Signs of brand fatigue at Tel Aviv University and rising competition from other colleges and universities led the institution to embark on a rebranding journey, guided by Alon Weinpress, then the university’s marketing director.

For years, Tel Aviv University enjoyed its status as a top university in Israel, attracting high demand from applicants and achieving scientific breakthroughs. However, the Tel Aviv University brand positioned itself primarily as a research institution—a perception at odds with the findings from market surveys and in-depth interviews, which indicated that most prospective students were not primarily aspiring to become researchers or scientists. In a sense, the university had leaned heavily on a value that was gradually losing appeal among the general pool of applicants.

Additionally, as Israel’s largest university with the widest array of academic disciplines, Tel Aviv University enjoyed an image-based advantage tied to its size, securing its reputation as a “superbrand.” However, in certain disciplines, this broad appeal sometimes backfired, as specific fields faced a perception of inferiority when compared to specialized institutions that were seen as more focused experts in these areas.