What’s in a name? That’s the question Northwest College in Powell has considered for years as the 78-year-old community college looks at rebranding itself.
One of the items on the agenda for the October meeting of the Northwest College Board of Trustees is the latest effort to rebrand the institution as Yellowstone College. The new name would reflect the college’s regional proximity to Yellowstone National Park.
The idea has been divisive in northwest Wyoming for several years, with many locals viewing the renaming as unnecessarily expensive. But the up-front costs could be far outweighed by the ongoing benefits of being associated with a landmark and destination as famous as Yellowstone.
“Yellowstone had so many strategic connotations,” said Hayley McKee, owner and principal of Prosper Public Relations in Cheyenne. “Americana, nature and adventure — not to mention the appeal of the ‘Yellowstone’ TV series. I think it’s incredibly marketable.”
McKee said from a marketing standpoint, a rebrand that includes “Yellowstone” in the name could be a marketing “gold mine,” but local residents aren’t sure it’s the best move.
‘Yellowstone’
McKee said businesses, including colleges and other educational institutions, change names and rebrand for several reasons. One of the primary incentives behind a name change is the revitalization that can result from it.
“When you're thinking about a name change, you're trying to make yourself stand out,” she said. “You want something distinctive, and you want it to set yourself apart from your competitors.
“There's a lot of opportunity to refresh, rebrand and bring more attention at the outset of a name change. Not only that initial push but the lasting legacy. When people think about the name, they immediately associate it with your brand.”
This wouldn’t be the first rebrand in Northwest College’s history. The community college started as the University of Wyoming Northwest Center when it opened in 1946, then transitioned to Northwest Community College when UW ended its support. It has been simply Northwest College since 1989.
McKee admitted that she wasn’t overly familiar with the intricacies of education institutional branding but sees a lot of potential in Yellowstone College.
“Yellowstone is the epitome of the West, Western heritage and open spaces,” she said. “Its appeal is widespread and attracts people from all over the world.”
Mass Marketing
While Yellowstone College might add appeal to the wider world, locals aren’t as enthused by the idea of rebranding Northwest College. The discourse has been emotional since the latest rebranding discussion a couple of years ago.
“I’m kind of a traditionalist,” said Cody resident Bucky Hall. “I’d be for the name change if it helped with recruiting, but aside from that, I like Northwest College as it is.”
This isn’t Hall’s first experience with a Yellowstone rebranding. In the early 2000s, he was a commissioner on the Cody Regional Airport board when it was renamed Yellowstone Regional Airport.
“At the time, the Park County Travel Council was advertising in Chicago and the Midwest, and the state was advertising all over,” he said. “The Air Service Board was more aggressive about going out and visiting the airlines, and there was increased travel here, especially in the shoulder seasons.”
Hall recalled increased travel and traffic at Cody’s airport after it was renamed Yellowstone Regional Airport. But he isn’t sure if that was due to the new name or the marketing push to promote the new name.
“I know we just got more aggressive trying to promote the airport at the same time,” he said. “There’s a merging of data. Who knows what the cause and effect of each one was?”
Overall, Hall was wary about replacing “Northwest” with “Yellowstone.” He isn’t convinced it would be enough of an asset to justify the expense.
“I have to believe adding ‘Yellowstone’ probably helped the airport,” he said. “But the college? I’m not so sure. But that’s my very personal opinion.”
Spare Change?
Northwest College has been finding its way forward while accommodating a series of setbacks.
Some of those challenges stem from the COVID-19 pandemic, while others from several years of declining enrollment, part of a national trend for community colleges starting in 2008.
Many locals cite cost as the primary concern for not rebranding the college. At a 2021 meeting, an expert told Northwest College trustees that a conservative estimate for rebranding to Yellowstone College would be as much as $100,000.
Would it be worth it?
McKee believes it might be, solely on the strength of Yellowstone as a brand and identity. However, she added that a rebranding needs to reflect the community as much as it increases marketability.
“In my opinion, Yellowstone is absolutely pure gold, but it’s a very bold move,” she said. “With a rebranding, people are thinking about identity and who they are. They're looking at reframing one's brand to fit their community and clientele better. It’s a walking, talking brand for them and truly represents them.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
