here's what we've done

• branding
• research & analysis
• social marketing
• media relations
• community relations

Virginia Community College System

Client
The Virginia Community College System (VCCS) is made up of 23 community colleges located on 40 campuses across the Commonwealth of Virginia. Virginia's community colleges educate 63 percent of all in-state undergraduates enrolled in a public higher education institution.

Challenge
As VCCS celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2006, it needed to jumpstart marketing on behalf of all 23 colleges—to make them "top of mind" among state residents and a first choice option for anyone pursuing a degree, certification program, or career retraining.

Enter Reingold
VCCS enlisted Reingold to unify its identity across all of its colleges and raise its profile among the business and workforce communities. We began by reviewing VCCS' systemwide materials and holding focus groups to pinpoint perceptions of the system and crafting a unifying message to counter those we wanted to change. Then we developed appropriate themes, slogans, and messages for the colleges' diverse market segments. Our branding campaign communicated VCCS' position as an educational market leader and an economic development engine, incorporating the tagline "myfuture.vccs.edu" to convey the aspirations of its students in the Internet age.

Results
Our branding helped VCCS overcome the negative stereotype faced by all community colleges—that they are a "last resort" alternative to a four-year traditional education.