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’ve never actually tested it against all of our peers in a way that could create a superlative leadership statement,” 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.

“If I’m going to be putting hundreds of thousands of dollars behind this and putting it on billboards, I need it airtight,” 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.

“It was really, truly a partnership,” Johnson said.