{"id":704812,"date":"2026-05-26T14:56:31","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T18:56:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=704812"},"modified":"2026-05-26T14:56:31","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T18:56:31","slug":"leadership-conversation-inside-urochesters-brand-transformation-704812","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/leadership-conversation-inside-urochesters-brand-transformation-704812\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside URochester\u2019s brand transformation"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a Leadership Conversation, two members of the University\u2019s marketing and communications team discuss the strategy that is shaping URochester\u2019s reputation.<\/h2>\n
\"Sid
Sid Bhattacharya (University of Rochester photo \/ J. Adam Fenster)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s possible that a university\u2019s image has never been more important than it is today, and that\u2019s because the higher education environment has never been this fraught.<\/p>\n

Starting this fall, universities are expected to spend the next two decades competing for a shrinking pool of college-aged students, bringing the concerns of the \u201cenrollment cliff\u201d<\/a> to bear. \u00a0With families struggling financially, there\u2019s growing skepticism about the value of a degree<\/a>. Geopolitical volatility has complicated global recruitment strategies<\/a> for students and faculty. Federal policy changes have created many uncertainties for the future of research<\/a> and healthcare<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The University of Rochester<\/a> is meeting the moment with a refreshed brand strategy and identity<\/a>. Launched in October 2025, the refreshed brand reflects URochester\u2019s evolution while creating a new foundation to strengthen its global reputation\u2014one of the five pillars of Boundless Possibility<\/a><\/em>, the University\u2019s strategic plan.<\/p>\n

Sid Bhattacharya, the associate vice president for marketing, and Michelle Hildreth, the director of creative strategy and solutions, are two of the people from URochester marketing and communications<\/a> (UMC) who were integral to URochester\u2019s first brand refresh in almost 20 years. In a Leadership Conversation, Bhattacharya and Hildreth offered a behind-the-scenes look at their ongoing work on the brand, including multichannel national campaigns that aim to enhance URochester\u2019s reputation worldwide.<\/p>\n

\"Michelle
Michelle Hildreth (University of Rochester photo \/ Matt Wittmeyer)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here are five takeaways.<\/p>\n

Marketing isn\u2019t an act; it\u2019s a system.<\/h3>\n

Until 2023, URochester was primarily engaged in what Bhattacharya called \u201crandom acts of marketing.\u201d That started to change when Page Hetzel<\/a> was hired as the University\u2019s first vice president for marketing and communications<\/a>. Redefining the legacy position to include marketing paved the way for a marketing division, which began to take shape in September 2024 when Bhattacharya joined the University.<\/p>\n

The primary goal of the marketing team was to re-envision URochester\u2019s brand and develop ongoing initiatives to convey the University\u2019s strengths for contemporary audiences. Bhattacharya\u2019s earliest conversations put the ultimate goal of his team\u2019s work in clear terms.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was consistent drumbeating around being sick and tired of URochester being a hidden gem. How do we lose \u2018hidden\u2019 and become just a gem?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A big part of Bhattacharya\u2019s role was to unleash URochester locally, regionally, nationally, and globally. To give the University the spotlight it deserves, the marketing team is executing a strategy that is taking place across five platforms:<\/p>\n