2023 Brand Campaign Launch

In 2023, Chapman University will launch a new brand campaign that will coincide with the launch of our new 5-year Strategic Plan for the university.

In early 2022, Strategic Marketing and Communications began this brand campaign development process by conducting audience research, developing brand messaging and visuals, and collecting feedback from campus partners like you. All this work is leading to an official brand campaign kickoff at Chapman’s State of the University Address on February 10, 2023.

Please note that while we will be kicking off the brand campaign publicly in February 2023, the training and integration of the brand throughout campus will take an entire cycle (if not more) to fully complete.

The following resources will help you understand the goals, timeline, FAQs, and expectations during the brand campaign integration process. We appreciate everyone’s patience as we navigate the integration of this new brand campaign throughout campus.

Chapman Brand vs. Brand Campaign

Before we get into the timeline, it is helpful to understand what is changing versus what is not with the brand.

What is Not Changing:
Chapman Brand

This includes core brand elements like logos, colors, and fonts. These are the universal elements that are the through-line between campaigns and brand pushes.

brand Guides

What is Changing:
Brand Campaign

This includes all collateral that utilized the Anything Imaginable campaign elements like the connecting lines (swoosh), headline constructions (Achieve Boldly, etc.) and other elements.

Brand designs

Launch and Integration Timeline

February 10: State of the University Address / Brand Campaign Launch

This is the official brand campaign launch party happening on February 10. Think of this as the kick-off of the brand campaign for the campus. This day will be filled with higher-level awareness of the new brand campaign as well as building excitement for this effort. Guides and training will come later.

Please note, at this time, we will also be launching the comprehensive campaign, which is a University Advancement-led campaign focused on building Chapman’s endowment. From a branding perspective, this campaign is an offshoot of the new brand campaign with some tonal and visual changes made to better align with donor audiences.

April 13: Brand Summit

In April, there will be a brand summit. At this summit, campus communicators will have the opportunity to attend training sessions on utilizing the brand. Some sessions include design, content strategy, writing style, and more. The base brand guides will be distributed at this time.

April Through August: Begin Institutional Brand Implementation & Deep-Dive Monthly Brand Trainings

Starting after the Brand Summit in April, SMC will begin to implement the new brand campaign starting with our primary institutional needs. We additionally are hosting monthly deep-dive brand training sessions on items like messaging, visual elements, and school/department-level implementation.

August and On: Brand Implementation

At this point, we will be working on collateral refreshes as they come up in the natural cycle. Please keep in mind, with the amount of work needed throughout campus, this process will take a full cycle, if not more time, to complete.

What does this mean for me, a campus partner?

Per the timeline noted above, campus partners will be eased into the new brand campaign throughout the next year through trainings and project-by-project integration. Guides will be provided in April to allow you to start the process from your side of things like integrating the messaging and design elements, but the refresh of collateral developed by SMC will be put on the refresh timeline with key institutional needs being prioritized.

Sub-brands 

Since the top priority for integration is institutional collateral, the sub-brand development will be handled later in the implementation timeline. The good thing is, much of the current subrand work can be retained and allow for a smoother transition.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How was the Brand Campaign developed?

A. Over the past year, SMC undertook a research project to better understand Chapman’s position in the market and opportunities to improve or strengthen our reputation and awareness. In partnership with higher-ed marketing research firm SimpsonScarborough, we conducted a comprehensive market study with prospects, alumni, higher-ed peers and the general public in key markets to study and benchmark our regional and national reputation and awareness. Based on the data gleaned from these studies, SMC developed and tested multiple brand concepts with internal stakeholders including faculty, staff, leadership, current students, and prospective students over the course of the fall 2022 semester. Further discussions, surveys, feedback, and presentations led to the creation of the new brand campaign.

Q. Do we need to stop using all of our Anything Imaginable pieces now?

A. No. Campus partners may continue to use their current collateral. The new brand campaign will replace those physical pieces once they’ve run out.

Q. What about the sub-brands? Will these be replaced?

A. Eventually, yes. However, the new brand campaign’s messaging and visual identity is broad enough to still align with the current sub-brands, so the sub-brands are still viable.

Q. When will new sub-brands be developed?

A. SMC will work with the schools and colleges starting in the fall and continuing into spring 2024 to develop new sub-brands.

Q. Will there be a brand messaging and visual strategy booklet and cheat sheet like there was for Anything Imaginable?

A. Yes. This will be available in the spring semester.

Additional Questions?

If you have additional questions, please submit to smc@chapman.edu. We will respond and add any new questions to the FAQ section on this page. Thanks.