Howard University taps The Design Channel to help build foundation for future positioning and messaging
WASHINGTON, DC, January 25, 2014—David Franek, president and chief creative officer of The Design Channel (TDC), announced today that Howard University has awarded its brand development assignment to the firm. Howard is looking to re-assess its brand strategy to determine how it can further capitalize on its standing as the nation’s pre-eminent historically black college/university (HBCU) and a leading research institution.
“We are delighted to have the privilege of working with a revered institution that has played an important role in our nation’s history,” said Franek. “Howard is one of the most admired and distinguished universities in the country and around the world, and we are excited to be involved in shaping its brand going forward.”
Initial steps will include a multi-pronged discovery effort by TDC to gather perceptions and insights into Howard’s current market presence and identify opportunities to improve engagement with internal and external audiences. This effort will include a series of focus groups and interviews with students, faculty, university leadership, alumni, and donors that will inform future brand positioning, look and feel of marketing materials, and communications plans.
Howard University is a private, co-ed, non-sectarian research university in Washington, D.C. that was founded in 1867 to provide educational opportunities to qualified people who were denied acceptance at many universities of that time, including women and African-Americans. In addition to its undergraduate program, Howard today offers graduate schools of business, law, pharmacy, social work, medicine, dentistry, and divinity. Notable alumni and past students include former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall; U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young; Pulitzer Prize-winning author Toni Morrison; actors Ossie Davis and Phylicia Rashad; and hip-hop artist and producer Sean “P. Diddy” Combs.
With offices in Washington, DC, Baltimore, Maryland and Charleston, SC, The Design Channel (www.thedesignchannel.com) provides a full range of integrated marketing services, including branding, marketing communications and advertising, and broadcast and interactive media.
Contact:
David Franek
301-951-9195