9:33 a.m., Aug. 30, 2010----With colorful banners now lining streets around campus, the University of Delaware has launched its “Dare to be first” branding campaign.

THIS STORY

E-mail

Print

Twitter

First announced during the UDid It! employee celebration picnic in June, “Dare to be first” is now a visible part of the University of Delaware experience with the campaign banners hanging at all UD campuses -- Newark, Wilmington, Dover, Lewes and Georgetown, and at the Elbert N. and Ann V. Carvel Research and Education Center.

“The University of Delaware has adopted a new 'brand' to serve as the public expression of UD's unique identity -- who we are, what we stand for and why we matter,” David Brond, vice president for communications and marketing, said. “This identity is based on six attributes that make UD a dynamic place to be: Talent Magnet, Idea Leadership, Discovery Learning, Citizen University, East Coast Classic and Smart Money.

“As part of UD's branding campaign, and with the help of numerous faculty, employees, students, parents and alumni, we've created a tagline for the University -- a simple sentence that articulates our character and challenges us to greater things: Dare to be first.”

UD dares itself every day, Brond said, citing the words of UD President Patrick Harker: “We're daring to enlist our full intellectual, creative, human and financial assets in service of our core missions. We're daring to take our place among the world's very best universities -- one that makes a real and significant difference in our local, national and global communities. We're daring to grow in influence and impact.”

As UD's brand campaign is rolled out, Brond has encouraged members of the campus community to be “brand ambassadors” and to follow the University's lead and dare to be first in the things that matter to them.

“First, get to know the UD brand story, the attributes that define our uniqueness,” he said. “Second, consider your own experience at UD and how it reflects the University's brand. And, third, share your stories about how you're daring to be first at the 'Dare to be first' website.”

In conjunction with the “Dare to be first” campaign, the University has prepared not only the banners now hanging throughout Newark but also a style guide to assist in the appropriate use of the campaign messages. The style guide can be found at the Office of Communications and Marketing website.

For a detailed look at the campaign, see the story in the University of Delaware Messenger.

Photo by Kathy Atkinson