A l u m n i M a g a z i n e - Duke University's Fuqua School of Business

By Jim Gray
Associate Dean, Marketing
& Communications
For the past three years, our brand has been studied by
our own Fuqua staff and faculty, as well as by two outside
consulting groups. The primary conclusion drawn
from this research was that we view our own brand
characteristics from three perspectives: a spirit of collaboration;
a tradition of innovation; and a commitment to leadership.
These characteristics are embodied in our culture and will continue
to be the core messages in all that we say about Fuqua.
We must, however, reach farther in our positioning by
defining succinctly what is known in the advertising business as
the “unique selling proposition” of a brand. In other words,
what makes us stand out from our competitors? What is our
positioning in comparison with our competitive set?
The studies recommended a communications theme or
tagline for the school. An example of this is best epitomized by
General Electric’s longstanding “We Bring Good Things to Life”
slogan which is used universally to summarize what the organization
does and what the customers get from that product or
service. It becomes the day-to-day rallying cry for each and
every member of that organization.
Through feedback from many in the
Fuqua community and the hard work
and cooperation of our brand committee
and communications theme task force,
we decided on “We Educate Thoughtful Business Leaders.
Worldwide.” These carefully chosen words summarize Fuqua’s
core mission and tell the world the kind of business leader we
strive to educate in all our degree and non-degree programs. In
essence, the Fuqua community has rallied around our positioning
that we strive to teach our students to think as collaborators,
innovators, and most importantly, as leaders.
The
Brand
Alumni and other members of the Fuqua community have most likely noticed
in recent months two significant changes resulting from our efforts to enhance
and strengthen the Fuqua brand. Let me share with you the strategy behind
these changes and the processes that got us to where we are right now.
We are now incorporating this theme into all of our communications
media. These words serve as a catalyst for discussions
at many levels of the school, especially about how we
are doing in achieving our goals. It has become a key part of
Fuqua’s five-year strategic plan. We are running print advertisements
in important worldwide magazines to communicate our
theme. We call it The Leadership Campaign.
Once we were satisfied with the theme, we turned our
attention to the MBA programs’ brands and nomenclature.
As we added programs, we began experiencing problems of
differentiation. One problem in particular was the invention
of the numerous acronyms that represented each of the
programs – WEMBA, GEMBA, CCMBA.
We need to tell our key constituencies that there is one
valuable degree, and it is called The Duke MBA. It’s delivered
in four formats to meet the educational and personal needs
of students, but the MBA for everyone is the same.
We now offer The Duke MBA (daytime), The Duke
MBA – Global Executive, The Duke MBA – Cross Continent
and The Duke MBA – Weekend Executive.
Just when we got comfortable
with the brand characteristics,
communications theme and
program brands, along came the
No. 5 ranking in Business Week. We are now working together
on a plan to enhance our brand through this ranking. Fuqua
is now a recognized leader in the very top echelon of global
business schools, and we are committed to keeping our brand
at that high level.
E x c h a n g e / W i n t e r 2 0 0 1 I 3