Syracuse University Strategy
- Oct 8, 2025
- 1 min read
Overview
Working with Syracuse University — a Mambo Media client — was a highlight of my agency career. My role was to build the foundational brand and messaging strategy that would guide Syracuse's internal marketing and creative teams through a large-scale website redesign and unified communications overhaul spanning multiple schools, departments, and audiences.
Challenge
Syracuse needed a cohesive messaging system that could flex across multiple schools and departments — each with its own unique tone, priorities, and audience—while still feeling distinctly “Syracuse.” The challenge was to align voices without erasing individuality.
Approach
To create clarity and consistency across such a diverse organization, I developed:
Five core university personas representing students, parents, alumni, faculty, and community partners
A robust messaging framework with brand pillars, tone guidelines, and key differentiators
A comprehensive competitive analysis to position Syracuse among peer institutions
User journey maps to illustrate how each audience engages across touchpoints
I also led stakeholder workshops to validate findings and ensure the strategy was both data-informed and human-centered.
Result
The deliverables served as the strategic foundation for Syracuse's internal teams and agency partners — enabling cohesive storytelling across web, digital, and print for one of the nation's most recognized research universities. The messaging framework and persona system were built to flex across schools and departments while maintaining a distinctly Syracuse voice.
Explore the Work
Click below to view an excerpt from the messaging framework and journey maps.
(Confidential and proprietary information has been redacted.)