Frawley | Branding and Marketing Agency Ireland

Our Work / UL Student Life

Branding University of Limerick’s Student Representative Body

Thinking about How to Grow your Business?

Two heads are better than one!

Client Testimonial

Martin Ryan, General Manager

“We have commissioned Frawley to do a few linked pieces of work over the last 12-18 months ranging from brand research and development, website development, to communications strategy and we are extremely happy with the results. It was an initial piece of research to see how we could increase engagement, grow our retail and build on our brand. Based on this research, consultation and a series of very interesting and engaging workshops we are about to re-launch ourselves with a new identity and it’s supported by a very exciting marketing communications strategy devised and developed for us by Frawley.

At all times they worked closely with us and our distinct stakeholders in a university and student setting, a challenge they rose to extremely well. They worked within our budget constraints and their personal attention and detail at all times is flawless. They give themselves to the work which is fantastic given I know how busy they are, growing and developing their own business, it’s obvious every client matters! I highly recommend them and I am very excited to continue our working relationship over the coming years with Frawley as we grow and develop ourselves as a student representation organisation.”

The Background

UL Student Life is the representative body for 13,500 University of Limerick students. The organisation has been active for over 45 years and has a close working relationship with UL management and staff.

The body’s primary goal is to create a better learning environment and experience for all UL students on and off campus. This includes helping them through challenges, personal development and making sure their voice is listened to. UL Student Life’s HQ is located within The Student Centre, housing Student Officers, UL Student Life Staff, Clubs & Societies as well as student facilities & services.

The Challenges

1. Reduce confusion among students as to who and what the brand represents.

2. Increase student engagement.

3. Increase brand awareness amongst the student body.

4. Build loyalty between the student body and the representative body.

The Brief

We were challenged to conduct brand research and deliver a brand strategy report and brand identity design. Subsequently, we were asked to devise a communications strategy to roll-out the new brand amongst the 13,500 students on and off campus. This brief required the following scope of work:

1. Conduct brand research.

2. Using insights obtained, devise a brand strategy that will reduce confusion and build brand loyalty.

3. Design a distinctive brand identity that is historically mindful, distinctive and memorable to students.

4. Develop a marketing communications strategy with the leadership team to deliver relevant messaging to a number of key segments.

5. Work with a web development team and advise on how the brand look and feel should be carried across a new website.

Brand Research & Insights

We conducted brand research which unearthed the following key insights:

1. Awareness and acceptance levels of the UL wolf symbol were high.

2. Students weren’t aware that the wolf represented the entire student body.

3. Using ‘wolves’ in the Student Union name would make the Students’ Union sound like a sports brand.

4. Not all students think the word ‘union’ is relevant to them.

Brand Strategy

Brand Name

Research conducted showed some confusion amongst the student body between UL Wolves and UL Student Union with many students associating UL wolves with clubs and societies.

The existing name for the student representative body ‘UL Student Union’ (ULSU) struggled to resonate with students who were not directly involved with the organisation

The word ‘union’ can be perceived as antiquated in nature and politically driven. The representative body’s vision is to deliver the best university life experience to students, for this reason, ‘UL Student Life’ was chosen by the organisation as its new brand name.

Positioning Message

Belong to the Pack

Rationale:

‘Belong to the pack’ sits within the brand identity to create a sense of belonging and connect students emotionally to the brand. The ‘wolf’ represents the student and the ‘pack’ is always there to support the wolf.

Brand Vision

To be a world-renowned trailblazing students’ body recognised for championing students and delivering the best university life experience. We will be known as the home for students, where they are part of a pack, giving them a real sense of belonging.

Brand Identity Design

The UL wolf is tapered and has been integrated into the ‘U’. The font style for UL Student Life is a modern, san serif font reflecting the openness and friendliness of the organisation. The positioning message ‘Belong to the Pack’, is set in an informal but mature handwritten font. Finally, a stylised ‘L’ was created to complement the contour of the ‘U’.