York Technical College is more than a place to earn a degree; it’s a gateway to forging careers and building relationships. Proudly serving the tri-county area of Lancaster, Chester, and York, this 2-year institution in York, South Carolina is known for their high job placement rate after graduation. York Tech stands as a beacon of opportunity, welcoming students of all ages and backgrounds to pursue their ambitions in an environment that feels like home.

Facing increased competition due to dwindling student numbers, York Tech needed a memorable brand to stand out. After more than a year of building a relationship with the College, our team provided the College with comprehensive brand services, including a brand platform, brand campaign, 60th anniversary campaign, and detailed brand guidelines. The result is a powerful identity that resonates with students, their families, and the broader community.

Hardin-Simmons University needed alignment. Struggling with conflicting internal and external perceptions as well as trying to stand out in a market saturated with competitors, its team came to us looking to clarify what made Hardin-Simmons unique.

The Goal:

Increase enrollment by…

• Differentiating Hardin-Simmons from the other private liberal arts colleges in Texas
• Creating more awareness in the metropolitan areas of Texas
• Making a splash with Hardin-Simmons’ unique attributes and distinctiveness

The Challenge:

Get the outside world to see Hardin-Simmons the way its faculty, staff, and students do.

The Opportunity:

Give Hardin-Simmons the courage and confidence to lean into its cowboy spirit.

A new strategic plan is an ideal moment for a university to make a big change with its brand. And that’s exactly what Westminster University wanted to do. Shifting from a market saturated with colleges offering the traditional Utah Christian liberal arts experience, Westminster leaned into what made it unique; faculty-led, conversational classes; executing programs through an equity lens; and enhancing its student experience with supportive resources like WCore, WestX, and Griffin Guides.

The University’s team partnered with GMB to help bring its new initiatives to life with a rebranding and web redesign that captured everything that made Westminster “Decidedly Different.” 

The Goal: 

To create a unified vision for the Westminster brand and help the University stand apart and above in a crowded market by:

• Crafting key messaging and campaigns that brought its new strategic plan to life
• Renaming the signature student experience platform to reflect the new Westminster brand
• Updating the University website to be as unique as the institution

The Challenge:

To embrace Westminster’s location while recognizing that its university experience is very different from the traditional liberal arts college in Utah.

The Opportunity:

To push the boundaries of the traditional “higher ed” look and messaging to attract students who would thrive in a progressive educational environment.

Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs and research opportunities, empowering their students to become whole-brain engineers. Students from the McCormick School of Engineering are equipped with the tools to pursue a wide range of careers, advanced study, and experiences after graduation.

Northwestern was looking for a strategic partner that could bring their brand and graduate programs to life. With 11 separate and distinctive programs to promote, the GMB team met with each program director to understand what makes them unique and how their different prospective student groups live in the digital space. Our plan included diving deep into target audience demographics research, discovering appropriate channels to reach each audience, and establishing budgets. Each digital marketing campaign speaks to the School of Engineering brand, while weaving in unique language that tells the story of each graduate study program. The programs were not using graphic type ads previously, and this gave a consistent look and feel across the portfolio while speaking specifically to the individual program. These programs include artificial intelligence, robotics, biomedical engineering, engineering management, design and innovation, and more.

Athens State University has never wavered in its mission to meet Alabama’s diverse student population – no matter the need – with an affordable education. Not only is it the oldest public institution of higher education in the state, but it’s also one of 10 Upper-Division Universities in the country – a mission that is as critical as it is unique. Yet, what make Athens State University undeniably unique is ultimately what makes its story harder to tell.

Athens State University wasn’t immune to the impending demographic cliff. However, unlike most public institutions, Athens State’s unique mission placed it at the center of multiple emerging market threats. Not only was the institution facing these new market realities, Athens State lacked a consistent brand which led to uncertainty around the institution’s true value.  

Athens State needed clarity around its truly unique position in the market to ensure that it continued to sustain its mission and its goals for enrollment growth. To bring that clarity, it needed a compelling brand strategy–one that would help the community and state understand what Athens State does now and will continue to do in the future.

American Battlefield Trust is a long-standing charitable organization dedicated to the preservation of historic battlefields. With a mission to conserve these sites and educate the public about their significance, American Battlefield Trust approached GMB to enhance its outreach efforts among K-12 educators and the students they teach by promoting three of the organization’s key initiatives:

• Field Trip Fund Grant Program: Grants for educators to facilitate field trips or offset costs for out-of-classroom experiences
• National Teacher Institute: A professional development opportunity for educators to network and enhance their teaching skills
• Additional Educational Resources: Lesson plans, content, and interactive materials focused on the Revolutionary War and Civil War

THE GOAL:

Increase awareness of American Battlefield Trust among its student audience (18 years old and under) and those educating them (primarily K-12 history teachers) by…

• Positioning American Battlefield Trust as a valuable asset  in becoming a steward of history
• Raising awareness of the educational programs and resources provided to history teachers and students
• Building an emotional connection between history, those who teach it, and those who live it

THE CHALLENGE:

The primary audiences (K-12 educators and their students) lacked awareness of the extensive resources available to them through American Battlefield Trust or how to effectively implement those resources in their classrooms or lesson plans.

THE OPPORTUNITY:

American Battlefield Trust had the opportunity to connect with its audiences on a level deeper than the extensive resources it offers. Given the relevance of understanding history in a divided world, American Battlefield Trust’s work gained new meaning and importance for educators, students, and our culture as a whole.

Presbyterian College, a Christian liberal arts institution nestled in Clinton, SC, recently underwent significant changes, including new leadership and a strategic plan roll-out positioning the school as “America’s Innovative Service College.”

Recognizing the need to authentically reflect its core values of community service, support, and growth, PC aimed to overhaul its brand perception to align with its strategic plan. The marketing team partnered with GMB to create a refreshed brand strategy, platform, and an awareness campaign that captured the entire essence of Presbyterian College.

The Goal:

Create buzz and excitement for Presbyterian College and its new strategic plan while creating a brand platform that resonates with all stakeholders by…

• Defining PC through the modern lens of “America’s Innovative Service College”
• Activating the brand so that it tells the story of how PC was founded on  service in an authentic, compelling way
• Equipping PC’s admissions team with updated brand guidelines and assets to help them generate awareness and engagement with PC’s various target audiences

The Challenge:

Staying true to PC’s core values while balancing varying perspectives within PC’s community as we clarified what it means to be “America’s Innovative Service College”

The Opportunity:

Embracing PC’s traditions, defining what it means to be a “Blue Hose”, and emphasizing its commitment to innovation and service through real student and faculty stories.

The Baptist University of Florida (BUF) faced a lot of change over the last few years. Between new leadership, expanding locations, and transitioning from a college to a university, the institution realized an opportunity to align its brand with its bright new direction. The marketing team reached out to Up&Up, a GMB Brand, to assist the school with creating a refreshed brand and cohesive messaging strategy that reflects what the Baptist University of Florida is now and what it aspires to be.

The Goal

Position BUF as THE Baptist University of Florida by…

• Breaking down barriers of what it means to go to a Christian College, setting the expectation that it offers more options than a pathway to the seminary  
• Establishing a distinct brand identity that reflects the Baptist University of Florida’s mission to spread God’s Word through education and supporting students in pursuing their highest purpose 
• Emphasizing how the Baptist University of Florida is a right fit for students who are looking to evangelize in everything they do

The Challenge

Remaining true to The Baptist University of Florida’s history and Biblical foundation while simultaneously battling the false perception that it only accepts Baptist students who are looking for a stepping stone to seminary life

The Opportunity

Christian homeschooling has skyrocketed since the pandemic due to its perceived safety and higher academic standards. Parents and students are now searching for higher education alternatives like the Baptist University of Florida that integrate academic and social activities in settings that prioritize both moral and spiritual advancement. By embracing the University’s religious background, we could connect deeply with an audience seeking an experience exactly like the one the Baptist University of Florida provides.