Message from the President
September 2009
Dear Colleagues,
Four years ago, Metropolitan State College of Denver began its journey to become the preeminent public urban baccalaureate college in the nation. A critical component to reaching our goal of preeminence was the development of a comprehensive, institution-wide integrated marketing and communications plan (IMC), which the College developed in 2006 with input from faculty, staff and students.
Built on the foundation of Metro State's core values, this plan was designed to define and enhance the College's brand and reputation. Key objectives of the plan were to develop continuity on all materials that tell the Metro State story and to unify and strengthen Metro State's image, thereby enhancing its name recognition and brand identity for our institution as a whole, as well as for our exceptional programs, students, faculty, staff and alumni.
Did it work? That’s what we set out to assess in 2009.
In a study completed in June 2009, the private marketing research firm Sector Brands evaluated the results of the College’s 2006 IMC plan, addressing such questions as whether Metro State had raised its awareness among core audiences, whether the College’s brand messages were resonating with its target publics, and what the College should do next to convey its message.
The short answer to whether the IMC plan worked is yes, it did. But there is still some room for improvement. Accordingly, we have refined certain pieces of the original plan including our key messages and elevator speech, while sticking with the “Where success begins with you” tagline. This enhanced campaign, evident in our advertising and collateral materials, emphasizes “Degrees of Impact.”
The Identity Standards Manual, originally developed by the Office of College Communications in 2007 with input from the College community, continues to serve as a blueprint for consistency in all College publications, Web sites and other communications and printed materials. The updated 2009 version of the manual is largely the same as the earlier version, with slight revisions to the key messages on page 30. The manual still includes the editorial guidelines for general rules of grammar, usage and style to help guide our faculty, staff and administrators as messages are crafted and delivered. And, the manual still calls for consistent use of logos and provides standards for Metro State's name to be presented in a clear and consistent manner through the range of communications—both print and digital—throughout the campus.
Thank you for your ongoing support and participation as we continue to build a stronger Metro State through a unified image and key messages.
Stephen M. Jordan, Ph.D.
President