© Matej Meza / Universität Bremen
The Marketing Expert
Friederike Moschner has been responsible for the central marketing at the University of Bremen. A portrait in the Campus Stories series
“Everything is possible” – that is Friederike Moschner’s motto. For nearly one year now, Friederike Moschner has been responsible for the central marketing at the University of Bremen. She is currently working on the introduction of a new corporate design (CD) for the university – right on time for the university’s birthday in 2021.
The corporate design comprises the university’s visual appearance – including the logo and design options – which one may need for online and print products or advertising materials. “Of course, the further development of the corporate design entailed a prior and intense corporate identity process – in short CI process,” explains the marketing expert. It was all about finding the brand essence of the university. Thus, asking: What does the university stand for? What makes it special? What makes it particularly unique? “It was important to involve as many university members as possible in order to hear how they view the institution.” That is why there was a participation process in the form of an internal survey, several interviews, and also workshops with all university status groups. Friederike Moschner and her CI project team analyzed all of it. The team includes Kristina Logemann, head of the Administrative Unit for University Communication and Marketing – the unit in which Friederike Moschner is also a member – as well as external agencies. The results have been incorporated in the new corporate design. “CI and CD processes are based on one another,” explains the 38-year-old.
© Alasdair Jardin / Universität Bremen
On the Starting Blocks
“After this development work, which took several months, we are now on the starting blocks,” she states. In the jubilee year 2021, the new corporate design is to be communicated and introduced at the university. Moschner: “This institution is characterized by its great diversity.” The new corporate design reflects this important aspect in a better manner than the previous design. Additionally, it offers a larger choice of colors with which the said diversity can be displayed. This applies to the creating of brochures, websites, or posters, for example. It will not be a radical change to the logo used now – it is rather a further development.
New Corporate Design Supports University’s Position
Introducing a new CD in such a complex and multifaceted institution needs to be planned well. Alongside twelve faculties, there are also many institutes and facilities that have been very active in marketing in the past years. They have created brochures or websites, even their own logos, for example. “Several areas have invested a great deal of time and money,” states Friederike Moschner appreciatively. “It is my aim to combine everything piece-by-piece to create something bigger.” That is only possible when everyone works together and trusts each other within the university. “The more visually consistent, concise, and distinctive we are, the bigger the recognition factor of the University of Bremen and its related fields, facilities, and institutes.” Everyone profits from that. After all, the competition between national and international universities to win over students and staff is increasing.
Great Deal of Praise from Academic Senate
At the beginning of the winter semester, Friederike Moschner and her project team presented the results of the CD and CI processes to the Academic Senate. A great deal of praise was received from the university’s political body and a large majority welcomes the further development and is looking forward to working with it on a daily basis at the university soon.
© Michael Ihle / Universität Bremen
Meaningful Work
After completing a cultural sciences degree in Göttingen, Friederike Moschner has spent the past 11 years working in the field of marketing. At her previous jobs in Berlin and Hamburg, learning the ropes quickly, taking on projects at short notice and moving them forward were usual day-to-day tasks. And that’s exactly what it was like at the University of Bremen when she took on the responsibility for the CI and CD projects in January 2020. The marketing expert became acquainted with the complex university structures in a short space of time in order to be able to get going with all participants. Friederike Moschner prefers to work in the background. It is from that position that she moves things forward with a great deal of dedication. And no day is the same. It is important that she keeps many plates spinning at the same time. “That’s part of my job,” she states. And it’s a job that she enjoys.
“I really like the diversity of the projects that I supervise,” she says. “I also love working with so many different people.” Friederike Moschner may spend one day in the university printing office discussing the paper and design for business cards or flyers. The next day she may be writing emails to someone in New York in order to clarify the licensing rights for typefaces. On top of that, she partakes in several meetings. “It is often the case that my to-do list is longer at the end of the day than it is at the beginning,” she says smiling. She finds her work at the university to be meaningful. “Education is important to me – I happily do the marketing for it.”
