Business Programs Smith School MBA

Business Programs Smith School MBA Program Description of Materials "Smith" and "The Smith School," is used throughout the program's marketing materials, and the University of Maryland logo is slightly modified with the words "Robert H. Smith School of Business" appearing on two separate lines beneath the logo in the same font as "University of Maryland," but this is used sparingly in materials.

There is a heavy emphasis on the diversity of the program in terms of instructor and student ethnicity/cultural background and the significance of this feature in the global marketplace is stressed.

The marketing activities engaged in appear to be a mix of standard materials and a reliance on external and presumably objective (that is, not paid for or compensated in any way by the school) reviews of the program, such as Business Week's and the Financial Times' ranking the school and the MBA program as one of the best programs/business schools in the United States.

Analysis Brand identification occurs primarily through the use of the school's name in various forms (again, as "Smith" or "The Smith School"), and this usage is consistent across marketing materials.

Other than the scant published ads, brochures, and website-specific marketing efforts, however, there does not appear to be any real marketing program in place -- the school seems to allow its reputation to speak for it in other media, and this actually could work to the school's advantage yet it does not give the impression of a cohesive and coherent program. While the international factor that the school addresses is common to all programs, there does appear to be some distinction between independent program positioning.

Smith School Executive MBA Program Description of Materials The same logo use as described above is used just as sparingly in marketing materials for this program, and the same repetition of the school's name in various forms also occurs as the primary method of direct branding.

Emphasis on the unique, comprehensive, non-linear, and semi-customizable nature of this program is the standard of marketing materials for the school's Executive MBA program as well as the other executive development programs offered at the school, showing a clear positioning for these programs that still incorporates the element of diversity but is also distinct to this program itself. External media quotes and rankings are also heavily relied on as marketing tools that evidences the school's reputation and standards.

Despite the clarity of the program's positioning, however, there again does not appear to be a truly cohesive marketing plan in place for the program or the school, and reputation among the business world as supplied by word-of-moth and objective media analysis seems to be the basis of most marketing.

Analysis There is a high level of consistency in the use of the various brand elements that the programs at the Smith School, namely in the use of the school's name and the appearance of the full University of Maryland/Robert H. Smith School of Business logo on at least the front/top of all marketing materials, but use is sparing. Again, fully coherent marketing programs do not appear to be in place, though this in itself is a logical consistency that carries across both programs.

The positioning of the two programs examined, while sharing common elements, are also clearly distinct. McDonough School of Business Global Executive MBA Program Description of Materials There is no heavy use of branding elements in any of the marketing materials regarding this program; the school name and logo appears at the top/on the front of all materials, but this is not used extensively or necessarily at all in more in-depth portions of these materials.

Color choice, however, is highly consistent across all marketing materials, creating at least some sense of cohesion. Positioning of the course is focused on the flexibility of the program's scheduling and course offerings as well as the diversity of the professional backgrounds that students in the program possess; the actual offerings of the course are described only in vague detail in most marketing materials, with encouragement for students to contact the school and preferably to attend regular information sessions.

Marketing activities include multiple small ads placed in business-relevant media that present the school's name and logo, again with consistent color-coding, but that do not offer in-depth presentations of program offerings or extensive detail about the school. Analysis The color coding and scant use of school name and logo appears to be consistent across programs, and most marketing efforts are not program specific but rather simply advertise the school itself, which leads to limited detail but a great deal of inter-program marketing consistency.

There is also a definite logic to this approach, as advertising is presumably more broadly appealing an definitely encourages school contact or visits to the school's website for more in-depth (though only slightly so) information. Though positioning for this program is quite clear, it is not made so through brand elements or marketing activities.

McDonough School of Business Executive Master's in Leadership Description of Materials Branding items are quite scant in the marketing materials for this program, with the same color coding being the most obvious brand element and with very little use of the school name or logo employed saving for at the very first (either top or front) viewable part of marketing materials. Program features in terms of the student.