Branding
The best brands are stories well told. In that sense, content strategy is an ongoing brand-building exercise, but there are occasions when a venture is launched or reimagined that require the foundational work of naming and core messaging development, both of which require a different set of strategic skills.
Next Chapter - Toronto Metropolitan University
It’s not often that one gets the chance to rename a 75 year-old institution, especially as a measure designed to foster reconciliation and inclusion.
My involvement in the renaming of Ryerson began at its earliest stages with the realization that the process itself would require its own brand identity. This became “the next chapter,” an intuitive and accessible phrase that covered all aspects of the renaming project, from signage to websites to explainer videos.
From there, it was a whirlwind of creative and strategic activity to ensure that the launch of the new name would carry the institution into a brighter, more equitable future.
At its core, the brand storytelling piece revolved around a central idea — our new name marks a recommitment to the values that have always defined us. Throughout the process, our creative assets highlighted transparency, optimism, and the boldness that defined the university’s decision-making.
There’s not enough space to list all the tactics our team drew upon in relaunching the brand, but it’s worth noting that we were rigorous in targeting our various audiences and the content that surrounded renaming spanned everything from student-hosted videos on TikTok to updated brand resources for our staff to exclusive coverage in The Globe and Mail.
Perhaps the greatest measure of success for a branding initiative like this one is how well the new name sticks. At the two year mark, global web and social media references have swelled to 93% vs. Ryerson at 7%. So, if nothing else, we avoided the Rogers Centre / SkyDome debacle.
Scope of work: Brand Messaging, Content Strategy, Video Direction, Copywriting, SEO/SEM, Risk Analysis
Innovation Boost Zone
The best rebranding efforts prioritize intuitiveness over novelty. When I was tasked with establishing a new name and brand messaging platform for the tech-focused incubator iBoost, my goal was to dispense with the derivativeness of its existing moniker (no offence to Apple) in favour of label that spoke directly to the brand’s mission and fit with the nominal strategy of the other entrepreneurial zones in the university ecosystem.
Sometimes a name just feels right – such is the case with Innovation Boost Zone.
Ryerson Faculty of Law
In 2020, Ryerson launched Toronto’s first new law school in over a century. The vision for a new kind of legal education was bold, and it deserved a brand narrative befitting of the desire to challenge the status quo.
A multi-phase campaign to attract the first cohort of students was ultimately developed, but it all started with a brand platform built around a key message: it’s time to set a new precedent.
Scope of work: Brand Messaging, Content Strategy, Copywriter
