Words of Wisdom

By Laura Taxel

Rice University. Committed to transforming the world with an uncommon approach to research and education.

Rice • Unconventional Wisdom • rice.edu

Millions of National Public Radio listeners around the country heard that short phrase during its two-month run this fall. The NPR sponsorship — which generated 90 million impressions, or people contacts — is part of a comprehensive communications initiative to raise awareness of Rice and help more people understand what sets it apart.

In addition, a new 30-second public service announcement appeared on Fox TV, ESPN and Rice’s own Jumbotron during football games. The PSA features permeable sidewalks, the School of Architecture and the Shepherd School of Music using a “Who Knew” question-and-answer approach.

Then there’s the rice.edu Web site sporting a vibrant new shield that pops off of the page and a growing number of pages with new looks that include official branding, clean new design and sharper content. Publications coming from different parts of the institution are clearly declaring their Rice affiliation by using the new logo. Even the Rice University Police Department’s Tahoes sport the new look.

“Rice’s owls look great on a tie, and I’ve got a few hundred to prove it,” said Bucky Allshouse, chairman of the board of trustees Public Affairs Committee. “But the owl on the shield in the new Rice logo is a beautiful statement of what we’re about — our unconventional ways of approaching opportunities and problems, the wisdom that comes out of our teaching and research. This is one more way to unite us as a community and to tell the world about what we stand for.”

You hear it more and more often: “What’s going on at Rice? It seems more vibrant.”

Well, there’s a lot going on. The Vision for the Second Century is under way, and Rice is being transformed: new facilities built, older ones renovated, the student population expanded, international and research programming enhanced, urban outreach magnified. And alongside is a stepped-up communications campaign anchored in Unconventional Wisdom and highlighted by Who Knew anecdotes.

“In this competitive academic marketplace, the need to establish a recognizable brand — one that stands out and reflects the institution’s unique character — has never been greater,” said Rice President David Leebron. “If we want recognition as a great research university, we need to communicate our strengths clearly, convincingly and often.”

“The new Rice brand strategy is designed to differentiate the university from other educational and research institutions by communicating what makes Rice unique — the wisdom that emerges from its research and teaching, embodied in the Athenian owl mascot — and the distinctive, sometimes quirky, way Rice goes about its business. Together, those add up to Unconventional Wisdom.”

-David W. Leebron

“The hundreds of people we consulted in developing this initiative said the same thing again and again: Rice needs more sizzle. Unconventional Wisdom is our secret sauce,” said Linda Thrane, vice president for Public Affairs. “Our positioning and marketing initiative also will spice up our news media coverage, community outreach, publications, Web presence and other communications.”
The initiative also includes a comprehensive identity standards manual (www.rice.edu/ricebrand), the Who Knew Web site, Web templates and an online storefront for ordering branded stationery and business cards. Topping it off is the NPR campaign, featured on more than 1,440 stations during the popular “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered” programs, plus Rice banners on npr.org.

“NPR’s audience of leaders in business, government and education are just the people we want to reach to raise awareness about Rice and its distinctive education, research and public service,” said Elisa Fink, Rice’s new director of marketing. “We hope that when people hear the spot, they go online to rice.edu, where they can read about the individuals and the work that make Rice a unique institution.”

The phrase “Unconventional Wisdom” was developed through an exhaustive series of on- and off-campus interviews, focus groups and surveys to help find Rice’s voice. The branding and marketing campaign has been embraced by President Leebron and the Rice Board of Trustees.
“The board of trustees believes that advancing Rice’s image broadly is crucial to achieving our vision, and we’re convinced the way to do this is through simple, authentic messages that we hammer home in all of our communications,” said chairman Jim Crownover. “In fact, the board believed in this so much that we rolled up our sleeves and got in there and worked on it. That’s the measure of how important this is.”

Hundreds of alumni, trustees, deans, faculty, administrators, students and community members were interviewed or surveyed for the campaign, spearheaded by Public Affairs and OLSON, a national branding firm based in Minneapolis.

“Rice’s public image ought to be as distinctive as our university — classy yet quirky, smart yet cheeky — just like Rice and its students, faculty and alumni. We are delighted with the new initiatives,” said Association of Rice Alumni President Charles Szalkowski ’70.

“Great institutions, like great people, often spend the last bit of their energy on being who they are or doing what they do. There simply isn’t time to worry about who’s watching or what message is getting out,” said Deborah Harter, associate professor of French and speaker of the Faculty Senate. “I am so grateful we now have at Rice a special team to do that worrying for us — whose sole purpose is to speak on behalf of the unconventional wisdom that captures so well the essence of this surprising university and of the brilliant, offbeat, ‘who-knewing’ students and faculty who make it their home.”

The “Who Knew” marketing campaign is designed to raise interest using clever juxtapositions, dichotomies or unexpected associations. Several that already have made a public appearance are:

The rice.edu home page invites members of the Rice community to submit “Who Knew” ideas to a special Web site, which can be found by clicking on the “Who Knew” icon.
The Rice Student Association is joining the initiative with a contest designed to collect student-generated “Who Knews.”

“The Who Knew campaign builds Rice spirit among the students by focusing on, and highlighting, what sets us apart,” said RSA President Laura Kelley. “Learning about these fantastic achievements produced by the school we belong to means that students will walk out of the Sallyport not only confident in their skills to make a difference as leaders, but also proud of the place where they received this great foundation.”

Trustee Jeff Rose ’77, an executive with Wells Fargo, has been advocating for Rice to create a stronger identity through consistent use of its official logo, colors, wordmarks and other brand assets. “Rice has a tremendous brand, but we have to manage it well and make more people aware of it — that can only help us in recruiting students and faculty and raising money,” he said.
Fink agreed. “At Rice, the biggest challenge we face — external awareness — also is our greatest opportunity,” she said. “I look at marketing as the summation of all our communication activities — mail, e-mail, Web pages, events, word of mouth and beyond. It magnifies all of our communications with a single and strong voice.”

Fink is charged with overseeing Rice’s brand management and promotion programs and working with communicators across campus to create and deploy messages that raise positive awareness of Rice and its many parts.

The new Rice brand initiative also can be a catalyst for alumni to re-establish ties with the institution and each other, said Vicki Whamond Bretthauer ’79, a trustee and alumni board member. “By getting the word out, it ultimately helps us get back in touch with our alumni all over the country and the world,” she said. “As visibility goes up, we’ll be seeing more people wanting to wear their Rice pins and hats and T-shirts and rekindling that relationship.”

Sallie Keller-McNulty, dean of the George R. Brown School of Engineering, said the messaging is based on what gives Rice distinction. “I do believe it is through unconventional wisdom that we will succeed,” she said. “We’re not like other universities in many ways. We have to be smart, and we have to use our unconventional wisdom to attract the best students, faculty and resources.”

What They’re Saying

“I think the single most impressive thing about the repositioning efforts currently going on at this university is the wonderful match between the quirkiness of Rice and the quirkiness of Linda Thrane and her team. Here is a group that seems to get a kick out of discovering, and then telling back to us, our own great story, and that makes us want to give them more.”
—Deborah Harter
Associate Professor of French
Speaker, Faculty Senate

“A stronger identity will help us on a global level. It’s just important for people to know who we are before we get there.”
—Jeff Rose
Rice Trustee

“As I told engineering alumni the other day, our unconventional wisdom has allowed us to succeed. And who knew that the George R. Brown School of Engineering’s success is central to American competitiveness?”
—Sallie Keller-McNulty
Dean, George R. Brown School of Engineering

“Rice students pride themselves on being different from students at other institutions across the country: We love our unique culture, intimate atmosphere and collaborative approach to academic excellence.”
—Laura Kelley
President, Rice Student Association

“Last year, during my tenure as president of the Association of Rice Alumni, I met with a student from New York City presently attending the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management, and she lamented the fact that, while renowned in the southwest, Rice was virtually unknown in New York City. I was pleased and excited when Linda Thrane, vice president for Public Affairs, advised the ARA board that Rice was initiating a public relations campaign and soliciting input and participation from the board, alumni, faculty and administration. The members of the board were impressed with the ‘Unconventional Wisdom’ theme and the ‘Who Knew’ approach to highlighting Rice’s unique qualities. I firmly believe that this marketing campaign will be an integral part of accomplishing President David Leebron’s objective of raising Rice’s profile nationally and internationally.”
—Harry Gee Jr.
Past President, Association of Rice Alumni