When 55,000 People Find One Common Voice

At Purdue University, persistence and innovation lead to branding success

With thousands of higher education institutions in the United States, how does one set itself apart from the crowd? For Purdue University, in West Lafayette, Ind., one answer lies in delivering a consistent—and unified—message about its brand. “With thousands communicating on our behalf daily, no one can whistle a symphony alone,” says Ethan Braden, Purdue’s senior vice president of marketing and communications. “We must operate like an orchestra.”

Indeed, over the past three years, Braden and his colleagues have worked to bring the university’s 55,000 students, faculty, and staff into alignment about the school’s essence and unique selling points. Those attributes include an ambitious, decade-long tuition freeze that’s bucked the trend of ever-higher college costs, and innovative initiatives such as Purdue’s Data Mine, which partners with Cummins, Sandia National Laboratories, and 50 other organizations to improve access and opportunities for students. “Evolving our brand was a component of building a first-class marketing engine that inspires and showcases our incredible product, stories, and people,” Braden says.