UCLA Anderson Unveils New Branding

‘THERE’S AN ASPIRATIONAL ASPECT’

For Ainslie, the slogan is a metaphor that carries widespread appeal.  “The Think in the Next brand name resonates with any MBA because anybody that’s choosing to take two years off from very successful careers to come and spend with us…they’re thinking about what they’re going to do with their lives. So there’s a sort of aspirational aspect,” he says.

It’s also assumed that Think in the Next captures the school’s curriculum, which focuses heavily on instilling frameworks and methodologies to find answers – skills Olian says translate well over time. As part of several major changes to the curriculum, the school also began offering industry specializations, such as data analytics, which are updated to reflect current career trends.

Ainslie is also confident that the brand can help shape the school’s future by drawing in students who share the university’s values. Already the promotion of forward thinking has prompted the school to partner with TED and to host entrepreneurial conferences and competitions.

To jump-start the brand and student interest,  Anderson held a Think in the Next Commercial Challenge and put up $10,000 in cash and prizes for student videos promoting the new slogan. Entries ranged from a catchy Glee-esque sing-and-dance number to an apocalyptic movie trailer that features UCLA students as heroes.  The first place commercial by team Underwater Robots features a series of companies who claim ties to UCLA, including Kickstand, Enso, Foundero and EventSorbet – a vivid illustration of just what it means to “Think in the Next.”

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