Document 8 shows that Benjamin Grindlay, the Chief Marketing Officer of the University of Adelaide did not support the rebrand to YouX.

He lists seven concerns with the rebrand:

1. Loss of brand equity and history – given the likelihood of a sharp shift away from the AUU brand name there is a real possibility of a loss or disconnect with the positive associations and sentiment that exists toward the AUU. The market research conducted so far, does not strongly suggest requirement for this shift.

2. Disconnect between the AUU and University of Adelaide – by removing the ‘Adelaide University’ from our name it starts to remove the close association and implied relationship with the University, and possibly some of the trust and prestige associated with that.

3. Brand explanation and establishment – by removing ‘Union’ and ‘Adelaide University’ we are abandoning terms that are commonly associated with many student organisations nationally and internationally. This may require more time to be invested into explaining the new brand and it’s story to students and stakeholders. And this investment would need to be repeated every year, year after year given that it would move away from standard common terminology.

4. Project timing – with discussions around University cuts and the impacts on students there is a risk that investment in a new brand and the associated expenditure may be considered to be a little tone deaf by students and University staff.

5. Loss of identity as a student run organisation – terms such and union, guild, and association are commonly recognised terms for student organisations at tertiary education institutions. A brand name without these may run the risk of being seen as a University or external service rather than one operated by a student organisation.

6. Name that overshadows position – A strong positioning line helps to establish who and what the organisation is, the risk with a new name is that much of the conversation and dialogue both positive and negative is focussed on this rather than the positioning statement – which could lead to loss of impact and traction around the brand story.

7. Risk reward ratio – in endeavouring to address limitations of the existing brand name we risk losing much of the significant value, positive sentiment and equity that exists within the AUU brand.