Branding Rice: New marketing director takes reins

Branding Rice: New marketing director takes reins

BY JESSICA STARK
Rice News Staff

As
competition increases for top-quality students, faculty and funding,
it’s never been more important for Rice to expand its national and
international reputation. Joining Rice’s communications team to
spearhead such an effort is Elisa Fink, the new director of marketing.

ELISA FINK

“Elisa joins a public affairs team that is charged with telling Rice’s
many good stories in credible ways that break through the clutter and
stick in people’s heads,” said Linda Thrane, vice president for Public
Affairs. “Our new marketing and branding initiative will add more
horsepower to our news media coverage, community outreach,
publications, Web and other communications.”

Previously,
the senior manager for brand strategy at Dell Inc. and a brand
consultant for Fortune 500 companies as well as small start-up
businesses, Fink brings an experienced eye to Rice’s marketing.

“At
Rice, the biggest challenge we face — awareness — is also our
greatest opportunity,” Fink said. “We need to greatly expand the number
of people who know about Rice and add to the depth of their knowledge
so they fully understand and appreciate the many benefits we provide.”

At Dell, Fink worked on global brand integration strategies, which
involved finding ways to leverage the company’s marketing and
communications by identifying key messages that stand out in an already
crowded marketplace. She also has worked as consultant, writer,
researcher and information specialist and helped companies develop
brand positions and integrated marketing communication plans.

“I
look at marketing as the sum of all our communication activities —
mail, e-mail, Web pages, events, word of mouth and beyond,” Fink said.
“It helps magnify all of our communications with a single and strong
voice.”

Public Affairs recently completed an exhaustive series
of interviews, focus groups and surveys to help find that voice, Thrane
said. The research yielded a new theme for Rice — “unconventional
wisdom” — which has been adopted by President David Leebron and the
board of trustees. It will be introduced through a “Who Knew” marketing
campaign that already has fans submitting their ”Who Knew” ideas to a
special Web site. In addition, a new Rice identity standards manual
will be available soon to answer questions about logos, word marks,
colors, fonts and other branding issues.

“Rice has a distinct
advantage because we are a leader — but unlike our peers in special
ways,” Fink said. “I am very confident that as we go forward with our
marketing and branding initiatives, we will demonstrate our
unconventional wisdom and set ourselves apart.”

Fink will be responsible for providing branding and marketing strategies
that promote a focused, consistent and positive image of the university
among internal and external stakeholders and the general public.
Working with other Rice communicators, she will create and deploy
marketing messages through a mix of traditional and new media.

Fink’s
background also includes Web communications and development. She holds
degrees from Southern Methodist University, Columbia University and
University of Texas at Austin.