Published: 06 November 2020
How we talk about ourselves, how we describe the work we do and more importantly, why we do it influences the perception that others have of us. Over time, these perceptions shape our reputation, so it’s vital we carefully consider the words we use when describing who we are and what we do.
We are all custodians of St George’s reputation and through our individual actions, we all have a responsibility to those who helped build it to make sure it is maintained.
The Reputation and Visual Identity Project gave us a chance to speak to our key audiences and created the space to listen to the many ways staff, students, alumni and others describe St George’s. Some stakeholders focused on our past, the advancements we’ve made to science and the contributions we made to wider society; while others wanted to talk about where we are going, the diversity of our staff and students. What everybody agreed on was that whether we are talking about education or research, we are a specialist and unique institution made up of friendly and supportive individuals.
The messaging phase of the project was by no means the easiest, after hours of workshops and consultation, we developed and tested the key messages below that describe fundamentally who we are and what we do. That’s not to say we’ve encapsulated all of the work that takes place at St George’s, far from it. What we’ve developed is a shorthand for describing who we are as an organisation, a starting point in the conversation.
Our new messaging framework
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Scope
(our area of activity)
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Shaping modern health with transformative research, expert teaching and hands-on learning |
Status
(our rank or status) |
St George’s: the UK’s specialist health university |
|
Ambition
(our heart-felt ambition)
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Advancing health research and education that transforms people’s lives in our community, throughout the UK and around the world |
|
Ethos
(the principles behind our actions)
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We’re a passionate, values-driven community of experts and specialists, grounded in real life health issues, working together to make a difference to people’s lives |
|
Response
(the lasting impression we want to create)
|
St George’s: a unique research and teaching environment designed for professional and personal success |
|
Style
(how we go about our business)
|
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Friendly
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Supportive/Nurturing
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Inspiring
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Compassionate
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Hands-on
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Our Marketing team has already begun to embed the new narrative about St George’s with prospective students, including a new TV advert which aired over the summer in advance of this year’s Clearing campaign: