Organizational Change Management

 

Branding is an organization-wide affair.

For the past 14 years, I have played a key role in centralizing marketing and communications at institutions of higher education. This work is part of significant change management for organizations who have traditionally viewed marketing as a function of enrollment or fundraising solely. Through my work, I help grow institutional understanding of the critical role centralized marketing and communications offices play en route to building brand awareness and acceptance, increasing satisfaction, and improving the likelihood of promotion from the inside out.

 

Building a Platform for Success

  • There is so much to do, if only we had the time! It is amazing to see what a group of individuals can do when they sit together, plan together, and connect early and often with colleagues across the organization.

  • It is crucial that marketing departments have the resources they need to store files in a shared location centrally, house large digital assets like videos and photos, and manage and communicate about projects.

  • If your team does not plan their work around the strategic priorities of the organization then there is no way to measure success or progress over time, and the department is merely a help desk. Members of the marketing and communications department should actively work to serve on organizational committees, support cornerstone events, and celebrate major milestones.

  • Members of the marketing and communications team build trust by showing up to important meetings and events, asking how they can help, meeting deadlines with quality deliverables, and forming invaluable partnerships that inform and amplify their work.

  • Teams should prioritize ownership of the big things, seek outside help around the edges, and enable colleagues across the organization with turnkey templates and tools to achieve their goals on brand and without delay.

  • Sharing plans and progress updates are important steps towards building partnerships across the organization. Celebrating final products with lots of great data points is also key.

 
 

When we launched The College of Wooster’s new brand identity we outfitted an old department golf cart in brand elements and had campus leaders make spontaneous appearances on campus to hand out Wooster swag.