How do you rebrand an established French language school without losing existing students, while attracting new audiences in a competitive Minneapolis market?
The existing "Coucou Minneapolis" brand was creating confusion and limiting growth potential. The name didn't reflect the school's approachable, authentic teaching philosophy, creating a barrier between the brand promise and market perception.
I broke this rebranding challenge into manageable components: managing student retention during the transition, repositioning against academic competitors, creating a cohesive new brand identity, developing a launch strategy that wouldn't alienate the existing base, and generating buzz in Minneapolis' French learning market.
Minneapolis has a sophisticated but intimidated potential French-learning audience. My research revealed "French anxiety" as the primary barrier - people want cultural connection but feel intimidated by traditional academic approaches. Most language schools positioned themselves as formal and academic, leaving significant opportunity for an approachable, culturally immersive experience. Existing students loved the teaching methodology but found the previous name confusing and hard to remember.
The biggest barrier to French language enrollment wasn't cost or time - it was "French anxiety." People desperately wanted cultural connection but felt intimidated by traditional academic approaches. This insight became the foundation for repositioning Cōzette as the cultural bridge, making French accessible rather than academic, immersive rather than intimidating.
I created hand-drawn illustrations that represented French culture in a fun, relaxed way - making the brand feel more like a cultural invitation than an academic institution. These illustrations became the foundation for an approachable visual language that differentiated Cōzette from more formal competitors.
Building on this accessible aesthetic, I developed the "Speak Baguette" campaign to transform language learning from academic struggle into cultural adventure. The campaign strategy centered on a mystery launch that built anticipation through Instagram countdown stories, followed by a guerrilla croissant trail activation that literally led prospects to the school's door. This integrated approach reinforced the accessible positioning across digital and physical touchpoints while maintaining educational credibility.
The impact
The coordinated launch successfully transitioned the existing student base with zero churn while generating significant organic social engagement. The mystery campaign created authentic word-of-mouth that amplified the rebrand's reach beyond reach. Most importantly, it established Cōzette as Minneapolis' go-to approachable French school, transforming "French anxiety" into cultural curiosity.
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