BRAND STRATEGY, VALUE PROPOSITION & MESSAGING

UC College UCVP Workshops

I led a two-part workshop series with UC College to define a clear, differentiated brand position and messaging framework. The objective was to move UC College away from generic, functional messaging and toward a student-centred, insight-driven value proposition that could support recruitment and long-term brand clarity.

Overview

  • The first workshop focused on building a shared understanding of UC College’s audiences, challenges, and current positioning within a competitive market.

    Key Activities:

    • Customer profiling across domestic and international segments

    • Value mapping to identify alignment between student needs and UC College’s offering

    • Identification of key barriers to conversion (e.g. perception as a “fallback option”, unclear differentiation, market-specific challenges)

    Outcomes:

    • Clear articulation of student gains, pains, and motivations, including strong drivers such as career outcomes, affordability, and migration pathways

    • Identification of core product strengths (accessibility, support, smaller class sizes) alongside perception gaps

    • Development of mini personas to guide future messaging and campaign development

    • Strategic clarity that UC College’s challenge was not product, but positioning and communication

  • The second workshop translated insight into expression, defining how UC College should communicate and what it should stand for.

    Key Activities:

    • Brand personality exploration to define tone of voice

    • Current vs desired perception mapping

    • Collaborative drafting of UC College’s Unique Customer Value Proposition (UCVP)

    Outcomes:

    • Defined a clear brand personality direction: practical, down-to-earth, and student-first, with an opportunity to shift toward more confident and engaging communication

    • Identified key perception gap: from “basic/backup pathway” → “supportive, confident launchpad into university”

    • Developed a UCVP that was approved immediately, centred on accessibility, personalised support, and clear progression into university

    • Alignment across stakeholders on both functional and emotional positioning

  • Following the workshops, I translated the outcomes into a strategic messaging and creative framework:

    • Finalised UCVP and messaging pillars, anchored in support, belonging, progression, and future outcomes

    • Developed a persona-led messaging system to support targeted campaign execution across key markets

    • Created end-to-end messaging frameworks and hero campaign concepts, enabling immediate activation for T1 recruitment

    • Established a clear line from strategy → messaging → creative → performance, ensuring alignment across all marketing touchpoints

    Work was temporarily paused due to a broader University brand refresh, however the strategic foundations are in place for rapid activation once alignment is confirmed.

View Workshop Series

Workshop Content

  • Customer Insight Mapping

  • Jobs, Pains & Gains Exercises

  • Value Mapping (Product vs Need Alignment)

  • Mini Persona Development

  • Brand Personality Sliders

  • Current vs Desired Perception Mapping

  • UCVP Co-Creation Exercises

View Miro Working Board

UCC Final UCVP

“UC College delivers supportive, flexible, and affordable programs that enables students to take their next step forward, with a clear pathway into the University of Canberra. (Target Market + Service Promise)

Through accessible study options, tailored academic support, and small class sizes, UC College helps students develop the skills, resilience, and sense of belonging they need to succeed, all in Canberra: a safe, welcoming, and affordable place to study and live. (Product Benefit)

Unlike larger institutions, we provide personalised support, dedicated advisors, and an inclusive, down-to-earth community where every student feels valued, encouraged, and proud to be part of the UC family. (Point of Difference)”

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