This is an HTML version of an attachment to the Official Information request 'Seeking evidence of research paper confusion supportive of VUW name change'.

TO 
Grant Guilford, Vice-Chancellor 
FROM 
Madeleine Setchel , Director Communications, Marketing and Engagement 
CC 
Rawinia Higgins, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Engagement 
DATE 
1 March 2018 
PAGES 

SUBJECT 
Brand Project 2018 
Purpose 
During the last few months there have been a number of discussions about changing the 
University’s name and, more recently, changing the University’s brand.  
The purpose of this memo is to provide a high-level overview of the work required from the 
Communications, Marketing and Engagement perspective. This overview is for discussion 
and also raises questions for further exploration. 
Background 
The Vice-Chancel or is currently exploring a number of options regarding the name of the 
University, the strategic drivers of which are: 
1) Increasing our international brand awareness, particularly for prospective
international students.
2) Advancing our position in international university rankings and the global reach of our
academics.
More recently there has also been discussion about making changes to Victoria’s brand, 
although this piece of work has not been ful y defined yet. The desire to change our name 
and re-examine our brand are closely connected, but for the purposes of this paper wil  be 
discussed individually. 
The below assumes ful  costings and an analysis of impact wil  be undertaken, drawing on 
international and domestic research already provided, prior to any decisions being made —
the outcome of which would inform the detailed programme of work.  

Focus one: Changing our name 
If a decision were made to change our name, a project would need to be developed to 
manage such a significant piece of work. This would require input and leadership from a 
number of areas of the University and involve a number of work streams. The project would 
need to be managed through the University’s recently approved project management 
structure.  
The following are the areas of work we consider vital from an engagement perspective: 
 
International reputation building 
As noted above, the key driver for the change is strengthening our profile in international 
markets. This can be undertaken by both direct and indirect means—through recruitment 
agents to prospective students and their parents and via our academics to their international 
colleagues. There has also been discussion about using channels like the Times Higher 
Education. 
A communications and marketing strategy will need to be developed to provide a roadmap 
for how the change can be effectively communicated to the various audiences. However, as 
much of the core work in this stream is based on our academic engagement and research 
citations, this stream of work will need to involve other areas of the University. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
Internal communications 
In order to achieve the international profile and internal buy-in, internal communications will 
be vital. A structured approach to support the Vice-Chancellor and other senior leaders will 
be required, and work in this area has already begun.  
 
Recruitment marketing 
This area of work is somewhat linked to the international reputation building but given the 
lead times for people deciding which University to study at (both domestically and 
internationally) and the marketing material required, this would be a separate work stream 
with associated advertising components.  
 
External communications and stakeholder engagement 
A planned approach to external engagement is required, focusing on key stakeholders, 
alumni, donors and other influencers. This would involve developing an engagement plan 
with associated material to support the Vice-Chancellor and other SLT members in their 
engagement with key stakeholders and related entities. 

A key piece of work needed soon would be to work with Legal on 
 
 
 
 
Digital 
As well as a project to update the look, feel and content of the University’s web channel (162 
sites) this work stream would also need to consider the brand’s digital footprint (including 
social media) and search engine ratings. 
 
Creative development 
Initial creative concepts will need to be peer reviewed by a creative agency before being 
finalised and corporate brand guidelines developed. 
 
Brand campaign 
In order to cement the new brand in the minds of various audiences, a brand campaign 
would be required using traditional and digital media. A media strategy and advertising plan 
would support this work.  
 
Collateral roll out  
This is a significant piece of work and ranges from replacing our stationery and merchandise 
through to the signage on all our buildings.  
 
Other operational work streams 
In order to develop a full project, other work streams that would need to be scoped by other 
areas of the University include:   
  Legal—
 
  Human Resources—contracts, role descriptions and recruitment 
  Research citations and ranking impacts (as noted under international reputation) 
  Graduation and qualifications 
  IT and research systems 
  Naming of related entities (VUW Foundation, VUWSA, VUP etc.) 
 
Focus two: Changing Victoria’s brand 
At Victoria we define our brand as the following core activities: 
Positioning  
Who are we and what makes us different. This is currently Victoria as New Zealand’s 
Globally Ranked Capital City University with a brand expression of “Capital thinking. Globally 
minded.” This is supported by a number of agreed organisational messages and activities. 
Our name and organisational logo  
The Victoria University of Wellington name and crest with its portrait, landscape and 
recruitment design iterations. 
 

Our look and feel (sometimes called brand personality) 
The Victoria University green, the palette of brand colours, including red and gold, and the 
family of typefaces used across the organisation. This also includes images and 
photography. 
What we do  
This is how we bring to life that which is distinctive about us and how it is a real experience 
for our audiences. This includes things like our academic distinctiveness and our student 
experience.  
To develop a project that looks at refreshing our overall brand at the same time as changing 
our name, we would need to have absolute clarity about which parts of our brand we are 
focused on changing and which parts are non-negotiable.  
Victoria’s current brand framework is complicated by the size and scope of the University 
and its many audiences, as shown below in Figure 1.  
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Recommendations 
1.  The Vice-Chancellor considers the work streams outlined in this paper. 
2.  The Vice-Chancellor considers what should be included in the project, particularly 
which areas of our brand are up for debate. 
3.  The Vice-Chancellor considers the scope of work to be undertaken and begins work 
with the Strategic Project Office and the Engagement Group to scope the project.