THIS IS MY COMEBACK

BACKED BY THE
POWER OF PURDUE

Purdue Global officially launched a new brand campaign, “This Is My Comeback,” in April, marking the first refreshment of the brand since the university’s formation. The brand campaign is an outward expression of the strengths of the online university—built for working adults and part of Purdue University, which has operated Purdue Global since 2018, following the purchase of Kaplan University. The campaign includes a new visual identity and narrative that will guide Purdue Global’s storytelling, marketing, and communication efforts. 

“This Is My Comeback” is the culmination of a yearlong effort following discussions and collaborations between Purdue Global Chancellor Frank Dooley; R. Ethan Braden, executive vice president and chief marketing and communications officer for Purdue University and Purdue Global; and Kati Pratt (LA’06), executive director of brand and marketing strategy for Purdue Marketing and Communications. This group and various stakeholders reviewed the basic question of what it means to be Purdue Global in a crowded online education field.

Dooley says the branding builds on Purdue Global’s strengths and commitment to help working adults by benefiting from the faculty’s practical, real-world experience, which focuses on skills and career outcomes for students. 

More than 41 million Americans have earned college credit but not completed their degrees. Dooley says it’s time to transform not just Purdue Global but also online higher education and help those with college credits come back and cross the stage to earn their degrees.

Purdue Marketing and Communications did extensive research with Purdue Global students, prospective students, student advisors, faculty, alumni, and business partners. Three themes emerged from the research: Students want a university that will help them prepare for what’s next in their lives and careers; as working adults, they want to feel valued and get credit for what they know and have already done; and they want a degree they can trust and be proud of—one that is backed by Purdue.

Ultimately, according to Braden, it means getting into character and looking for ways to engage and encourage those nearly 40 million adults to come back and earn their degrees.  

“For 154 years, Purdue, as a land-grant university, has been on a mission to make education accessible for more and more people,” he says. “That’s a big idea that people can get behind and want to associate with. It’s in our DNA. Purdue Global is the next frontier of Purdue’s land-grant mission. With it, we can take a trusted education and transcend boundaries—otherwise physical boundaries—using technology to bring a Purdue Global education to anybody who wants it and is willing to earn it.” 

Braden also sees a major opportunity to expand the Purdue mission to serve the world through a Purdue-backed online curriculum that is built and designed for working adults.