Ask a random Texan about what Texas A&M University is known for, and the answers may range from football to the vet school to agriculture. Ask people outside the state and recent market research says that you may hear football, Aggies or even “none or nothing.”
It’s hard to believe for some diehard Aggie fans, and current and former students, but outside the state, many people, specifically 37% of Americans, haven’t heard of Texas A&M or have no opinion about it.
But that is changing. When President Mark A. Welsh III formally took the helm in leading the university, one of his first charges was clear: Texas A&M must strive to propel its national reputation and be a constant in the national conversation. To have the world know and love this university as much as he and thousands of current and former students do.
More than 250 marketing and communications professionals from across the various colleges, schools, divisions and departments at Texas A&M joined together as the new brand platform was launched.
“I see Texas A&M as a great institution where everything is possible thanks to our unbelievable students, faculty and staff who are unafraid to tackle the biggest challenges facing our state, nation and world with sheer determination and grit,” Welsh said. “But a great national institution requires a great national reputation, and that requires a different approach.”
“What we found is that we have powerful stories to tell. Stories of Aggies making a difference in the world. Of our researchers coming up with innovations that will impact people far outside our campus and state. The impact this university has is immense and we want more people to know that,” Welsh said.
To unlock that potential and find out how to better tell the Texas A&M story, Welsh hired and tasked his vice president and chief marketing and communications officer, R. Ethan Braden, to employ brand and marketing disciplines to help Texas A&M stand out from the crowd, as well as tell and distribute stories that enchant.
Tyson Voelkel, president and chief executive officer of the Texas A&M Foundation, closed the workshop by reiterating the importance and power of storytelling to advance Texas A&M’s mission.
This isn’t an easy task, especially since there are more than 6,000 colleges and universities in the U.S., with 226 of them in Texas. But Braden and his team were up for the challenge. As Professor Wayne C. Hall once said, “Texas A&M is a sleeping giant with unlimited potential.”
“For the last year, we have taken a rigorous approach to studying the university and the world in which it exists from many dimensions. We’ve been seeking to deeply understand the essence of this amazing, multi-faceted university and the opportunity to deliberately position it more desirably and powerfully on the national and global stage,” Braden said. “There’s never been a better time to tell the Texas A&M University story in a way that is authentic and credible to insiders, and intriguing, relevant and compelling to outsiders so that it can enjoy the same remarkable reputation it holds within Texas on a national scale and become a much bigger part of the national conversation, which it deserves.”
Ten months of brand development work, involving extensive market research to understand audience perceptions of Texas A&M and collaboration with a brand council of representatives from colleges, schools, divisions and faculty, has recently culminated in the university’s new brand strategy and platform, a framework for showcasing who Texas A&M is, what the university stands for and why external audiences should genuinely care about the university and its impact.
There’s never been a better time to tell the Texas A&M University story in a way that is authentic and credible to insiders, and intriguing, relevant and compelling to outsiders so that it can enjoy the same remarkable reputation it holds within Texas on a national scale and become a much bigger part of the national conversation, which it deserves.
The findings are vast, but the team distilled them down to a short, but powerful, brand positioning statement: “Texas A&M is a force for good, where Aggies stand together and step forward — united by Core Values and a shared duty — to build a brighter, safer world for the people of Texas, the nation and beyond.”
Last week, Braden and the Division of Marketing and Communications at Texas A&M launched the new brand strategy, platform and creative expression during a day-and-a-half workshop with nearly 250 marketing and communications professionals from around the university in attendance. He outlined the vision for the university’s new platform and an assortment of panelists modeled how the teams would work together, utilizing the brand and messaging strategy, to lift each other up to tell the university story as a whole, as well as their own college and school stories, with consistency and harmony to create desired attitudes, beliefs and behaviors with target audiences.
During day one of the workshop, Pinkston founder and partner Christian Pinkston and president and chief brand officer Josh Robinson took part in a fireside chat speaking on the importance of brand messaging, but more importantly, the value of storytelling.
During Day One of the workshop, two marketing and communications heavyweights from Pinkston — founder and partner Christian Pinkston and president and chief brand officer Josh Robinson — took part in a fireside chat during the workshop, speaking with Braden about the importance of brand messaging, but more importantly, the value of storytelling. Pinkston, though a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, comes from a long line of Aggies, and said he has an appreciation for what Texas A&M offers students and the investments made to support the next generation of leaders. So much so, he spoke on the very attributes that make Texas A&M so special, the embodiment of the Aggie Core Values across the university community and the relentless passion to make the world a better place, one student at a time.
Tyson Voelkel, president and chief executive officer of the Texas A&M Foundation, closed the workshop by underscoring the power of storytelling to advance Texas A&M’s mission. “When we communicate with purpose, we don’t just inform — we inspire,” he said. “The more clearly we share the Aggie impact, the more the world sees our value: a force of optimism, service and leadership. This is how we change lives, attract support and fulfill our promise to Texas and beyond.”
