Smith School Announces Tag Line:
Leaders for the Digital Economy
Tagline Launch
April 14, 2003
To: Members of the Smith School
Community
Fr: Howard Frank, Dean
Re: Leaders for the Digital Economy
I am pleased to share some
exciting news with you. We now have a
branding tag line for the Smith School of
Business: Leaders for the Digital Economy.
We will begin using the tag
line as part of our efforts to communicate
more succinctly the schools position as a
leader in management education and research
for the digital economy. Leaders for the
Digital Economy captures the schools
strategic direction very well: "At the Smith
School, we are charting a course to advance
business thinking and education for the
netcentric era." (taken from Building the
Smith Community, Ascent to the Top: The Plan
for 2002-2006).
What does the
tag line mean?
It means that the Smith
School is a community of leaders, showing
the way in an economy that has been
transformed by dramatic advances in
communications, innovation, and information
technology. Our leaders include our:
-
Faculty, world-class
researchers and teachers, who are
committed to advancing business
knowledge and practice in the digital
age;
-
Students, who graduate
with deep knowledge and skills in their
functional business areas, as well as an
understanding of how to leverage
technology across business practices;
-
Staff, alumni, and
volunteers, who are working to advance
the school and its strategic direction;
-
Corporate friends, who
partner with Smith to advance their
careers and their organizations.
Why are we
adopting a tag line at this time?
Over the past five years,
the Smith School of Business has experienced
dramatic growth in its academic and business
program offerings. For example, weve
increased the number of faculty
significantly, expanded our off-campus and
part-time program offerings and launched an
executive MBA, and opened several
leading-edge centers and laboratories. The
tag line communicates our progress and our
ambition.
Also during this period, the
business school marketplace has become
increasingly crowded. As part of a
comprehensive branding initiative, use of
our new tag line will help to differentiate
the Smith School in the competitive
marketplace and motivate more individuals
and organizations to partner with us.
In addition, Leaders for the
Digital Economy highlights the competitive
edge that the Smith School gives its
students and corporate clients: the
knowledge and skills they need to navigate
the digital economy successfully, regardless
of their business fields.
How was the tag
line developed?
In fall 2002, I appointed a
four-person committee to recommend
initiatives designed to strengthen and
sharpen the Smith School brand: Rebecca
Kerr, president of the Smith MBA
Association; Scott Koerwer, associate dean
and director, executive education; Anne
Moultrie, assistant dean, communications;
and Roland Rust, chair of the marketing
department and director of the Center for
e-Service. I appreciate their work.
One of the committees key
recommendations was the adoption of a tag
line. Leaders for the Digital Economy and
other tag lines were tested among our
internal and external constituencies. Based
on the results, the committee recommended
Leaders for the Digital Economy, which I
have decided to adopt as our branding tag
line.
Where will the
tag line appear?
Currently, the Office of
Communications is developing guidelines for
using the tag line in/on: our Web site,
publications, e-mail signatures, advertising
and banners, and school premiums (mugs,
shirts, pens, etc.).
Whats next?
With your help, we plan to
launch the tag line with a bang before the
end of the academic year. Stay tuned.
