University Business - December 2008 - (Page 47)

12 14 18 19 status, advertising includes photos of both females and males. 12. Use multiple meanings. Peace College (N.C.) is a 150-year-old women’s liberal arts college that has taken advantage of its unique name in a series of ads and branding initiatives that emphasize how the school enriches the lives of its students at a particularly unsettling period in the nation’s history. “Peace Strengthens” is the tagline for a series of ads that show young women pursuing studies in such ﬁelds as microbiology and anthropology. Each ad ends with the phrase “They knew I had it in me.” 13. Let students lead the way. Colleges can raise visibility and build their brand with their target audience by offering programs tailored to that audience. In the fall of 2000, Mount Holyoke College (Mass.), a women’s college, launched “Take the Lead,” a leadership program for motivated high school junior girls who want to make a difference in the world. After undergoing a rigorous application process, 40 girls are selected. They have spread the word about their experience and nominated others for the program. Some have even applied and matriculated at Mount Holyoke. In eight years, the program has attracted more than 5,600 nominations. 14. Adjust the branding message to the audience. Recognizing that the traditional age students it serves have a different frame of reference from its working adult and military students, Saint Leo University (Fla.) came up with two taglines. “You’ll love the person you become here” launched in 2003 for the younger generation, while “What you need for where you’re going” launched in 2004 for older students. Both are used in print and online materials as well as open house and recruitment events. In addition to increased enrollment, variations on those taglines have begun appearing in students’ National Survey of Student Engagement responses. 15. Make each constituent group feel valued. As separate groups, students, alumni, donors, and trustees should not receive information meant for a general audience. Sametz Blackstone Associates, a Boston-based strategy and integrated communications ﬁrm, has collaborated with a well-known private institution to ensure that different constituencies receive the appropriate letter, their own space online, and special access to people and ideas. Acknowledging the distance (or proximity) of constituents is a nearly cost-free way of solidifying and nurturing relationships. 16. Create a branding manual. The University of San Diego’s comprehensive but user-friendly manual promotes a consistent look and feel for all print and electronic materials. It offers step-by-step guidelines for the proper use of USD’s colors, logo, and writing style when creating everything from apparel to websites and PowerPoint presentations. 17. Make it easy for constituents to spread the word. For those at USD who don’t have the time to read the full manual, there’s an abridged reference guide in PDF form. Administrators at John Brown University (Ark.) provided sample paragraphs to faculty and staff for use in promotional and professional materials after student focus groups were conducted to test the “JBU Characteristics.” A branding process at Texas Christian University was used to develop a list of a few main themes identiﬁed by various groups asked to characterize the institution’s “competitive advantage.” The list was edited to ﬁt on a single sheet and is referred to as the “Message-on-a-Page.” Sametz Blackstone used a similar tactic for one of its higher ed clients—ATM-sized cards that trustees, faculty, alumnae, and students could use to reference group-speciﬁc messages and be effective ambassadors in conversations with their peers. 18. Ditch the admissions viewbook. This year, Paciﬁc Lutheran University (Wash.) replaced its viewbook for prospective students with U magazine. Published three times a year, it features real stories about students, faculty, and alumni that showcase what makes PLU special instead of the facts and ﬁgures found in a typical college brochure. The launch issue included stories about campus life and tips on arranging a visit and applying to college, plus some quirky pieces such as a professor’s philosophy on The X-Files and tongue-in-cheek recipes such as “top ramen parfait.” 19. Create a conversation starter with applicants to ﬁnd those with the best ﬁt. California Western School of Law used to get enough applicants but not enough who were truly a good ﬁt, as its high attrition rates reﬂected. Working with CRANE Metamarketing in Georgia, the institution’s leaders created a brand identity reﬂecting its diversity, versatility, collaboration, compassion, academic rigor, and concern for ethics. A new motto, “What law school ought to be,” has been used since spring 2005 in a variety of marketing, outreach, and admissions materials. The campaign draws prospects into a conversation about how the school views the law, and those who aren’t the best ﬁt now tend to opt out of the applicant pool. Despite a national decline in law school applications, the class that enrolled in fall 2006 is both the largest in three years and considered the best-ﬁt group ever seen at the institution. 20. Use your admissions application as a branding tool. To help reinforce its image as a school that encourages individuality, St. Edward’s University (Texas) admissions staff craft unusual essay questions each year to grab the attention of smart, creative students. One example: “On a high school ﬁeld trip to the symphony, you and two friends get lost and become trapped in a wolf pit with only a history book, a protractor, an iPod, and a note from Mom to save you. How do you escape?” 21. Show some serious service opportunities. With volunteer hours on the rise among high school students, many are interested in continuing their efforts in college. Valparaiso University tapped into that urge with full-page universitybusiness.com December 2008 | 47 http://www.universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - December 2008

University Business - December 2008
Contents
Editor's Note
College Index
Company Index
Advisory Board
Behind the News
Sense of Place
Viewpoint
Human Resources
2009 Annual Directory to Financial Services
Future Shock
Independent Outlook
Endowment Management
Look Before You Leap
50 Best Branding Ideas
Remedial Nation
What's New
Facilities Focus
End Note

University Business - December 2008