Scale and Focus
Scale and Focus: A research strategy
The challenge
The university sector is one of the largest by GDP in Australia and is constantly evolving and responding to broad macroeconomic factors; these range from the cost of the Australian dollar, to geopolitical tensions, and to changes in Government policy and funding.
To be competitive in such a dynamic environment, Universities must constantly evolve and identify opportunities for growth. At UniSA, research is identified as a driver of growth, with strategic targets in place to see a scaling up of research in certain areas of focus, as outlined in Enterprise25 and the Scale and Focus: Research Institute and Centre Strategy.
UniSA is a relatively young university, with a strong public perception as a provider of degrees that deliver employment, comparatively its research capabilities are not as well known.
To raise the awareness of UniSA’s research capabilities and impact, and to grow research revenue through partnerships with industry, we needed to approach the marketing and communication of our research though an integrated university wide plan. One that clearly outlined and highlighted what we do and how we can work with industry to deliver growth for the economy of South Australia and Australia
The solution
Consolidated brand approach
As a part of the Scale and Focus strategy a framework was built and endorsed by the organisations senior leaders to bring all research centres into a unified brand representation versus a multitude of different centres with varying logos and visual identifies.
Through this approach the breadth and diversity of UniSA’s research was clearly shown to external audiences and potential partners, whilst research centres benefited by being linked clearly to the equity of UniSA as a well-known and respected brand.
Utilising brand architecture and templates developed by our creative agencies KWP and WDM, all recognised research entities were consulted with, provided with a communications and action plan, and a suite of marketing collateral developed to support them in their partnership and collaboration activities.
Working as the project lead from 2019-2022, I was directly responsible for:
Stakeholder management: Working with all research centre leaders, I led the development of their, marketing and communication plans.
Briefing and strategy: Led the development of all marketing materials across multiple agencies and suppliers from brochure, flyers, hero imagery, websites, and videos.
The result
Since the inception of Sale and Focus in 2019, 1 institute, 14 research centres and 7 concentrations have been through the program and had their marketing and communications presence and planning brought into a centralised approach and UniSA brand framework. Along with the provision of strategic communications and marketing support to assist them with their growth in industry partnerships and collaborations.
