Washington University in St. Louis
Grounded and gutsy
Redefining a premier college-admissions experience
Challenge
As a leading U.S. school, Washington University in St. Louis attracts many undergraduate applicants. But without a clear articulation of what made WashU special, the university was having trouble standing out among competitors—and the best admitted candidates were often choosing to go elsewhere. The school’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions needed new verbal and visual tools to differentiate the WashU experience, so it could persuade more of the right students to make WashU their first choice.
Insight
Our EyeOpener™ research—conducted with prospective students, parents and high-school guidance counselors—revealed three key imperatives that would help WashU build its reputation as a prestigious university and increase yield. Playing to its core strengths, the school needed to amplify its supportive culture, lean into its leading academic environment and connect with each student in authentic, personal ways. Competitive without being cutthroat, WashU could credibly talk about a community of achievers that worked together to change the world.
Answer
We developed a new positioning, “Real-World Ambition,” that captures the kind of “resourceful and realistic” student WashU is looking to enroll. From there, we created strategic messaging for target audiences, refined the WashU personality and tone of voice and reinvigorated the school’s existing visual identity. We then overhauled several pivotal communications. Finally, we helped create a new “front door” to WashU by designing the visitor experience for the new campus welcome center, which had just broken ground.
