Athens State University
A Tradition of Serving the Non-Traditional Student.
Athens State University has never wavered in its mission to meet Alabama’s diverse student population – no matter the need – with an affordable education. Not only is it the oldest public institution of higher education in the state, but it’s also one of 10 Upper-Division Universities in the country–a mission that is as critical as it is unique. Yet, what makes Athens State undeniably unique is ultimately what makes its story harder to tell.
BRIDGING THE CLIFF
Athens State University wasn’t immune to the impending demographic cliff. However, unlike most public institutions, Athens State’s unique mission placed it at the center of multiple emerging market threats. Not only was the institution facing these new market realities, Athens State lacked a consistent brand which led to uncertainty around the institution’s true value.
Athens State needed clarity around its truly unique position in the market to ensure that it continued to sustain its mission and its goals for enrollment growth. To bring that clarity, it needed a compelling brand strategy–one that would help the community and state understand what Athens State does now and will continue to do in the future.
STRATEGY
IT’S HOW YOU FINISH
At the center of the brand launch was a website redesign. Improving the site’s information architecture, creating clear navigation paths and a content strategy with a clear audience in mind, led to the biggest benefit: telling the Athens State story in a more compelling and effective way.
To bring clarity to Athens State’ brand, we created a brand strategy that included a brand platform and a brand identity campaign. The campaign elevated the University’s modern approach to creating career-ready graduates and spoke to its unwavering effort to offer degree options for non-traditional students ready to finish their education.
The site launched early 2021, and the results have everyone involved excited.
Increase in branded search traffic in the first 6 months
Increase in conversion goals in the first 6 months
KEY WEBSITE METRICS
Page Load Time
1.12s
Bounce Rate
-26%
Increase in Page Views
+400k
