UABHC asked o2 to create a new, mobile-friendly website for the college. However, after reviewing the site and an array of collateral material, we realized the college wasn’t fully expressing all the factors that made it a truly special place of learning. Instead of a website, the college needed a brand.
Develop a brand for UABHC to distinguish it from other honors colleges, increase student interest and serve as a source of pride for current students and faculty.
A competitive analysis revealed that the world of honors colleges is a world of sameness, where the top colleges express nearly identical messaging: “We’re a community of talented students who share a passion for learning.” In order to stand out, UABHC needed bold positioning that shifted the focus away from talking about what it offers to what students will receive.
After conducting a brand workshop and defining the new brand, o2 developed a tagline that would distinguish the school from its competition and serve as both an internal and external rallying cry: “Set Your World on Fire.” We then implemented a social campaign to promote the brand and drive traffic to the new website.
UAB’s new positioning, website and social media campaign led to the following results: Home page visits consistently increased 20% each week. Home page visits more than doubled from December to January month over month. 157% increase in visits to Prospective Students Page. Above-average click-thru rates on both Facebook and Instagram (.23% and .22%, respectively, compared to .10% industry standard). Most impressively: a 31.08% enrollment increase.
