Stephens College INNOVATION THROUGH AN INSTITUTIONAL SEA CHANGE

Opportunity

Stephens College, an independent women’s college in Columbia, Missouri, holds a unique position as the second-oldest women’s college in the United States. Like many small, private institutions, Stephens faced significant challenges as disruptions in higher education continued to evolve, impacting enrollment rates and visibility. Despite a rich history and a commitment to personalized, professionally focused learning, Stephens struggled to break through a crowded and competitive education landscape. Previous marketing efforts had limited impact, leaving the college largely under-recognized—even within Missouri and neighboring states. In order to stay relevant and true to its commitment to experiential learning, Stephens embraced a bold shift by moving to a block schedule. It was Yes& Lipman Hearne’s challenge once approached to help communicate it’s longstanding legacy.

Insight

The campaign’s guiding insight focused on a powerful belief: “There’s a better way to learn—and a better way to find your path.” This idea of purposeful, self-driven discovery and hands-on, immersive learning challenged students to seek educational experiences that go beyond the classroom. In a landscape where many colleges follow a similar formula, Stephens saw an opportunity to stand out by offering a distinct, experience-focused messaging that felt more relevant to students’ lives and career ambitions.

Solution

Our team collaborated with Stephens College to craft a brand campaign that is both timeless and bold—a rallying cry that emphasizes the institution’s commitment to experiential learning and personalized paths. This approach required us to build a comprehensive messaging that could unify Stephens’ heritage and offerings while being adaptable across distinct audience segments. Key project components included brand positioning and messaging and a bold new brand campaign. Ultimately combining to make a suite of creative and marketing assets and new website that articulated the value of the block schedule and Stephens’ unique learning approach.

The ‘&’

We held a brainstorm with the client ways to celebrate the inaugural year of the brand and Block Schedule with everything from stickers for students’ laptops and a “block” party to reframing their campus tour and ideas for a whole new suite of videos.

the Results

The brand campaign has been a resounding success. College communicators are excited about the refreshed and unified way to talk about Stephens. Our message about the advantages of the Block Schedule at Stephens was all their recruitment presentations and mailings. The clear and compelling story helped them exceed their Fall 2024 enrollment targets.