Goal 1: Establish a clear and concise brand that distinguishes UAHuntsville from our competitors and peer institutions.

Goal 1 is the most critical and to be honest the most difficult to achieve. The charge to the committee was to initiate the branding of UAHuntsville targeted primarily to two audiences, potential students and research clients. The question became where do we start? The committee had to consider that the entire university is undergoing major reconstruction in every facet of campus life. Until the parts are put together as a whole, the committee realized that the university we are branding would not, and should not, resemble the UAHuntsville of the past.

With this caveat, the committee quickly understood that we must develop a broad based foundation for our brand development. More importantly, we realized that this university must be prepared to live the brand; a simple slogan or catch phrase would not reflect the “new” university that the strategic committees are creating. Knowing and understanding our current students became our first order of business, and our primary priority. Unless we understood how UAHuntsville is perceived by our student body, faculty and staff, we had no hope to create a believable brand to our prospective constituents. Current customer impressions became our immediate need therefore focus groups were organized to gather critical data. Our history was only relevant as to those areas that needed attention in our branding recommendations.

Initial Focus Group Findings*

To a large part the results of our findings will be expressed in the following Brand Strength section. To present a clear picture of the impressions and desires of the focus groups the following snapshot is provided.

Educational Desires/student profile

*Additional surveys and focus group studies are required and will be critical in the future as UAHuntsville evolves due to implementation of the strategic plan.

Identified Brand Strengths

• Variety: A university with diverse educational options offering a wide variety of degrees and research capabilities and the flexibility to move from one program to another as desires or needs change.
• Value: Our knowledge and education has worth. Become more competitive and increase value through research at UAHuntsville. Likewise, graduate schools and employers value the UAHuntsville degree.
• Relevance: A degree or research solution can be put to work immediately. Students have co-op and internship opportunities that prepare them for graduate school or the workplace.
• Connectivity: Affiliating with UAHuntsville provides critical connections with faculty, researchers, students, affiliated businesses, governmental agencies, national labs, and university consortiums.
• Mind Power: You have access to faculty who bring research into the classroom and researchers developing solutions to technological, social and business challenges.
• Targeted Brand Strengths: The committee identified four additional Brand Strengths that only emerged in our focus group conversations as important desires, but not actual experiences. These strengths add value to any brand and create an environment that will complete the UAHuntsville image and culture.
  
  Instant recognition
  Consistent quality
  Increased customer involvement
  Loyalty

Additionally, our focus groups indicated a lack of affinity or emotional connection for this institution. By building the identified Targeted Brand Strengths we will begin to address emotional connections.