SimpsonScarborough: Intelligent Marketing for Higher Education

So, we spent four days together in San Diego last week. What did you think? Frankly, I’m just happy it’s over (for now). Most of you are probably involved in planning big events on your campus. So you know how I feel. It’s so nice when it’s over and you have a 5 minute break before you have to start thinking about the next year’s event. Actually, who am I kidding? I’m not taking any breaks. I want to know right now while it’s fresh in your mind what you thought about this year so I can start making next year better. So, lay it on me! What did you think of anything and everything about the event? Give me feedback on the track sessions, the keynoters, the tutorials, the advanced marketing sessions, the roundtables, the cocktail parties, the vendors, the hotel, the food, the location…..anything you want to talk about. Tell me the one or two sessions your thought were absolutely fantastic. But, write to me privately at es@simpsonscarborough.com if you went to any that you thought were real stinkers. I need your help for next year!

Posted by Meredith Simpson at 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ok, so I am bitching again about plummeting readership of newspapers – and the continued expectation from college and university leaders for more positive media hits. The former is life in an industry that I love, but is dying; the latter is a head in the sand approach we need to correct.

The Audit Bureau of Circulations, an industry group that monitors newspaper readership, recently announced circulation nationwide fell 2.6 percent at major U.S. dailies in the last six months. The good news, though only to the rose-glasses-wearing eternal optimist, is newspaper readership on the web is starting to rise.

Bottom line in the latest figures surveying 609 newspapers shows Monday through Friday circulation fell 2.6 percent and Sunday circulation 3.5 percent – a trend that has been growing for 20 years.

But ignore free media at your peril, as noted in this blog many times. Focus and sharpen your media efforts, but move more towards self-publishing such as blogs, podcasts, in-house hard copy and other outreach venues.

This week alone I had two clients calling for “quick successes” with desired positive media hits for their institution. We will work on it, and we have had some luck – but I worry, and you should too, about “the tree falling in the woods” dilemma based upon limited circulation and readership of clips.

-- Christopher Simpson

Posted by Teresa Valerio Parrot at 10:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The AMA Symposium next week in San Diego is officially over 500 registrants!!!! The AMA budgeted for around 400 so we blew that goal right out of the park. They say it’s because of the stellar program we (the Steering Committee and me) put together. And, I would like to believe that’s true. But, it might also have something to do with the fact that the Symposium is being held in San Diego and most of us are just dying to get one more dose of the sun before winter is upon us.

Seriously, I think the Symposium is getting so popular because our field is changing and progressing so rapidly. It’s my only “won’t miss it” conference of the year. I *really* wanted to go to the recent AMA Applied Market Research conference in Seattle. But that was too far to go and too long to be away from the kids. I have a friend from UC-Berkeley, Lo de Janvry, who went and then called me to rub it in about how great it was. Lo is starting with our firm in January 2008 though, so I’ll get to steal all his materials.

What are your “won’t miss it” conferences and meetings each year?

-- Elizabeth Scarborough

Posted by Meredith Simpson at 03:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)