University of Alberta
The University of Alberta Faculty of Law is the graduate school of law of the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Established as an undergraduate faculty in 1912 it is the third oldest law school in Canada, and often considered the oldest law school in Western Canada. It is highly regarded among leading Canadian law firms, with a superb track record for career success among graduates. Our century-long tradition of excellence has produced three Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada, including the Chief Justice, along with a host of provincial and federal politicians, legal visionaries, entrepreneurs, and public intellectuals.
Industry
— Education
— Legal
Branding to
— Articulate value
— Grow marketshare
— Conquer new markets
Services
— Brand assessment
— Brand & value proposition strategy
The Situation
The University of Alberta Faculty of Law was embarking on new five-year strategic plan to help re-shape the direction of the faculty and improve its competitive position as a law school that could attract and place the best students. Yield Branding was asked to develop a process that would uncover the key insights and strategic pillars that would eventually drive the strategy.
The Solution
Yield Branding recommended a rigorous, multi-layered process that would engage faculty members, government stakeholders, alumnae & hiring law firms, and students. In addition to providing insights, it was critical that the process create alignment around the strategic plan so that stakeholders would ultimately support and buy-in.
Yield’s process included qualitative, in-depth interviews as well as online focus groups in addition to a comprehensive audit of U 0f A Faculty of Law’s key competitors: Queen’s University, UBC, (Allard) York University (Osgoode Hall), and Calgary. In each case we looked at their admissions criteria, value proposition, brand story, and marketing efforts so they could be mapped versus University of Alberta Faculty of Law, uncovering white space that U of A could look to potentially occupy.
The Yield
The recommendations Yield Branding developed helped guide a strategic shift for the Faculty towards a focus on experiential learning which provided students with more hands-on, practical experience, engaged with hiring firms and government and led to significant increase in admissions demand as well as student satisfaction.