IPB University Rebranding
At a Glance the Rebranding: “IPB University”
Beginning in 2019, the name of the Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) was changed to IPB University. This new name was born from the long process of IPB’s rebranding activities. Why is rebranding important and why is IPB University chosen as the new brand name?
Why does IPB need to rebrand?
Branding is like a life, a process that never stops. On the way, we need to pause and evaluate the ‘health of the brand’ that has been championed so far, by testing how meaningful the brand is in the eyes of stakeholders.
There are various approaches to evaluating brand health. There is a ‘shortcut’ versus ‘careful search’ method. Because services in higher education are services that have multiple stakeholders, shortcuts are not recommended. The Ethnography Marketing approach chosen in research within the framework of rebranding IPB University and is a long way of searching to understand consumers holistically from various angles and perspectives.
In this case, IPB through professionals has conducted a series of searches for primary and secondary data with various techniques, namely internal workshops with key figures, in-depth interviews with future students, parents, teachers in schools, and involving key figures in institutions, both in individual discussions or focused discussions in groups.
The results of the scientific study of changes in the IPB brand have been conveyed in various meetings with stakeholders, including at the Academic Senate meeting. The name of IPB University and this new tagline has been ratified by the Board of Trustees (MWA) of IPB through the Decree No. 7 / IT3.MWA / OT / 2019 concerning Ratification of Rebranding of IPB with the Name of IPB University.
Why was the word “University” chosen to replace the word “Institute” which had been inherent in IPB so far? Dualism has long taken place in the translation of the Institut Pertanian Bogor into English. Although a more suitable translation is “Bogor Agricultural Institute”, IPB has long used “Bogor Agricultural University”. Some even wrote it as Institute Pertanian Bogor. This difference often results in confusion in the writing of IPB as an affiliate of institutions in international journals.
The reason why the word “University” was chosen, began with the thought that IPB had long developed and offered more and broader study programs from time to time. Therefore, the name “IPB University” as a brand will build a broader association and promise higher value.
The short name, IPB, will also provide more space to associate with things that are contemporary and modern. Currently IPB is not only an abbreviation, but also as a brand. There are a number of corporate brands that take this strategy to not only provide simplicity in pronunciation, but also to be more solid in exposure and explain the promise of the brand. For this reason, IPB changed the brand of “Bogor Agricultural University” to “IPB University”.
Since when did the name-changing initiation take place?
- During the Rector Prof. Dr. Ir. Andi Hakim Nasution “(1978-1987), the plan to change the name to the Universitas Ilmu Pengetahuan Bogor or Bogor Science University, and abbreviated as” University of IPB “was launched.
- At the time of the Rector Prof. Dr. Ir. Aman Wirakartakusumah (1998-2002), a study was conducted for the change of IPB to become a university.
- During the Rector Prof. Dr. Ir. Herry Suhardiyanto (2007-2017), delivered the mandate in the form of IPB Board of Trustees (MWA) Decree to the Rector to conduct a study of name changes.
- During the Rector Dr. Arif Satria, since 2018, a study of name changes has been carried out in the rebranding frame of IPB.
What stages have IPB done to get a new, more communicative brand?
- Internal Insights: Gathering insights from internal stakeholders.
- External Insight: Collect insight with interviews from external stakeholders.
- Translate gained insights for repositioning and renaming.
- Dissemination of new brands to internal and external stakeholders.
- Gradually implementing new brands into various marketing communication products (websites, profile books, business cards, merchandise, etc.).
Does the motto / tagline of IPB also change?
Yes. The motto / tagline of IPB which previously was “Searching and Serving the Best” was felt to have become a necessity and the strength of the Institution. To face increasingly fierce competition, IPB University feels the need to have new promises that are more distinctive, different from other universities. The results of research and discussions with key stakeholders obtained a series of new promises, namely: “Inspiring Innovation with Integrity” (short version), and the long version was “Inspiring Innovation with Integrity in Agriculture, Ocean, Biosciences for a Sustainable World”.
This motto / tagline affirms the differentiation of IPB compared to other universities:
- Inspiring: enlightening, giving ideas
- Innovation: reliable innovation, can be used and applied
- Integrity: a person who is honest and has a strong character (high moral values)
These three keywords have been applied in scientific development in the aspects of agriculture, maritime affairs, and biosciences to create a sustainable life.
Will the name of IPB University also be used in official documents such as diplomas, transcripts, personnel documents and so on?
All official documents related to the state will still use the name “Bogor Agricultural University” as the official name of the institution as stated in Government Regulation (PP) No. 66 of 2013 concerning the Statute of the Bogor Agricultural University. But for the sake of internal communication and marketing communication, the term “IPB University” will be used.
What about documents for international purposes such as accreditation, journals, etc.?
All documents related to international requirements, as of July 1, 2019 must have used the name “IPB University”. The introduction of this new name at the global level will go through a transition process,
During the transition period, writing the institution’s affiliation in writing scientific papers or international journal manuscripts became: IPB University (Bogor Agricultural University)
This way of writing will also be used in the processes of world ranking data collection and Scopus indexation.
