Check out this short video about the work we are doing for Kogod School of Business at American University.
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February 2010 Archives
A little known organization in the UK called the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership, has broken out with an ad promoting seatbelt use that has become an internet phenomenon. I saw it on CNN this morning and went to YouTube to check it out; almost 1.4 million views so far. Three were me.
The ad is wonderful in so many ways. First, it focuses on a life saved rather than one lost; most seatbelt ads I've seen in the past try to scare drivers. Second, the way the driver's wife and daughter use their own clenched hands to mimic the position of a seatbelt is beautiful and poignant. I also though the way the silvery colored confetti symbolized the impact was brilliant.
I challenge you to watch this ad without crying, or at least getting choked up. It reminds me how much I love advertising and the power to stimulate an emotional reaction with our marketing communcations.
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I have read two articles this week that both hit home and makes me a little sad. They both deal with the changing nature of academia. The first is an article entitled "The Thrill is Gone," written by Jeffrey Williams in the Chronicle of Higher Education. This article focused on the feelings and perceptions of faculty within the academy. The point of the piece is that the role and status of a university professor is not what it used to be and many are depressed and feel marginalized within their institutions. Some of the causes are more of a reliance on part time faculty, the inability for many to find jobs and the pressure to work toward the bottom line of the school.
The second article looks at some of the same issues from another perspective. "Slipping (Further) Off the Pedestal" read in Inside Higher Ed, deals with a survey by Public Agenda and National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education that cites an increasingly wary public of university intentions and strategy. This article and the original study suggests that while the public is "increasingly convinced that higher education is essential to a successful career and life but are growing more doubtful that college is affordable and ....viewing them as 'just another business'."
First, I have no doubt that universities are acting more like a business. In fact, I applaud these efforts. What makes me sad is that institutions of higher education are making the mistake of only looking at the cost side of the equation and not necessarily taking into account the human side.
The non-academic service industry teaches us that organizations are made up of people that serve people. Without taking into account how cost containment (or price increases) impact employees and constituents, strategy typically leads short sided measures that feed the bottom line but alienate the audience. A more marketing based strategy would be focused on adding value rather than purely cutting costs.
A disengaged and depressed faculty cannot possibly deliver the level of education that energizes and inspires students. Students that feel that universities are more focused on their money than their welfare will not long support the school.
I sincerely hope that that some of the decisions we see being made now are temporary and an indication of college leadership not "schooled" in business making rookie mistakes. Hopefully, the next generation of leaders will understand planning and marketing as much as they understand the academy.
From Tufts, to Johns Hopkins, to Ithaca College, check out The 50 Social Media Innovators in Higher Ed. These schools were recently recognized by collegesurfing.com for having "active Twitter feeds, fan-packed Facebook pages, creative YouTube videos, and compelling blogs" that capture the attention of their target audiences and promote their school in a compelling and technologically up-to-date way.
Congratulations!
Davenport University in Michigan has announced an agreement with the state's Office of Career and Technological Education to accept up to 24 academic credit hours toward a degree at its school. This is so cool on so many levels. First, it reinforces Davenports's brand position of "your career university." Second, it demonstrates the school's understanding of its market and the needs of the people of Michigan. Helping those that start out at a technical college make the transition to a university degree give new meaning to an "opportunity college." Third, Davenport University is showing itself as not only a competitor in the marketplace but one who is not afraid of taking a new tact.
The adage that "insanity is doing the same old thing and expecting different results" has been attributed to many people over the years. However, Davenport is leading the way to extend educational opportunities to those that, up to this point, have been marginalized in the educational process. They are willing to try something new and I am hoping for "different results" for their bold move.
I recently read the above titled article in my web edition of Inside Higher Ed. I serve on the Hispanic Scholarship Committee here in Cincinnati and these articles always get my attention.
This article reinforces the adage that "you can't fight demographics."
According to the article there are now 265 schools designated as a Hispanic-serving institution (HSI). These are defined as schools that have at least 25% of full time equivalent students that are Latino. Another 176 schools are on the brink of becoming HSI's and are referred to as emerging. The largest share of these were public community colleges (44%) followed surprisingly by private colleges and universities (31%) and THEN public four year schools (20%).
This article suggested that Congress provide grants that will help emerging HSI's plan for the shift in demographics. Such plans will enhance enrollment as retention of hispanic students. This in turn invest in the future of our country.
President Obama has stated that he would like to see the U.S. have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020 (an almost impossible task given today's support of education). This will never be accomplished unless we invest in the changing demographics versus fight them.
According to a recent report from the Council for Aid to Education (read on www.insidehighered.com), the charitable contributions to colleges and universities fell 11.9% in 2009 which represented the "steepest decline" since the Council started collecting national data on fund raising in 1969. The numbers were startling:
- giving to private bachelor's institutions was off 18.3%
- Giving to capital gifts was down 25%
- annual alumni giving fell to 10%, the "lowest level ever recorded."
A good marketing strategy will enable you to better compete for students, reputation and recourses. In particular it will help you:
- more clearly articulate what you stand for and what is your position in the marketplace
- express how and why you are relevant and should be supported
- communicate your message to important constituents
- engage your alumni so that you understand what they would wish to support and they understand how they can help make a difference in the health of the school, the community and the country.
Marketing must be used more strategically if your school wishes to survive and thrive in this difficult economic time. as our friends at Mercyhurst College would say..."Carpe Diem!"
I just read an excellent article entitled "Chevy Drops Its Tagline... Does It Matter?". The article focuses on the fact that Chevy has dropped it long time tagline of "An American Revolution." The author, Julie Roehm writing on the site "marketing.autos.aol.com", asks the question if taglines matter and she contends that they do...and I agree. Coincidently, I had just come from a meeting at St. Xavier High School (stxavier.org) here in Cincinnati where I sit on the marketing committee. We were having this very conversation and the use of taglines used consistently over time was decided to be a huge asset.
The article outlines six traits of a solid tagline. They are: "memorability, unaided recall (closely linked to memorability), simplicity (the fewer words the better), longevity (relevant for decades to come), ownable (you can't put a competitors brand name in there and have it work as well), benefit (shows some trait of the brand), and attitude/spirit of the brand (enough said)."
I would recommend putting the development of your tagline to the test of these six traits.
...and by the way, if you think your tagline is unique, I would also suggest visiting Stamats's tagline repository on their website (stamats.com) just to check!
SimpsonScarborough talked with Laura Vann, Public Relations Specialist at Lynn University and one of the inaugural SimpsonScarborough Scholars.
Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
A: My name is Laura Vann, and I am the public relations specialist at Lynn University, a small liberal arts college located in Boca Raton, Florida. I was born and raised in Augusta, Georgia and upon graduation of high school is 2004, I moved to Boca Raton to pursue an undergraduate degree from Lynn University. In 2008, I graduated summa cum lade from Lynn with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication, specializing in Public Relations and Advertising, and minored in Business Marketing (it's a mouthful, I know!). During my tenure as a student at Lynn, I worked in the Office of Marketing and Communications as a media relations intern for 3 years. In 2008, I was hired as a full-time media relations assistant and started my graduate studies at Lynn. In December of 2009, I graduated with a Master of Science in Communication and Media.
Today, as a public relations specialist in the Office of Marketing and Communication at Lynn my responsibilities include: being the University's primary liaison with the local press (print, TV, radio, and online); overseeing and facilitating coverage of University news, events, and people; leading social media efforts (via blogs, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter); creating editorial and multimedia content for all channels, including Lynn.edu; and, I am the University's back-up emergency contact.
Q: Why did you decide to apply to the SimpsonScarborough Scholars program?
A: As a student, intern, and now employee of Lynn University, I have become very familiar with CASE and SimpsonScarborough. In fact, as a student intern in 2006 I was awarded a District CASE III Advancement Award for the development of a Broadcast E-mail Project for my work developing, implementing, and providing content for a weekly news tip sheet that I pitch to local media.
My colleagues, Jason Hughes and Carol Herz, are the individuals who brought the SimpsonScarborough Scholars program to my attention. They encouraged me to apply noting, "I think you have a real chance." After reading about the program, it didn't take much time before I applied for the once in a lifetime chance to be named a SimpsonScarborough Scholar, to take advantage of the wealth of networking opportunities provided through the program, and to advance my career in marketing for higher education - both personally and professionally.
Q: What was your reaction to being named on of the inaugural SimpsonScarborough Scholars?
A: Shock. Joy. Disbelief. Honor. Excitement.
I think those emotions sum up how I was feeling when I received the phone call from Brett Chambers, Executive Director of Volunteer Relations at CASE. Brett called me personally to tell me the good news. The word spread fast around campus after Brett e-mailed my supervisor Jason Hughes. In fact, the very next day the President of Lynn University, Kevin Ross, personally congratulated me on the honor and achievement.
Q: One of the goals of the SimpsonScarborough Scholars program is to establish a network of scholars over time who become mentors to other promising newcomers. How do you envision yourself in this role?
A: In my current position at Lynn University, I directly manage (and often mentor) four student workers on a daily basis that produce and manage multimedia content - two student photographers, a videographer, and a graduate assistant who monitors our social media channels. Helping these students realize their potential and thrive in the workplace is one of my favorite responsibilities. These students bring a fresh and creative look into all facets of Lynn University's innovative and effective modes of marketing and communication. As a SimpsonScarborough Scholar I hope to expand upon this role in marketing for higher education by seeking out the opinion and creativity of young people around the nation.
This is sorta old news because it's from the December issue of Marketing News, but I think these are cool facts anyway:
1. Twitter is not a teenybopper hangout. - Just 16% of Twitter users are under 25.
2. Marketers are all atwitter about Twitter, but consumers? Not so much. - Only 8% of consumers felt Twitter was very effective for promoting products and ideas.
3. Short-term financial ROI measures aren't the be-all and end-all. - There is still a place for softer metrics for things such as brand awareness and word-of-mouth.
4. Mobile marketing without the consumer's consent remains off limits. - This despite rumors that federal regulators have opened the floodgates to mobile telemarketing......it's just a myth.
5. Some "attention-getting" internet ads can do more harm than good. - 80% of respondents to a Harris Poll said expanding ads that cover online content are "very frustrating."
6. All days aren't created equal on Facebook. - Click-through rates are highest on Tuesdays.
7. Email marketing isn't dead. - Open rates actually increased 18% in 2009's second quarter compared to the same quarter in 2008.
8. About to look for a marketing job? Don't list your college first on your resume. - Employers would rather see a list of experiences.
9. (#9 was a dumb one about the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile......so I'm not even including it.)
10. There are more internet users in China (338 million) than the entire population of the United States (308 million).
11. Although it's the "it" phone now, the Apply iPhone only has 5% of the entire U.S. mobile market.
12. Hispanics are nicer than everyone else when it comes to rating products. - They give products, on average, a 6% higher rating than non-Hispanics.
13. Sometimes a good deal doesn't need much paid marketing. - Toyota didn't invest a dime in promoting "Cash for Clunkers," and was still the top benefactor from the program.
14. Only 2% of TV viewing happens online and on mobile devices.
15. Fewer than 75 people had returned new cars under the Hyundai Assurance program as of September. - It allowed people who lost the jobs to return their cars and contributed an estimated 10% of the company's sales in 2009.
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