Brand Language Resources
Voice and Tone
Each story we tell should have both a clear purpose and an authentic tone that feels distinctly like °źÒșAÆŹ. A helpful first step for any communicator is to commit the personality words to memory, as a reference. Then, use the following writing tips as a stylistic gauge.
1. Be clear and concise
The most effective messages are uncomplicated. Rather than getting hung up on academic language or marketing jargon, write clearly and in a straight-forward tone.
2. Know your audience
The Ramapo of New Jersey brand will be communicated to lots of different audiences, with different needs. Before you start writing, know who it is youâre aiming to connect with.
3. Make it all about âYouâ
Use the second-person âyouâ or âyourâ to engage and motivate the reader. While everything you write will feel like itâs about us, in reality, itâs about them.
4. Say one thing well
Every tweet, pamphlet, headline, or blurb should have one distinct message. Get to the point and refrain from sending mixed messages, so that your audience knows how to act on the information youâre giving them.
5. Focus on the new
We have a great story behind us; but our willingness to look forward and explore new ways of doing things is our strength. Express our curious and optimistic spirit by talking about the great things our faculty, students, and alumni are doing to break new ground.
6. Provide a benefit
Whatâs in it for the reader? If you canât answer this question, itâs time to pause and reconsider the piece.
7. Back it up
Our storytelling should feature relevant points of pride, statistics, testimonials, and emotion â but use them to support our messaging, not as a substitute for it.
8. Give the reader something to do
Always provide a single, clear call to action.
9. Be human
Our students, faculty, and alumni are the best examples of the work weâre doing. Highlight their stories, their wins, and the challenges they face as part of the fabric of the Ramapo of New Jersey story.
10. Be bold, not brash
We have a lot to be proud of â and itâs okay to tout our successes. The key is to make sure our messaging is bold and confident, rather than brash or cocky.
On-Brand Word Bank
Photos and graphics are not the only way to convey the Ramapo brand. The words we choose and the manner in which we write also show our brand in action. Using the aforementioned writing tips, including these words as needed will verbally identify the Ramapo brand.
Curriculum
- Innovative
- Forward-thinking
- Modern
- Explorative
- Dynamic
- Outside-the-box
- Hands-on
Community
- Collaborative
- Connected
- Tight-knit
- Energetic
- Optimistic
- Spirited
- Bold
- Unafraid of change
Faculty
- Mentoring
- Encouraging
- Accessible
- Experienced
Campus
- Picturesque
- Safe
- Welcoming
- Home base
- âEasy access to NYCâ
When writing on-brand, incorporate some of these words as appropriate for the topic about which you are writing. Do not overwhelm the copy with all or most of these words; rather, use them strategically for impact.
Choose one of the three options that best reflects the updated brand visual and verbal language.
EXERCISE 1
Option 1
At °źÒșAÆŹ, we offer a traditional approach to the liberal arts that encourages discussion and reflection, giving our students the skills to think deeply, communicate effectively, and see things differently.
Ă This example fails to get across the boldness in our personality.
We could fix this by explaining our approach to the liberal arts as âmodernâ or âinnovativeâ (rather than âtraditionalâ), and using more expansive words to describe our curriculum â like exploration, open-mindedness, and open discussion (rather than reflection or deep thinking, which are inward-focused).
Option 2
At °źÒșAÆŹ, we offer a rigorous liberal arts education that encourages open discussion, collaboration, and scholarly inquiry; giving our students the confidence to see and do things differently.
Ă Much better but itâs not the best.
Pros: We mention âopen discussionâ and âcollaborationâ, which are both great terms to use â and âsee and do things differentlyâ is very on-brand.
Cons: We describe our approach to the liberal arts as ârigorousâ, which may be partly true, but it still fails to get across our modern and different approach. And, we use the term âscholarly inquiryâ, which is much too stuffy and traditional for our brand.
Option 3
At °źÒșAÆŹ, we offer a modern approach to the liberal arts that encourages open discussion and exploration, giving our students the confidence to explore their interests, speak their minds, and see things in bold new ways.
â Best Example
We hit on our âmodern approachâ to the liberal arts, we use expansive terms like âopen discussionâ, âexplorationâ and âexplore their interestsâ, and we also get at the boldness of our °źÒșAÆŹ community â our students are unafraid to âspeak their mindsâ and âsee things in bold new ways.â
EXERCISE 2
Option 1
RCNJ graduate Brandee Chapman spent a month hiking and camping through six different states as part of °źÒșAÆŹâs Pacific Northwest program; fueling her interest in environmental conservation. Now, she is State Trails Coordinator for the Department of Environmental Conservation. #wearercnj
Ă This example is great â but itâs not distinctive.
It gets across the major details (what Brandee did at °źÒșAÆŹ and how it shaped her current career) â but there is no on-brand language in here.
Option 2
RCNJ graduate Brandee Chapman was bold enough to spend a month hiking and camping through six different states as part of °źÒșAÆŹâs Pacific Northwest program; a new experience that sparked her passion for environmental conservation. Now, she runs a one-woman show as State Trails Coordinator for the Department of Environmental Conservation in New Jersey. #RCNJ
â Best Example
Weâve made subtle tweaks to the language to get our boldness across â âBrandee Chapman was bold enough toâŠâ, âa new experience that sparked her passionâ, and âshe runs a one woman showâ. Weâve also included a hashtag which, albeit simple, is ownable for °źÒșAÆŹ and aligned with the new brand.
Option 3
RCNJ graduate Brandee Chapman spent a month hiking, camping, and learning about local reservations, fisheries and historical sites as part of °źÒșAÆŹâs Pacific Northwest program; sparking a connection with and love for the environment. Now, she is doing what she loves as State Trails Coordinator for the Department of Environmental Conservation. #°źÒșAÆŹCollege
Ă This example is a little more detailed than the first one, but itâs too touchy-feely for °źÒșAÆŹâs bold brand.
We use terms like âa connection with and love for the environmentâ and âdoing what she lovesâ (neither are bad things to say; but thereâs no bold language in here to convey °źÒșAÆŹâs brave/explorative outlook.) We do use on-brand language in the hashtag âlive and learn boldlyâ â but, a hashtag is of little use if it isnât recognizable as Ramapo. We should try to include the word â°źÒșAÆŹâ or âRCNJâ in there to make it ownable.
When using hashtags, use camel case, which means capitalizing the first letter of each word so hashtags are more readable.
Examples: #°źÒșAÆŹCollege, not #ramapocollege and #WeAreRCNJ, not #wearercnj. For more information about social media best practices, visit ramapo.edu/social-media.
Sample Headline Bank
Brand headlines can be used in various tactics for Ramapo of New Jersey at the brand level. Each headline ties back to °źÒșAÆŹâs brand essence and brand pillars. They can serve as calls to action or copy on advertisements (billboards, digital ads, light pole banners, etc.), and are intended to demonstrate how the °źÒșAÆŹ brand messaging can be brought to life in various ways.
See
your potential / your career /
yourself
in bold
new ways.
Learn /
Think /
Live
Boldly.
Education, undaunted.
Education,
unlimited.
Education, unparalleled.
Learn
collaboratively.
Think
curiously.
Speak
confidently.
Be bolder than the status quo.
Bold doesnât look back.
Bold [research
initiative here].
e.g. Bold Fights Childhood Cancer. / Bold Explores Greener Transport Alternatives. / Bold Increases Access to Education.
Be bold enough to ask the big questions.
[Subject area here], emboldened.
e.g. Education, emboldened. / Engineering, emboldened. / Performing arts, emboldened.
Brainstorm a few ideas for each of the headline constructs below.
Bold (research initiative here).
Examples:
Bold Fights Childhood Cancer.
Bold Explores Greener Transport Alternatives.
Bold Increases Access to Education.
See _________ in bold new ways.
Examples:
See your potential in bold new ways.
See your career in bold new ways.
See yourself in bold new ways.
What other words could be used here?
Be bolder than the status quo.
Example:
Be bolder than 9-to-5.(for an article discussing an entrepreneurial student)
How else could we use this?
What are some examples of âstatus quoâ things, and how does °źÒșAÆŹ do things differently?