A new brand identity for a new generation
project overview
On the heels of a challenging name change, Texas A&M–Kingsville needed to reignite school pride and drive enrollment. We launched TAMUK into its next era with a bold, unified campaign—using storytelling, design, and content strategy to connect TAMUK’s new brand identity with a new generation.
Challenge
Building brand buy-in without name recognition
Texas A&M–Kingsville, formerly Texas A&I, was fighting an uphill battle. Like many universities, they had long relied on regional name recognition to drive enrollment, but after a divisive name change, TAMUK was seeing a significant drop in consideration and brand equity across their prospective student and alumni audiences. The brand needed a fresh approach to connect their new identity with the next generation of students and graduates.
solution
We repositioned the brand to reignite school pride and modernize its image
We started by hitting the books, working with the TAMUK team to build a strategic framework informed by custom research, surveys, and focus groups with prospective students, parents, and internal stakeholders. Informed by these insights, we decided to decentralize the name entirely. Instead, we set out to communicate TAMUK’s value by elevating a unifying identity that would resonate with their core segments: Javelina Pride.
We launched a high-energy, multi-channel campaign featuring the Javelina Marching Band’s drumline, a student-led video series, a long-form campus brand video, and a microsite showcasing faculty and student stories. We also ran statewide creative targeting higher-ed opinion leaders and prospective students. Over time, our creative continued to evolve to meet the moment, including real-time responses to COVID-19 that reassured families with virtual tours, waived fees, and messaging around stability and future career opportunities.
results
A people-first strategy that brought new students in at a record-breaking pace
The campaign led to the highest enrollment in nearly 40 years, with a 12% increase in the first year alone. Applications jumped 30% in year two, and enrollment continued to grow at an average of 11% year over year. TAMUK became a standout within the A&M system for enrollment growth, even during years when national trends declined.
