New branding launched at MidAmerica Nazarene University

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Olathe, Kansas

It took 18 months of research, design, and committee meetings, and now the new and improved MNU brand has been launched. Faculty, staff, and students were the first to see the new images in a town hall celebration on April 23. Amid band music, special videos, cheerleading, and giveaways, the employees saw the first-ever graphic representation of the mascot - a Pioneer, several graphic treatments of the "MNU" mark and the word "Pioneers," and an updated graphic for the MNU conestoga.

Think of the MNU brand as equal to the MNU reputation ... it's the cumulative ability of the name of MidAmerica Nazarene University to register certain values in the minds of its audiences - from prospective students to benefactors. A high brand reputation occurs by being authentic and consistent in the brand messaging at all levels of communication. More than just a logo or a tagline, the brand rests on a brand platform constructed from the foundational ideas that guide everything at MNU.

The platform consists of the four following elements:

1. The brand promise (the overall image MNU seeks to cultivate)
2. The brand idea (a shorthand version of the brand for internal communication)
3. The brand story (the comprehensive presentation of MNU's defining traits)
4. The key messages (the points that all communications should relate to tell the brand story).

MNU's brand promise
The MNU Experience provides students with Christ-centered educational opportunities that teach real-world learning through pioneering programs; that prepare them to be servant leaders; and that encourage them to discover their purpose, values, and direction.

MNU's brand idea
The brand idea, pioneering spirit, passion to serve, and purposeful lives, affectionately termed the "3P's," is the essential idea that should be communicated through their action, communication, and resource allocation. The 3P's have been woven into a short statement that is easy to remember.

Our pioneering spirit and passion to serve spark purposeful lives.

MNU's brand story
By inspiring students to discover the needs of the world and teaching them to pioneer solutions, MNU is an institution where students are prepared to lead and compelled to serve.

MNU is more than just a four-year experience. The bonds and relationships that students form establish MNU as a resource providing a lifetime of support. Our students express their faith and values through their commitment to a biblically grounded holiness worldview. All that we do as an institution is designed to inspire and renew a commitment to a lifetime of personal discovery and service.

MNU's key messages
Key messages flow from the brand story and reinforce the brand promise by presenting content that concretely and specifically illustrates that story. The ways in which these messages are articulated adapt to fit particular audiences, media, and formats, the underlying messages should remain consistent with the brand promise.

In the coming months MNU students, alumni, and friends should be looking for all the ways in which the brand will be portrayed. For a look at the images, videos about the history of the brand, the branding process and the brand story, go to www.mnu.edu/events/the_brand.
--MNU

 

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