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University of Maryland Eastern Shore

Branding a Top HBCU

University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) is a top-ranked HBCU located in Princess Anne, Maryland. Rafkin Brand Consulting joined forces with its long-standing agency partner TBC to completely rebrand UMES. Objectives included unifying a fragmented message, increasing engagement with faculty and staff, and raising awareness within Maryland and among historically black colleges nationwide. From research through execution, we successfully created one vision, one voice, and one brand.

 
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Rafkin and TBC developed market research-informed strategy, brand positioning, key messaging for five distinct audience segments, a new tag line, and an all-new logo and visual identity system to reinforce UMES’ distinctive heritage and elite HBCU status. The rebrand was socialized within the university community through multiple training workshops facilitated by Rafkin.

To work in the most collaborative way possible, Rafkin formed a university-wide Brand Council to act as a ‘Board of Directors’ and to create broad consensus that all stakeholders could champion. Though more time-consuming, Brand Councils have been proven to greatly improve buy-in, ownership, and implementation. Brand Council members evangelize the brand, because they help build it.

The results were extremely well received. The work included a more empathic positioning that targeted first-generation students and students of color, a more contemporary and energetic brand identity based on heritage and HBCU leadership, and an inspirational tagline that captured the more positive, confident voice of UMES and its students.

Comprehensive Market Research

  • 9-member Brand Council

  • 14 competitive brand audits

  • 8 x 60-minute stakeholder interviews

  • 23 x 90-minute in-depth interviews (IDIs)

  • 5 x 90-minute Zoom-based focus groups

  • 27-question online survey

  • 10 longitudinal questions for long-term brand-tracking

Brand Positioning Statement

University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) is a Top-20 HBCU that believes in your potential and invests in your success. We’re a family that values who you are, where you come from, and where you want to go. Our strong academics, affordable tuition, and mission-driven culture help students of all backgrounds soar above and beyond.

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