Background
Minnesota State Moorhead (Moorhead) approached Campos when they were in the early stages of a strategic planning process, with a clear end goal in mind: to enhance the visibility of the university as a regional asset and to reinforce this role through new initiatives and programs.
Campos partnered with Moorhead to conduct primary and secondary research to inform planning efforts to achieve this goal. Specifically, we were tasked with conducting research to inform an updated brand strategy that would speak to leadership’s aspirations in a way that would be compelling to prospective students and differentiated from competitors.
Execution
We began our research by auditing four competitors (plus Moorhead) from a branding and marketing perspective. For each competitor, we articulated a brand positioning and highlighted the attributes they foreground in their marketing.
Then, we led a Discovery Session with the President’s cabinet to explore Moorhead’s key brand strengths and differentiators, as well as leadership’s vision for the future of the institution. This session, along with the competitive research, allowed us to identify several opportunities on which the new brand strategy could potentially be built.
Armed with those insights, we conducted two surveys—one with internal stakeholders (faculty & staff, students, and alumni) and one with external stakeholders (prospective students and their parents). These surveys determined which of Moorhead’s strengths and potential differentiators were most authentic to the Moorhead experience for internal stakeholders and most compelling and believable for external stakeholders.
Results
Our final deliverable summarized key insights to inform strategic planning and branding. This included a new brand platform, with a unifying aspiration, value proposition, and brand pillars.
Moorhead leadership used these insights to inform strategic planning and rebranding efforts, which have already resulted in unprecedented growth. The school recently announced it had achieved a record for first-year enrollment growth, establishing itself as the fastest-growing four-year public university in the Minnesota State system.
“This is more than a numbers story, it’s a story of momentum,” President Downs said regarding Moorhead’s record-setting enrollment growth for the 2025-2026 school year. “We are redefining what it means to be a regional public university by embracing innovation, honoring our liberal arts foundation, and positioning ourselves as the institution that graduates the region’s most sought-after professionals.”
Want to learn more about how research can fuel your strategic plans and brand? Drop us a line.