October 2008 Archives

Now THIS looks like a great conference!

By Meredith on October 30, 2008 7:17 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Check out the upcoming AMA conference on internal branding. Frankly, I'd love to go to this one but I have a schedule conflict.  There are some great sessions:

* Branding from the Inside Out: The Path to Profitability

* The Missed Opportunity: Building an Internal Branding Campaign

* Putting the "Cult" into Culture: How to Create Raving Employees

This conference is not specifically targeted to colleges and universities....but it sure could be.  Can someone go and then come back and tell me all about it?

A Smile on a Tuesday

By Meredith on October 28, 2008 4:35 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
Tom sent this to me today and it made me smile.  Thought I would pass it along to you as well-- especially if you find a 401K statement in your mailbox!

Joe Hice and the University of Florida strike again!

By Meredith on October 28, 2008 10:43 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Many of you probably remember hearing Joe Hice speak at the AMA Symposium last year. He showed his Go Gater TV spots, which were just wonderful. Lots of passion about what it means to be a Gator. Well, he's done it again. He just shared two more spots they are using to connect with alums. There's a great interactive invitation for alumni embedded.  Well done, Joe.  You are too good!

Spot 1

Spot 2

 

Brand Strategy or Bandwagon?

By Meredith on October 27, 2008 7:44 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
I've worked with a bunch of colleges and universities in recent months who want to believe that sustainability, "international," and/or "service to others" are brands they can own. I am not saying 100% that this is impossible.....but these three concepts (and several others) are bandwagons that a lot of colleges are jumping on. A bandwagon is the opposite of a differentiator...one of the two key principles of branding. So, unless your organization can live it and prove it in ways that are much more tangible than the others schools on the bandwagon, the strategy is not likely to be effective. Instead, look to your institution's personality, to its history, to its people to find your brand. 

Gambling on Amendment 50

By Meredith on October 26, 2008 5:11 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
I'm sure you are as tired of all of the political ads and coverage as I am, but I wanted to share a ballot initiative in my home state because of its tie to higher education funding.  The Denver Post is reporting on Amendment 50 in today's edition.  If approved by voters, the amendment would allow "Colorado's three mountain gambling towns... to raise the maximum bet at casinos from $5 to $100," and "also could allow casinos to expand to 24-hour operations, and add craps and roulette." 

"Amendment 50 would earmark much of the additional revenue for the state's community colleges to use toward financial aid and classroom instruction."  With approval, it is estimated that the amendment could bring "$220 million in gaming-tax revenue over the first five years."

The article chronicles the benefits and drawbacks associated with the proposed amendment-- both for the gambling communities and for a number of constituents on both sides of the issue across the state.

I'm not going to say how I voted (but I encourage everyone to vote regardless of their beliefs or affiliations).  Instead, I wanted to point out the interesting approach being taken to fund higher ed.  Any unique funding options on the ballot in your neck of the woods?

Cheers from the U.K.

By Meredith on October 25, 2008 6:41 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

I'm leaving London in the morning after a great trip to present for the GMAC's European Programme and to work with the Judge business school at The University of Cambridge. Thank you, Ruth, for a great trip to campus. I'm sure that's NOT a touring map in my hand....MUST be a brochure of yours that I just finished reviewing.  

  Judge.jpg 

 

My New Favorite Website of the Day!

By Meredith on October 24, 2008 1:38 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
Yesterday someone asked me how I brainstorm new stories to pitch... well, I have a website that I now love and am adding to my favorites :).  Real Clear Politics posts all of the politically-based articles in papers across the country on its site, and it also takes all of the polls performed nationally and distills them into manageable data points.  You can see polling numbers on a wide variety of races across the country, and also tracks "issues."  If you click on "issues" you will see an alphabetized list of the issues currently under discussion across the country and world.  Viola!  The brainstorming for expert citations and localization of national/world trends has begun!

Breaking News... Shoots at Western Kentucky University Reported, Lockdown Canceled.

By Meredith on October 22, 2008 3:51 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
WKLY reported that at 12:30 PM Central, Western Kentucky University issued a text alert stating: "An armed man has been reported on WKU South Campus. Please stay clear of this area."

Although details are still coming it, it appears that the lockdown was lifted.  Please continue to keep WKY in your thoughts and let's hope for a peaceful resolution.  

-- Teresa

PS-- below is the initial website response by the University:


 

The Economy, Research, and Your Audiences

By Meredith on October 21, 2008 7:49 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
Last month I wrote a blog entry on communicating with your donors through an uncertain economy.  This month I want to expand beyond just donor relations and really start to get to the heart of the matter.  Most of my suggestions below are a classic crisis communications model, which begins by segmenting your audiences.

CASE President John Lippincott issued a statement on October 14th that talked about the "impact of the economy on fundraising strategies."  I think it is worth your time to read his statement, particularly as he discusses the need to "redouble your efforts" and "reframe your conversations" with alumni.  I couldn't agree with him more, but I want to add a very important point.  Communications with all audiences need to be honest, but they also need to be data driven.  If you have performed qualitative and quantitative research with alumni and donors in the past, make sure you infuse your current messages in the way and with the words that they want to hear from you.  If you haven't done research with these audiences, now is the perfect time to assess their expectations of you in a good economy and in a bad.

Next, I want to ensure that you aren't forgetting about prospect and current students.  My daily news clips from Inside Higher Ed remind me each morning that public and private institutions are slashing budgets and are subject to vulnerabilities in the current economy.  What are you doing to communicate with prospective and current students to reassure them and their parents that they will still receive a quality education at your institution?  Don't let them assume where those cuts will occur, or if your institution is financially sound.  And, again, if you have performed research previously, use the data when you draft your messages to create the greatest calm.

Of greatest importance are your internal audiences-- your faculty and your staff.  If you are experiencing budget cuts, make sure that they hear about areas impacted from YOU and not from the newspaper or secondary sources.  Even if the news is hard to swallow, people appreciate honest in difficult times.  And, be sure to talk about how the institution will survive and provide a timeline for the changes, if possible.

In no way shape or form do I believe we are in crisis mode, but remember the best crisis communications responses help institutions prevent crisis mode.



Fundraising Communication Nightmare

By Meredith on October 21, 2008 6:15 PM | 1 Comment | No TrackBacks
My friend Bruce Neimeyer sent me a link to this article on Chronicle.com today; I'm sure it made the little back of neck hairs rise for every development commicator that read it. Apparently, Framingham State tried to use humor in a recent solicitation. As we all know, if you are going to use humor, you better nail it! I guess they didn't because a bunch of alums freaked out. I know I always sound like such a research geek, but hello--did anyone think to test this risky approach before it was sent to 6,000 alums? A quick series of online focus groups surely would have helped the institution figure out this was not a good idea. And, perhaps that other ideas they had for uses of humor might have been a home run. Research will never die! 

Example of Living the Brand

By Meredith on October 21, 2008 9:38 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
My husband is an engineering contractor for the University of Colorado at Boulder (yes, I had to fill out LOTS of disclosure forms and conflict of interest forms when I was an officer at the University :)).  Last week he forwarded an email to me from his contact on campus, because he knew I'd love it... and he was right!

His contact gave an ideal example of living the brand.  He took a press release about the campus green initiatives, personalized it and sent the following message to all of his contacts:

CU comes out on top in several sustainability rankings
Our school has been getting some positive press in the environmental world. Sierra Magazine ranked us second "greenest" school in the nation, after Middlebury College. CU-Boulder was lauded for programs leading to jobs as campus sustainability coordinators, outdoor education coordinators and environmental journalists. The only other school in the nation to be listed as a top school for three job categories was the University of California, Berkeley. 
The Sustainable Endowments Institute rated CU as one of the top 15 campuses in the nation for sustainability. CU-Boulder has the most "A" grades (in seven of eight categories) of any other large university on the list. Due in part to exciting new programs like zero-waste football CU was recognized for our constant work towards being on the leading edge of sustainable practices. 
Check out what they're saying about us: 
Sustainability Endowments Institute 
Sierra Magazine 

Despite these accolades we still have some work to do. CU recently released our carbon inventory, showing the campus's total greenhouse gas emissions. Although the school compared favorably with similar schools we still have a long way to go. Read the report and find out more. 

Now, all of the construction and engineering contractors for CU-Boulder are up to date on the campus priorities and future direction.  Amazing, huh?  Imagine how this type of buy-in could help your brand infiltrate all areas of your campus.

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