Columbia Business School Unveils New Branding Campaign To Showcase Its Unmatched Ability To Impact The Global Business Environment

NEW YORK, Oct. 31, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Columbia Business School today launched a new, comprehensive brand positioning campaign to better define and communicate the core elements that make it one of the best business schools in the world. 

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To celebrate the new tagline - At the Very Center of Business™ - and better tell Columbia Business School's powerful story, the School unveiled a dynamic new two-minute video that will serve as the cornerstone of its narrative moving forward. The video, titled simply, "The Center," takes viewers through the key characteristics and attributes that distinguish Columbia Business School as one of the world's leaders in management education.

"Columbia Business School is the only world-class business school that delivers a learning experience where leading-edge academics meets with real-time access to the pulse of global business," said Glenn Hubbard, dean of Columbia Business School. "Not only does our community enjoy countless benefits by being centered in the global hub of business, but the School's regular impact on the daily practice of business and deep roots and connections in the city's business and entrepreneurial communities make us a key player at the very center of business."

The Four Pillars of the Branding Campaign

The campaign narrative is supported by four key attributes that collectively comprise Columbia Business School's brand:

• KNOWLEDGE: An Unrivaled Culture of Academic Excellence. Columbia Business School's approach to thought leadership is constantly informed in real time by the global business environment. Groundbreaking research from the School's faculty influences business practices in every sector while the transformative, 21st-century curriculum develops leaders who can create opportunity in any environment.
• ACCESS: Unmatched Exposure to the Pulse of Business, Both Inside and Outside the Classroom. As the top Ivy League business school immersed in New York City, Columbia Business School provides its students with direct access to countless businesses and business leaders, both inside and outside the classroom, allowing them to take lessons learned in class and see them applied directly in the real world.
• COMMUNITY: A Diverse, Engaged, and Entrepreneurial Community. High achievers are drawn to the School's reputation and unique position at the global center of business, where a diverse, entrepreneurial-minded community of students, faculty members, staff, and alumni share an open exchange of ideas and perspectives. Combine this range of voices with an alumni network of more than 40,000 graduates and you have an expansive community that fosters creativity, invites entrepreneurial thinking, and opens doors to opportunity.
• IMPACT: An Immediate and Lasting Impact on the Business World. The thought leadership of the School's faculty and staff, combined with the accomplishments of its distinguished alumni and position in the center of global business, means that the School's efforts have an immediate and measurable impact on the forces shaping business each and every day.

"These attributes have always been a part of our DNA - we simply have never communicated them in one story so clearly, completely, and efficiently," said Dean Hubbard.  "Our powerful combination of leading-edge academics and real-time exposure to business give our students the knowledge, experience, and connections to be impactful in any endeavor they pursue."

Sarah Shen '14, offered her thoughts on the unparalleled access that Columbia Business School provides its students. "For a lot of schools, having a big speaker on campus is a big event," said the MBA student. "For us, this happens practically every day. Over the past week alone students have met with the CEOs of Godiva, Saks Fifth Avenue, and J.Crew, and tomorrow morning the CEO of Morgan Stanley will be on campus to share his views on the role and responsibilities of financial institutions in the new economy. This regular access to business titans does not happen everywhere, and it is one of the amazing benefits Columbia Business School affords us as students."

A Better Way to Tell Columbia Business School's Story

The new campaign is the result of a rigorous and intensive process that solicited feedback from hundreds of stakeholders both inside and outside of the School. Through qualitative and quantitative measurement tools, the School set out to identify the key attributes and characteristics that were most commonly cited by stakeholders when describing their perceptions of Columbia Business School. These common elements serve as the basis of the story and positioning being launched today.

"We sought to crystallize one powerful story that truly defines who we are, what we stand for, and how we are unique in a competitive marketplace," said Iris Henries, associate dean of Marketing and Communications.  "By launching this campaign we are bringing these defining characteristics to the forefront of our identity and making it easier to share the School's story."

About Columbia Business School
Columbia Business School is the only world-class, Ivy League business school that delivers a learning experience where academic excellence meets with real-time exposure to the pulse of global business. Led by Dean Glenn Hubbard, the School's transformative curriculum bridges academic theory with unparalleled exposure to real-world business practice, equipping students with an entrepreneurial mindset that allows them to recognize, capture, and create opportunity in any business environment. The thought leadership of the School's faculty and staff, combined with the accomplishments of its distinguished alumni and position in the center of global business, means that the School's efforts have an immediate, measurable impact on the forces shaping business every day. To learn more about Columbia Business School's position at the very center of business, please visit gsb.columbia.edu. 

SOURCE Columbia Business School