Libsyn Directory

Navigating a Name Change or Major Rebranding, with Christen Engel and Aubrey Hinkson

Release Date: 05/19/2021

Mastering Your Communications, with David Gibson

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In this episode of Undeclared, David shares invaluable wisdom gained over his three decades of experience, and he offers tips and strategies for #HigherEd marketing and communications teams of any size to make the most of their resources.

10-Benefits of a Brand Strategy, with Allison Lanier

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In a recent episode of the Undeclared podcast, we’ve discussed how to create a great brand strategy for your #HigherEd institution. In this episode of the podcast, host Allison Lanier explains the ten key benefits you can receive from getting intentional about your brand strategy, and she shares how these benefits can have a powerful effect on your students, your employees and even your community.

From College to University, with Dr. Laralee Harkleroad

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Any big rebranding project is complex, but when your #HigherEd institution is transitioning from college to university, that complexity ramps up quickly. In this episode of the Undeclared podcast, Tusculum University Director of Marketing, Dr. Laralee Harkleroad, offers her invaluable wisdom and experiences navigating the complex challenge, not once but twice! She shares tips for getting buy-in from your community, keeping everyone on the same page, and making big transitions while honoring your history.

The Components of a Brand Strategy, with Allison Lanier

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When you think about your brand strategy, what comes to mind? Your logo, your colors, your mascot? Those visual elements are important, but they make up just one part of your overall brand strategy…and often, when you’re doing a brand refresh, those are the elements that don’t necessarily need to be updated. In this episode of Undeclared, host Allison Lanier breaks down all the elements that go into a #HigherEd institution’s brand.

Marketing and the Global Pandemic, with Laura Jack

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In this episode of the Undeclared podcast, Colgate University’s Vice President of Communications and acting Chief Diversity Officer, Laura Jack, discusses her unique dual roles with the university and shares her perspective at the intersection of higher education marketing and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Trust the proven process, with Allison Lanier

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In this episode of the Undeclared podcast, host Allison Lanier talks about the simple but crucial question of “what is your process?” and shares how asking it can help you make the most of your relationships with agency partners, can save you from future headaches and unexpected mishaps, and can give you both clarity and peace of mind whenever your #HigherEd institution is starting a new project or initiative.

The Power of Cross-Team Collaboration, with Keith Warburg

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It can be very easy for the various teams of an institution to exist in their own silo… but building cross-team relationships can result in powerful collaborations and innovative solutions to today’s most challenging #HigherEd problems. In this episode of Undeclared, Keith Warburg, Director of Communications at Florida State University’s Alumni Association, offers tips and strategies for bringing your Admissions and Marketing teams together to create real magic.

Standing Out by Serving a Unique Niche, with Andy Geeter

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Andrew College in Georgia offers a unique student experience. That’s because it’s a residential two-year college with a very small student population. In this episode of the Undeclared podcast, Vice President of Enrollment Management Andy Geeter shares how this very targeted niche allows Andrew College to uniquely position itself among its competitors.

Generational Trends and Future-Facing Strategies, with Allison Lanier

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In this episode of the Undeclared podcast, host Allison Lanier discusses the key differences between members of the Millennial, Generation Z and Generation Alpha groups, and she shares what you should begin thinking about now in preparation for the ascendance of Gen Alpha, born between 2010 and 2024, and how you can ready your #HigherEd institution to meet their changing needs and expectations.

Navigating a Name Change or Major Rebranding, with Christen Engel and Aubrey Hinkson

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Navigating a #HigherEd institutional name change is one of the biggest and most difficult branding challenges you can face… but imagine going through two back-to-back name changes and full rebrands. Crazy, right? In this episode of the Undeclared Podcast, Christen Engel and Aubrey Hinkson from Augusta University share how they successfully navigated the incredible challenges and opportunities by utilizing key collaborations and including stakeholders in all aspects of the process.

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Christen Engel’s Bio:
Christen Engel is an award-winning communications and marketing executive with more than 10 years’ experience in healthcare and higher education. In her role as interim vice president of communications and marketing for Augusta University and Augusta University Health, she works to drive strategic enrollment and health system revenue growth through brand and public positioning, issues and crisis management, earned and owned media. In addition, she oversees mass internal communications and executive communication for an institution with more than 10,000 employees; the university and health system websites; the employee intranet; and institutional photography, videography and graphic design. Fun fact, Christen and Allison actually went to college together!

Aubrey Hinkson’s Bio:
Aubrey Hinkson prides herself on bringing the work efficiencies of an agency model to the health care and higher education marketing space. During her time at Augusta University, she has been challenged with multiple brand transitions and unique opportunities for process improvement and team transformation. As the AVP for Marketing, she is responsible for the development and implementation of marketing strategies, plans and initiatives for the university. Aubrey is an instructor in the Hull College of Business at Augusta University. She received her Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Master of Science in Marketing from Clemson University.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

Christen shares why her collaboration with Aubrey has been powerful, especially during the process of navigating the institution’s huge rebranding to Augusta University
What challenges and opportunities arose from the consolidation between Georgia Health Sciences University and Augusta State University to become Georgia Regents University
Why not including the community in the decision on the new name created lots of brand buy-in challenges, and why the institution renamed and rebranded again as Augusta University
How, in spite of feeling disheartened by having two years of rebranding work abandoned, Aubrey and her team rose to the challenge of doing another rebrand so quickly
How the right partnerships made a huge difference in the success of the second rebranding, and how intentionality and collaboration were crucial resources for getting buy-in
Why pushing people to be brand advocates rather than serving as the “brand police” has been an important lesson and mindset shift
Why Christen feels the rebrand was a monumental success, and how the rebrand created a unique opportunity to highlight Augusta University’s unique offerings
How Augusta University is navigating the challenge of tailoring messaging to different groups of students and alumni
Why Augusta University isn’t for everyone and doesn’t try to speak to everyone but instead focuses on students who are looking to break the mold
Why authenticity is absolutely critical for addressing today’s students, and what advice Christen and Aubrey would share for anyone going through a major brand change

Resources:

Christen’s Facebook: www.facebook.com/christen.carter.engel
Christen’s LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/christen-engel-25102a26/
Christen’s Twitter: @CARTERC5
Aubrey’s LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/aubrey-hinkson-2a497316/

Additional resources:

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