Eastern Washington University
The Challenge
In 2022, Eastern Washington University (EWU) embarked on a journey to redefine its identity and enhance its position as a leader in regional workforce readiness. Our role was simple: assess the health and strength of EWU’s brand. However, it didn’t take long for our EWU partners to recognize there was much more to gain with an ally helping to advance their messaging. Our additional tools and full-service approach to rallying stakeholders would elevate their bold new institutional strategy and position in an increasingly competitive higher education marketplace.
The Solution
What “Full Service” Means
Our research-based approach began with in-depth discovery sessions and extensive surveys, exploring the university’s market position and stakeholder perceptions. Concurrently, EWU’s leadership was undertaking a strategic planning process, driven by the Board of Trustees’ mandate to forge a more robust, forward-thinking identity and carve out a larger niche in a volatile higher ed recruitment landscape.
As this process unfolded, it became clear that EWU needed to be fearless in communicating their core value proposition: providing applied learning that leads to in-demand careers, firmly rooted in the liberal arts. To stake that claim, EWU would become the region’s polytechnic, a position no other institution in the state occupied. Next, they needed stakeholder buy-in—at all levels.
This required a multifaceted full-service communications strategy:
- We developed a comprehensive messaging platform that would support the internal and external rollout.
- We completed SEO analysis and recommendations to maximize return on investment when assets went live.
- We tailored a landing page to support the launch of the polytechnic positioning.
- We developed audience-specific FAQs to proactively address stakeholder questions and concerns.
We produced a full brand anthem video to serve as the visual and emotional centerpiece of the campaign, along with 15- and 30-second video assets as well as a cheeky holiday video to populate social media channels and email marketing outreach to champion EWU’s new direction.
Collective data supported every aspect of their brand repositioning and alignment with the university’s vision. This transformation was about evolving the university’s strengths, not changing its core identity.
The Outcomes
Stake in the Ground
EWU now has the ability to redefine what polytechnic education means in the 21st century: integrating critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills across all fields of study. Because that’s always been their focus, “the region’s polytechnic” is about boldly stating who they are, not changing what they do.
As a creative agency and integral extension of their marketing team, we functioned as their Swiss Army knife, delivering solutions that amplified the university’s efforts and created a cross-pollination of ideas and discussions across departments. EWU’s transition to “the region’s polytechnic” required redefining not only its brand but also the public’s understanding of what a polytechnic university can offer.
In an era when universities face immense pressure to establish distinct identities, EWU’s bold repositioning sets a new standard. Our partnership demonstrated not only the value of a strong strategy but also the power of reinvention, adaptability, and meeting the moment, without fear.
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