Rex Education: Building Brand Strategy for Future-Ready Schools
CIA Bootleg Manila partnered with Rex Education and the Ateneo Graduate School of Business to launch the Brand Innovation Masterclass for Educators—a 3-month strategic learning program that equipped school leaders with the tools to define, articulate, and activate their institution’s brand DNA. The program was a first-of-its-kind: integrating fieldwork, psychological research, sociological immersions, and real-world application to transform schools from legacy institutions into future-ready brands.
Project Champions
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Project Manager for Project A
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Overview
Many schools in the Philippines have strong traditions but struggle to articulate a cohesive brand identity that speaks to modern students, parents, and communities.
The challenge:
How can we help schools go beyond mission statements and logos—and craft a strategic brand DNA and Student Experience Strategy that truly reflects their identity, aspirations, and community impact?
Bootleg designed a program that would reframe branding not as marketing—but as a compass for institutional growth, leadership, and innovation.
Our Solution
The Brand Innovation Masterclass unfolded over 3 months and included:
🧠 INSIGHTING THROUGH FIELDWORK
• Interviews with students, teachers, alumni, and school leaders
• Cultural and historical audits of each school’s values and practices
• Application of Bootleg’s 4 Layers of Needs to uncover both conscious and unconscious drivers of brand behavior
• Sociological immersions
🎓 BRAND STRATEGY BY DOING
• Brand strategy coaching from Bootleg leads: Aaron Palileo, Debbie Rodrigo, and Dr. Justin See
• Mid-course feedback clinics and plenary synthesis sessions
• 1-on-1 consultations and strategic refinement per school team
🛠️ BRAND DNA & STUDENT EXPERIENCE STRATEGIES CREATION
• Each school developed its Brand DNA—a single, strategic statement capturing its unique identity and future direction
• Expanding the Brand DNA into a full Brand Identity Framework, expressing the school’s ideal students, brand promise, personality, values, and mission.
• The school leaders then translated the Brand DNA and Identity Strategies into a comprehensive student experience journey – from its pedagogies, learning experiences, student and parent interactions, marketing and communications programs, and teacher development strategies.
• Outputs were presented in a culminating plenary session with feedback from Bootleg and Rex
The Output
11 schools completed the full program and presented their final Brand DNA statements. A few examples include:
• Diliman Preparatory School
“Empowering generations of creative problem solvers.”
• Mater Dei Academy of Tagaytay
“Creating socially-oriented servant leaders through nurturing experiences.”
• Immaculate Conception Academy
“Women empowered with grit, resilience, and grace, who solve challenges and improve society.”
• Holy Child College of Davao
“Empowering our society by championing Multiple Intelligence.”
Each Brand DNA serves as a strategic north star—guiding decisions across academics, operations, marketing, and leadership.
What We Did
Bootleg led the end-to-end program design and execution, including:
• Curriculum design
• Facilitation of insighting, DNA and Strategy sessions
• Coaching and consultation for each participating school
• Synthesis of outputs and feedback during the plenary presentation
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