Newcastle University
SAgE Faculty Brand Positioning
Articulating academic excellence. Positioning the Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering (SAgE).

Expertise
Competitor Research and Analysis
Stakeholder Consultation
Brand Strategy
Copywriting
The Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering (SAgE) is one of the largest of its kind in the UK with over 8,000 students, 1,200 staff and a turnover of £130m. It is at the forefront of Newcastle University’s mission to meet society’s greatest challenges at a local, national and global level.
SAgE academics work across a wide range of science and engineering disciplines, ensuring students have the skills they need to succeed and work with research partners in industry and government to address real-world issues.
The Faculty intends to invest in upgrading its facilities but first, it recognised that it needed to change its organisational structure to ensure it is better placed to meet the challenges of a fast-changing world.
Infinite was commissioned to work with the senior leadership team to develop a core proposition for the newly re-organised Faculty and provide a strategy on how it can promote itself as a dynamic collegiate organisation with a collaborative approach to teaching, learning and research.
Our work was in four stages: competitor analysis, stakeholder engagement, brand positioning and marketing strategy.
The objective of the project was to create a distinctive narrative that articulates what SAgE does and what it stands for – to improve understanding amongst internal audiences while engaging external audiences and helping the Faculty stand apart from its competitors.
The project involved:
- Comptetitor review
- Establishing names for the new academic units
- Facilitating a series of one-to-one meetings and workshops with key stakeholders from across the organisation
- Establishing clear positioning statements for the Faculty and its constituent schools
- Developing a framework of ownable messages that articulate the Faculty’s value proposition in a clear and compelling way
- Developing and agreeing on a message hierarchy aimed at different audiences and producing a marketing strategy with recommended actions for the short, medium and long-term.

“The finished report is a proving to be a valueable resource. We refer to it several times a day for ideas, reminders, and reality checks! A good deal of our marketing activity is going to take a while to settle as we refine our plan but the report is an essential part of our toolkit.”
Tom Bramald
Marketing and Communications Manager
Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering
Newcastle University





160+ consulted
Over 160 stakeholders were consulted during the project including senior management, academic staff and students.
The insight received in a series of one-to-one meetings, workshops and an online survey fed directly into the key message developement.
£30m+
Providing clarity and focus to the organisation as they look to secure funding for ongoing infrastructure projects.
Every successful project starts with a conversation. Let’s talk. Call 0191 716 5086 or email: des at infinitedesign.com