Out with the old, in with the cool.
We introduced a new feel and attitude for the Harvard Club of Boston with an exciting new campaign. The campaign includes a new logo, fresh imagery and engaging videos.
We launched this campaign to show our Boston community and beyond that our Club is a go-to hub for Harvard alumni to connect, grow, and have fun.
We sat down with Harvard Club president Marcus DeFlorimonte to chat about all things rebrand, and why now was the time for a change.
Harvard Club of Boston president Marcus DeFlorimonte
-
The history of the Harvard Club spans back over 100 years – why change things now?
In the past three years, we’ve faced a very different time in our lives. With the pandemic, the changing economy, and other changes, people have to make hard decisions left and right and we saw a handful of members take a leave of absence. We took this time to look inward and ask ourselves, what is our value? What does our club mean to people? No one needs a private club – we need to make sure the Harvard Club membership is worthwhile.
Not only did we want to ensure that our club is relevant to members, we also wanted to expand the Harvard alumni community of Greater Boston. There are alums in the area that aren’t members simply because they aren’t aware of us, so we wanted to make sure we were reaching them.
The Harvard Club is not just a clubhouse, it’s a community. The more people that join, the more the community is enriched. That’s what this is all about.
-
Why change the marketing and the branding of the Harvard Club?
Change is about relevance. If we want people to pay attention in a world that goes 90 miles a minute, you need to show people that what you offer is relevant to their life. The Club needs to feel like today’s Harvard. This is not your grandparent’s club anymore – it’s yours.
One of many new images from our photo shoot
I’ve heard members say they didn’t realize how welcoming the Club is and the community it offers until they joined. We want what the Club feels on the inside to show on the outside. Our club looks like you, and everyone else in between.
-
What was the production experience like for you? How did it live up to the new image you were looking for?
I found the entire process fascinating. The production crew wanted my input – I had never been that involved before.
President Marcus DeFlorimonte on set of the Harvard Club rebrand campaign production
The crew had amazing attention to detail and really nailed down capturing the value of the Club in both video and still imagery. They helped us showcase that the Club is not just a bunch of empty rooms, but a bunch of people enjoying themselves in different spaces.
Together, the production and creative teams and the Harvard Club staff were able to capture that the Club is anything you want it to be. An office. A place to meet like-minded people. A place to entertain. A home away from home.
-
What has the reaction been like?
Better, the creative team we worked on this project with, definitely gave us the good stuff. People are standing back and going, “Wow. This is our club.”
This campaign is all about instilling pride in their Harvard experience. We’ve been able to show how the Club is relevant to each and every one of our members, no matter when they graduated or what school they were a part of at the university.
More new imagery from the Harvard Club rebrand campaign
As I like to say, we’ve accomplished three things – honoring the past, acknowledging the present, and embracing the future.
-
Moving forward, what do you hope to accomplish with this campaign in a year’s time?
It’s all about our members. That’s the key for me.
I hope this campaign excites our members, reminding them of all the Club has to offer to them. Whether it be forming new connections with other Harvard alumni, attending exciting events like Cocktail 374 or watching one of our guest speakers, we hope to showcase that the Harvard club is a place where they belong.
This campaign should remind our members and other Harvard alumni that our club can feel like home. We want them to feel like a part of each of them is here. After all, the greatest asset we have is our members.
We invite you to learn more about the campaign and watch our new video.