SimpsonScarborough is the data-driven partner for higher education marketers. 

Is there a reputational risk in actually opening now?

We're excited to announce that our Founder & Chairman, Elizabeth Johnson, will be a guest on The Collective Good's Place Makers Live Podcast on Monday, August 3rd at 6pm EST where she'll preview the findings from the third wave of our National Student Survey. We just pulled out of the field from data collection on Monday, surveying both returning and incoming students on the two pressing issues that face every college campus across the country: Coronavirus & race.

Historically, the buying experience at most institutions has been — how should we say it — not great. We can blame complexities like the application or admissions process, but I'd argue most of it is attitudinal. Namely, schools never tried to create a great customer experience as an element of the buying process because they do everything possible to not call their students customers. 

ICYMI, it's a presidential election year. Throw that on top of all the social, cultural, and economic instability, and you've got yourself a perfect storm of questions and considerations when it comes to digital recruitment strategies. 

Editor's Note: The purpose of this article is to help higher ed marketers be thoughtful and strategic in their efforts to incorporate TikTok in their institutional marketing strategies. It is not to weigh-in on policy changes the United States Government is considering on the application, including a potential ban, citing security concerns. While a ban on a mobile app is unprecedented in the United States, some compare the potential move to the recent US ban of smartphones from Chinese manufacturer, Huawei. We'll update this post accordingly if those policy changes are enacted or there are other significant developments. If you're like me, the age of COVID-19 and the onset of a national quarantine has presented you in these unprecedented times with…unprecedented amounts of time. Before my SimpScar colleagues with children throw their computers at me, yes, I know that many parents don't have this "problem" of free time. But for many of us, we've been searching high and low for activities to fill our days: baking sourdough, doing puzzles, or debating the potential crimes of one Carole Baskin. 

"The mic is still hot!"

To be honest, that's not really the question. The question is really about what are you doing to address the issues that students care deeply about?

Each year, the brand consultancy Prophet releases its Brand Relevancy Index. By their definition, relevant brands fall into four categories:

In the last few weeks, a number of colleges and universities have made announcements to remove statues and artwork with racist lineages. The news has been received positively by many but, as expected, was accompanied on social media with swift and hateful commentary.