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Spelman College
The Objective
Spelman College competes with many strong, nationally recognized institutions, as well as other Historically Black Colleges and Universities. As it embarked on its 125th anniversary, Spelman’s administrators knew they needed to understand how they are perceived among key audiences so they in turn could sharpen their image and messages.
Carnegie’s goal was to develop a brand positioning platform that strongly defined and differentiated Spelman, and to use this brand identity to create new recruitment and general awareness publications. |  | 
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Our Process
We began with a series of qualitative and quantitative research studies intended to understand how Spelman―past and present―was perceived by internal and external members of the Spelman community, including current students, faculty/staff members, Spelman alumnae, trustee members, and parents of current students. | |
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Our Findings
Carnegie’s research found that the concept of sisterhood, a tradition of successful women, and a strong sense of heritage and strength of community were both reflective of the Spelman experience and motivating to key audiences. | | |
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The Outcomes
Based on our market research, we developed a positioning statement and a set of distinctive brand promises and tagline options. We also developed the creative platform, “Great Expectations,” that unites the concepts of history and connectedness to develop a new family of recruitment publications. The creative pieces included a viewbook, search, travel, and calendar. | | |
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| The branding work through the tagline, “A Choice to Change the World,” has been integrated into Spelman’s culture. The tagline provided the theme for the opening convocation speech given by the President, is prominently displayed throughout campus welcome banners and the College’s updated Web site (which Carnegie designed), and is the basis for a song presented at the Founders' Day activities. Recent enrollment numbers, including geographic diversity and the quality of new students, have exceeded all projections. | |
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