UVA Darden Business School As Usual

Opportunity

Darden saw a huge growth opportunity in positioning itself as a lifelong learning partner—not just as a stellar MBA program.

At the same time, Darden wanted a campaign that reflected an impressive ascent in the rankings, with more Top Ten rankings than any other business school; and greater awareness/credit for the School’s intellectual capital—which included transformative ideas like stakeholder theory, effectuation, and design thinking for Business.

With Yes & Lipman Hearne’s extensive experience with business schools marketing, we had the kind of deep knowledge, sector landscape perspective, and short learning curve that Darden was looking for.

Insight

In testing, we discovered that audiences were ready for a bolder and more audacious Darden. Our campaign asserts that Darden embodies the ideal response to a world defined by “business not as usual,” by being “not business school as usual.” We also found that audiences were open to a campaign that used humor—that it felt inclusive and spoke to Darden’s confidence in the position it was staking out. As we gathered talking points for the campaign, we realized we had more than a tagline, we had a comprehensive and profound articulation of what made Darden different.

In addition to its focus on purpose, the previous campaign was also highly stylized and focused on individuals, and we sought a more direct, chummy, and inclusive relationship with our audiences.

Solution

Out of testing, a bold, thought-provoking campaign had evolved: “Not Business School as Usual.” This campaign uses authentic copy to drive messages and rally audiences ready to stand up and stand out in their careers—the same way that Darden has become a leader in top ten rankings among high-performing business schools worldwide. “Not Business School as Usual” has played out across paid, earned, and owned channels, reinforcing the meaning behind “Darden-ness” and solidifying Darden’s position as the lifelong learning partner for aspiring and veteran business professionals.

Creative production is still ongoing as we expand to additional campaigns and audiences.  

The ‘&’

We think of this work as more than a contract. Our partnership with Darden drives us to be conscious of not only final deliverables but how the Darden team at large will use these deliverables and talk about them with prospective students and the public. We’ve helped secure buy in through presentations and discussions with board members, the admissions team, and other stakeholders to ensure that the whole of Darden’s internal community will be on the same page with elevating this campaign as true Darden ambassadors.

the Results

We are awaiting updated metrics from Darden’s media placement agencies, Kiosk and IDX. The last performance metrics we received were in June 2024 for the Enterprise Brand Campaign which launched May 1. The Executive Education Lifelong Learning (EELL) Campaign launched a few weeks later and we have not seen metrics yet. 