Zillion’s Melt Madness Greenville Semi-Final: SLU v. Texas

Yesterday’s Greenville region semi-final between Notre Dame and Michigan was action-packed, with Michigan defeating Notre Dame to earn the first spot in our inaugural Melt Madness championship. We’re back for more semi-final action today with two dynamic and exciting ideas and brands. Let’s see what happens when St. Louis University and Texas square off today at last in the Seattle regional semi-final!

The journey to the top spot in the Seattle 3 region was appropriately challenging for SLU (“Higher purpose. Greater good.”), facing competitors with similarly purposeful ideas. Week 3’s contest with Virginia Tech (“That I May Serve.”) ended up decided by style points awarded for the greater confidence and deliberation in the expression of SLU’s idea and brand. After facing OSU (“Education for Citizenship”) last week, SLU earned their spot in this semi-final despite both ideas and brands possessing ideas with ethos strongly reflective of their respective universities.?

Texas joins our semi-final fresh off a win over Georgia, in a match with similar adjacencies observed in SLU v. OSU. Texas’s “What Starts Here Changes the World'' evokes an environment and experience which catalyzes change and drives impact. While Georgia’s “Inspire Those Who Will Lead, Discover and Serve” aims for similar impact, its narrower focus lacked the boldness of Texas’s claim. Will boldness be enough to overtake SLU??

To answer this question, our analysts reviewed how each idea and brand delivered on the established criteria. Once again, both ideas deliver distinct ideas, with strong claims. With “What Starts Here Changes the World” Texas stakes a claim capable of impact which can literally change the world. While we applaud the audacity of the idea, we are curious to understand the foundational support for such a big claim, which would strengthen ownability and make sure it’s uniquely true of Texas. Our analysts also wonder whether the appeal of this idea extends beyond faculty and students to alumni and the broader community.?

With SLU’s “Higher purpose. Greater good.” our analysts find a strong idea and claim, consistent with the theme Texas’s idea conveys. Where we see meaningful differentiation between the two is SLU’s idea appears to finish what Texas’s idea starts. In addition to the more aspirational element within the idea, there’s a clear sense of the ultimate objective. This is particularly important when considering stakeholder appeal, and ensuring the principle of your idea and brand extends further than faculty and students. While we find strength in both ideas, the focus and clarity of the reason which drives SLU’s idea is a winner in our book.?

Congratulations SLU, and thank you Texas, for creating such outstanding ideas and brands.?

Share, engage and follow #zillionagency – Get ready for tomorrow when Michigan and SLU go idea-to-idea to win it all! And, don’t forget to check out the men’s championship between Purdue and Colgate!

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