Why Brand & Branding Matter
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-Instructor Rachel Sanchez with a sample from the Project Blue stream that runs behind Building 1 for her Biology 1110L class.Our brand is more than a logo. It’s the collective perception people hold in their minds about Cal Poly Pomona – what we do and stand for, what makes us special, and the feelings we evoke.
Branding is the tangible assets – logos, colors, fonts, etc. – that remind audiences of our brand. Whenever we communicate or interact with someone about CPP, that person forms opinions about us. This makes us all “brand ambassadors,” and it’s important that we communicate consistently – using the branding and messaging that reinforce our brand.
The guidelines and tools on this site will enable all in our campus community to tell the same powerful Cal Poly Pomona story.
College Enrollment & University Awareness Rebranding Campaign
In 2018, Cal Poly Pomona introduced a new logo referencing our polytechnic identity that was not widely embraced by the campus community. Since then, Strategic Communications has conducted extensive research to gain a deeper understanding of CPP and our unique points of difference.
The world has changed a great deal since 2018 as well. Higher education is facing a challenging landscape with a shrinking pool of high school graduates who have more options for post-secondary education or jobs, and increasing competition to attract them. It’s also more difficult to attract and retain employees, and to raise funds from donors. More people need to know about Cal Poly Pomona’s great reputation for high-quality academics, learn-by-doing ethos, and success in improving our students’ financial futures. We are making an investment in this multi-year college enrollment and university awareness campaign to attract new students, talent and dollars to CPP, thus bringing more resources to support current students, impact society and reinvest in CPP’s campus and services for future generations. The rebranding and new logo is just one part supporting the overall strategy.
Why We Need Branding and You
Watch the video for more details on our brand building initiative.
FAQs
While people love the CPP brand and what it stands for, the logo introduced in 2018 has not been widely embraced. Designers find it difficult to use, and it doesn’t look related to, or in a “brand family” with the university seal and athletics logo. Since 2018, we have gained a deeper understanding of the CPP brand through brand strategy work and rebranding will reflect our more holistic knowledge of the university and better represent CPP. This work is essential to continuing to communicate with prospective students and their families about the benefits of a CPP education and the significant economic and career outcomes that result from a CPP degree. It also serves to communicate with donors, alumni, and prospective faculty and staff in a way that will attract talent and dollars to the university.
We plan to launch a college enrollment and university awareness campaign in spring 2025 that will feature a new logo, branding and messaging for CPP that reflects our purpose and distinction as the nation’s #1 polytechnic university for diversity and economic mobility.
The next phase of the campaign will launch in spring 2025 and changes will roll out over a period of time, including: a comprehensive suite of materials for prospective student outreach and recruitment; communicating the distinctive strengths of the academic programs in each of our nine colleges; career outcomes that students can expect from pursuing a range of degrees as well alumni profiles that support these outcomes; a refreshed website geared to prospective students that makes enrollment and degree program information more visible and accessible; on-campus and off-campus signage and advertising; videos that tell the story of our students and their success; digital and print materials that highlight academic programs, and more—all of which will feature a new logo, branding and messaging for CPP that reflects our purpose and distinction as the nation’s #1 polytechnic university for diversity and economic mobility. This enrollment and awareness campaign is significantly more comprehensive and inclusive than the 2018 update to CPP’s logo and branding.
Yes. We will certainly continue to share how our students learn by doing through the CPP Polytechnic Experience that we offer. However, it will not be a tagline or slogan for us because it’s not ownable (i.e., it’s not unique to CPP). Our sister campus to the north is already using the phrase in their branding, and we need to distinguish ourselves from them.
Yes. Strategic Communications has solicited feedback from a diverse group of campus stakeholders throughout the process. Campus communicators, a committee of campus-based marketing advisors, an alumni advisory board, campus leadership, students, faculty, staff and alumni have all been given an opportunity for feedback. This broad input has helped shape our message and assure that the strategies, branding and creative developed are resonant and reflective of the excellence, distinctiveness and diversity of CPP.
The university has contracted with 160over90, a global creative agency with deep experience in marketing and branding for higher education (including San Diego State University and UCLA) and consumer products. 160over90 is not the same agency that was used in 2018.
While we have very talented marketers and communicators on campus, effective rebranding requires a level of expertise found in creative agencies that do this type of work every day. Using an agency also brings an objective perspective and provides context, as they have experience working with other higher ed institutions.
Since the last rebranding, we have gained a deeper understanding of the CPP brand through brand strategy work. The brand identity pieces, including the logo, will reflect that more holistic level of knowledge. We are also being very intentional about listening to and engaging a wide array of campus and community stakeholders throughout the rebranding process.
Colleges are considered sub-brands of the university. Rebranding will include looking at how all our logos fit together as a “family,” and there will be new sub-branding guidelines for colleges, programs, events, etc. Most importantly, there will be messaging and materials to communicate the distinctive strengths of the academic programs in each of our nine colleges.
Yes. Rebranding will include looking at how all our logos fit together as a “family,” and there will be new sub-branding guidelines for colleges, programs, events, etc.
Yes, as long as they fit within our new brand "family" and follow the new sub-branding guidelines. Strategic Communications will provide communicators with tools and training to help with this process.
Rebranding will include looking at how all our logos fit together as a “family,” and there will be new sub-branding guidelines for colleges, programs, events, etc. In cases where a logo is firmly established and beloved, we will consider how that could still be used or if it’s better to update the branding.