Our strengths, create a For-It's-That statement, and look for more questions to come.

Not every question will spark something, but feel free to comment on any of the entries at any time. It's a chance to talk about the great work you do in your unit, department, program, center, collegewide committee, office, initiative etc., which together comprise the work of the College -- outreach efforts in the community, international partnerships making an impact in the world, groundbreaking research, inspired teaching, what our graduates bring to their fields and to the world.

Speak from your heart. Jot down some thoughts, it doesn't need to be formal. Nudge your neighbors to do the same. Thank you.

What follows are two highlights from the RFP: why and what we have asked Little & Co. to do, that College staff will carry forward; and the full excerpt from the RFP on background, scope of work/project summary, and evaluation criteria.

Today's questions:
What are our strengths? What does the College contribute to the University and to the community that other colleges do not? What do we do especially well?

3. Define and discuss who we are
How do you think about the College? What do we want to represent to the University community, to Minnesota, to the world? How do our different disciplines work together to improve our communities? During our search for the right agency to guide us through this process, we emphasized the need for them to talk to people in many different roles in our College, to understand who we are and where we are going. We realize that “who we are� is still changing, and will continue to change. Our identity system will impact how the public sees us, but it will also foster an internal sense of interconnectedness. This process is significant not just for its results, but because it gives us the impetus to come together and have these discussions about how we all fit together and who we want to become as a unified College. Which brings us to the most important point: we need your involvement. Thank you to those who have commented. Please continue to use the comments section of these posts to share your thoughts on our emerging brand identity, or e-mail us directly. What should we know as we go forward? How can we best represent every part of our College? What kinds of tools would help you in your communications efforts? Let us know!

2. Provide a framework for communications
When Little & Company has finished their work, they will provide us with the tools we need to carry this work forward. These guidelines will represent their research as well as your input. Through this work, we will eventually be able to provide tools to units within the College, such as templates for flyers and ads. These tools will allow for flexibility, so that the individual personality of each program can thrive within the context of the College. Communication about our College happens at all levels, from a conversation in an elevator or a dorm room, to an ad in the Minnesota Daily, to a program page on the Web, to a collegewide brochure. Everyone involved with the College represents us on a daily basis, and we want to provide the support needed for productive communication on all levels.

Watch for Part Three later this week

We know that pain and mistrust have lingered in the wake of last year's reorganization. This process is in no way meant to disrespect that, just the opposite! It is a real part of what this new College is right now and should be acknowledged to our partners at Little & Co. during this research phase.

Do we want to stay stuck in regret and feelings of loss? I don't think so and I hope no one else does either--that's also part of what this process is about: Honoring our still-unhealed feelings yet also looking forward with great hope and excitement to everything this College can become.

Probably few people took the time to look through the RFP for this project (the link is on the blog's home page) but we very intentionally wrote that one of our criteria for the company winning this contract would be a commitment to honor ALL of our pasts and to help make this research portion of the project an opportunity to build community in all ways possible. The folks at L&Co. are with us on this goal which is one reason they were chosen to help us.

So please feel free to enter your thoughts here, no matter what your "college of origin" is. And if you feel your thoughts are too private to share in a public forum, please do e-mail any of us on the communications team directly--all of our e-mails are on the front page of the site. We will share those thoughts with Little & Co. without your name attached.

The brand identity process and final product will:
1. Unite the various departments and centers of the new College under one cohesive identity
2. Give everyone in the College the tools to utilize this identity and the reputation of the new College of Education and Human Development, while allowing for flexibility and individuality
3. Help us define ourselves, through your input and the research process

1. Unite all of our elements
The truth is, our College is different than it was even a year ago. When a prospective student or faculty member, media representative, fellow researcher, or member of the general public is looking at a Web page or brochure from one of our programs, it’s not always clear that this program is part of our College, or how it fits in. We have many different looks and words being utilized, which can be confusing. So why don’t we just make the College logo more prominent? Because our College isn't that simple. We want to find an identity that encompasses all of our elements and represents the diversity of our new College, as well as its place within the University. Every department, every center, every program is doing amazing work, and we want to be able to communicate that in the most effective way. What we’re after is more than just a new logo. We want a unified look, yes, but also a cohesive way to talk (and think) about ourselves.

Watch for Parts Two and Three later this week.

One helpful way to think about brand promises is to create "For-It's-That" statements. These statements are set up to read "For (AUDIENCE/CUSTOMER), It's (MEANINGFUL DEFINITION) That (OFFERS A PRODUCT/SERVICE/FEELING)." So, a For-It's-That statement for Home Depot might be:

For home improvement enthusiasts
It's the all in one store
That helps you do it yourself.

Here's a possible statement for the United Way:

For community organizations
It's the nationwide fundraising partner
That mobilizes volunteers and donors.

Keep in mind, these are just suggestions. As you're thinking about a new identity for the College, try coming up with a For-It's-That statement of your own. Don't forget to post it to the blog!