NCAA Division II Strategic Positioning Initiative


Following the Division II Chancellors and Presidents Summit in Orlando last June, the Division II Presidents Council agreed to implement a comprehensive study related to the division's defining characteristics and key attributes.  Rather than referring to this as a "branding" project, the Presidents Council has more accurately described this as a strategic positioning of Division II.  This is more than a slick ad campaign; instead, we hope to "illuminate" Division II in a way that will call attention to our core values and guiding principles.  

To be successful, the Presidents Council has approached this initiative as a data-driven research project.  In the fall, various membership and public focus groups were conducted throughout the country to gain an understanding of Division II perceptions.  In March, an online quantitative research survey was launched to test existing themes and ideas about Division II membership (e.g., balance) and to explore many new concepts about the attributes for Division II.  

The Presidents Council surveyed three groups:  (1) Division II campus and conference office personnel; (2) Division II student-athletes; and (3) the general public, identified as college sports fans.  The survey announcements were delivered to various campus leaders in March, and survey announcement recipients were encouraged to share the online survey site with others on campus and with persons in the community who might be interested in these important issues.

Jeff Jacobs, an independent marketing and branding consultant, and Rich Luker, faculty member at the University of Michigan and founder of The Luker Company (a research consulting firm that specializes in analyzing trends in sports and leisure) are assisting the Presidents Council with this initiative.  Both have worked with the NCAA in the past and bring extensive knowledge and experience with sports-related surveying and brand/strategic positioning initiatives.

The ultimate objective for this project is to clarify the division's strategic position and, thus, provide Division II institutions with an opportunity to celebrate who we are, what we believe in, and the potential that we can reach together.  This refined Division II identity will be communicated to the public at large (e.g., our communities), our own Association-wide membership (e.g., Divisions I, II and III), and on our individual campuses.  

We are defining more clearly who we are as a division; we are explaining why schools choose to be Division II members; we are developing a proactive set of campus-based and Association-wide initiatives that underlines this identity; and we are celebrating how Division II student-athletes prepare for life after sports.  

Below are links of importance to this strategic positioning initiatve:        

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