The Goddard
School

Voted as the number one franchise company in the country by a leading trade magazine, The Goddard School® brand has long enjoyed a positive reputation as a leader in franchising and in providing premium childhood development, reaching more than 65,000 students in over 460 schools across the nation.

Refreshing The Brand

Yet, as with any great brand, necessary refinement to stay ahead of changing markets and customer expectations became a priority. Moving into The Goddard School’s 25th year, UPBrand was asked to help this leading national brand refresh its approach–leveraging its strengths while helping to propel it forward in terms of image and school enrollment.

Partnering with research firm Stakeholder Insights, UPBrand orchestrated an in-depth analysis of the school, conducting interviews and focus groups with franchise owners as well as current and prospective customers. Combined with a brand audit and review of the competitive landscape, we developed brand strategy recommendations that leveraged The Goddard School’s educational ethos and other organizational assets.

In addition, we improved their messaging platform, clarifying their brand promise, brand attributes and refreshed their tagline. The brand’s visuals received a fresh coat of paint too, revising both their logo and iconography.

This new look and feel debuted nationally with Emmy-winning televised commercials produced by UPBrand with help from our video-focused, Nitrous Effect sister agency, Vidzu. A full overhaul of The Goddard School website was also in order, making it easier to navigate and engage with.

In total, the new brand won 70+ awards across numerous categories from a half dozen different industry organizations. However, what’s most heartwarming about this story is the level of results it achieved. Qualified leads, school visits, website visits, and unique visitors to the site all increased double digits. While calls and call requests increased by triple digits.