Strengthening A Brand's Reputational Reach

The McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) has turned to a trusted firm with a longstanding relationship with the university to help raise its reputational profile. Dyal Branding & Graphics, A Page Company (Page/Dyal), will collaborate with Sol Marketing, an Austin-based entity, to develop a brand positioning strategy and a supporting visual identity system to solidly position McCombs as a leading top-tier business school.

Page/Dyal has previously completed several major brand projects for The University of Texas System, including the academic brand for the flagship campus at Austin and identities for the newly-opened Dell Medical School as well as the Blanton Museum of Art. They also have created marketing campaigns in support of UT Austin initiatives. Page/Dyal designs wayfinding systems, architectural graphics, signage, exhibit design, retail design and themed or branded spaces. It has completed branding and graphics projects across a wide range of client industries in the U.S. from corporations to museums to non-profits to architecture firms.

According to Carla Fraser, Page/Dyal co-founder, "“We are pleased to have this opportunity to work with one of the most valuable and highly regarded educational brands in the U.S. With several UT alumni in our studio, we find it both personally and professionally rewarding to be selected by the McCombs School of Business at this exciting time for the College; in short, we are thrilled to be involved.” Co-founder Herman Dyal, a graduate of the UT School of Architecture, was recently named by DAM Magazine as the most significant individual in the Austin art and design community.

The faculty at the McCombs School of Business are ranked fifth in the world for research productivity*; the undergraduate program is tied for first among schools with the most top 10 business specialties**; and the MBA program was recently named the No. 1 best value among top-tier business schools in America**. The school's objective is to elevate its reputational profile to match its performance, both domestically and abroad.

Page/Dyal and Sol Marketing will initiate the brand positioning process with a comprehensive review of McCombs’ reputational strengths, which will include an extensive brand study among multiple stakeholder groups. The school last conducted a major brand evaluation in 2005, so the makeup of prospective and current student as well as alumni audiences will have changed dramatically. Other audiences to be surveyed include faculty, staff, corporate partners and industry influencers.

The first milestone of the McCombs brand strategy is expected to be completed in six to nine months.