We Changed Our Name ... Why?
After many months of planning and preparing, we announced that going forward, Plattform would be known as ÐÓ°ÉרÇø Education. As you can imagine, the process to change a brand is a lot of work.
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You have NO idea how many things your name is on until you try to go about changing it (Who stamps their logo on door stoppers?!) After 26 years of serving higher education as Plattform, the question for many is….Why now?
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First off, I should explain what this name change is NOT about. We didn’t change ownership, get bought or sold, change markets, move out of higher education or anything like that. ÌýWhat it IS about is bringing our brand in line with the changes in both the organization and the market that we serve.
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Over the last 26 years, we’ve had a strong reputation as a marketing company focused exclusively on higher education. However, over the last few years, our role in higher ed has expanded. In line with additional leadership, new resources and expanded vision, we’ve been able to widen our integrated marketing capabilities, add a popular high-end online program management (OPM) service and establish a very successful international presence with offices in the UK and Australia.Ìý
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All told, that adds up to aÌýveryÌýdifferent company. But after 26 years, is that enough to change our brand? It does when it intersects with the dramatic changes we’re seeing in the higher education space. Colleges and universities are hanging on through rough seas these days, and in my opinion, are looking for partners who can be bright buoys on the horizon (to really stretch an analogy).
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By that, I mean they are looking for companies that can bring a variety of solutions to the table (Keys to success) and provide a viable roadmap based on both knowledge and experience (aÌýPathÌýtowards success). Add those together, and you can come up with a pretty cool new brand!
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Regardless of what we call ourselves, everyone on the vendor, school, stakeholder, regulatory and every other side of higher education will have to wake up and understand what’s happening out there. We’ve seen a lot of change so far,Ìýbut it is only the beginning. I, for one, am proud to be with a company that’s energized by what’s coming, and we’re starting by calling ourselves ÐÓ°ÉרÇø Education.
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The next challenge when changing your name is creating a powerful logo. Here's a peek into our process.Ìý