Using brand reputation research to build a stronger recruitment message

Preparing graduates for the workplace has been central to the British Columbia Institute of Technology’s (BCIT) identity since its launch in the early 1960s. Through applied learning and industry connections, the institution built a strong reputation among students and employers for high-quality employment outcomes.

BCIT’s Marketing & Communications team wanted to turn their strength in producing high-quality graduate outcomes into a clear, compelling statement that would resonate both with prospective students and key stakeholders in Burnaby and across BCIT’s service region of BC’s lower mainland.

With learners weighing the cost of education against their career prospects, a message about graduate readiness would speak directly to their priorities. But making a comparative claim required evidence.

“We knew that preparing graduates for successful careers was one of BCIT’s greatest strengths. Our objective was to validate that competitive advantage through independent research and translate it into a compelling, credible brand statement that would resonate with prospective students and the broader community,” explained Lara Johnson, Associate Vice President for Marketing & Communications at BCIT.

The ambition was straightforward: develop a research-backed statement that BCIT could confidently put on a billboard.

Building on its existing brand reputation research with BCIT, Academica Group worked with the polytechnic institute to explore which British Columbia postsecondary institutions come to mind when people think about preparing graduates for employment.

Prior to the introduction of the graduate employability measure, BCIT’s brand tracking research included unaided awareness questions that asked respondents which British Columbia postsecondary institutions came to mind first and which others they associated with the sector. While the findings were positive, BCIT wanted to be confident that the methodology would support a prominent advertising claim.

“When making an investment in a brand campaign, it’s essential that our messaging is supported by credible, defensible research. We wanted to ensure that any leadership claim we brought to market was grounded in a rigorous methodology and could withstand scrutiny,” Johnson said.

To help achieve this goal, the Academica team worked with BCIT to develop and refine a survey measure of public perception around graduate employability.

The subsequent findings provided the evidence BCIT was seeking. BCIT then had the claim verified through a legal review before moving forward with the campaign.

This work reflected the depth of collaboration between BCIT and Academica; combining methodological expertise, sector knowledge, and a shared understanding of how the findings would ultimately be used.

“Academica brought valuable research expertise and a strong understanding of the postsecondary sector to this work. They took the time to understand our strategic objectives and worked collaboratively with our team to develop a research approach that would deliver meaningful, actionable insights,” Johnson said.