The Indiana University School of Education came to us for help identifying and articulating a market position. After a thorough research engagement that included Circles of Influence with current students; focus groups with faculty, educators, influencers, legislators, alumni and the parents of prospective students; and a far-reaching survey of prospective students, current students and alumni, we uncovered opportunities to better tell the IUSOE story—which, for us, meant better telling the story of the teaching profession.

A contentious state policy environment and a general lack of deference for the profession—which many referred to as a “fallback option”—had robbed the word teacher of its power. RHB created a campaign that aimed to reclaim the word’s inherent strength and noble purpose: “For Those Who Dare To Teach.” The Coherence Manifest we created to articulate the new brand platform declared, “We’re taking ‘teacher’ back.” From there, we categorized the exceptional work IUSOE has done and provided further instruction on how to better communicate it and capitalize on it, with an accompanying statement of vision for the School. Our work culminated in a beautiful, hand bound, letter-pressed case statement that featured compelling stories about the amazing work of students, faculty and alumni, and the ambitions of the School at large.

With our help, the IUSOE has grown enrollment and improved quality. They have attracted more best-fit students to the School and increased the balance of direct admits in this year’s class by 16%. And they have restructured their marketing department and stabilized their budget after launching a capital campaign that, to date, has already surpassed the campaign goal and the School of Education’s fundraising record.

“When searching for a partner to lead the development of a comprehensive marketing strategy, RHB stood out from the crowd. Their laser focus on authentic truth-telling brought clarity to our mission, elevated our unique value to higher education, and revealed the soft spots we needed to address. In finding this ‘coherence,’ we transcended the creation of slick marketing materials and were fundamentally transformed as an organization ready to maximize our contribution to the world.”

—Jonathan D. Purvis, CFRE, Vice President for Development, Regional Campuses, Indiana University Foundation