When the University of Southern California's business school found itself in a rankings slide, college officials decided to practice what they teach and establish a brand-building campaign. Not an easy task for a not-for-profit organization with a limited budget.
Enter Robert Wynne, director of communications, who was hired to generate noise about the renamed Marshall School of Business. After doubling his staff and armed with a $500,000 budget, Wynne set out to meld the image of the MBA program, undergraduate program and other departments into a cohesive whole.
Wynne hired Web design firm Selbert-Perkins Design Collaborative, Santa Monica, Calif., to produce an integrated look with the university's new monogram. He also had the school's Web site revamped into a "high-tech, easier-to-find, corporate-friendly site."
"We basically doubled the amount of content," Wynne said.
In addition, Wynne said, selling a Los Angeles business school includes marketing the appeal of the city itself.
The site (www.marshall.usc.edu) should be live by mid-February.
--Erik Gruenwedel