In their last issue, University Business recognized the "50 Best Branding Ideas" of 2008. The article looked at some of the innovative new ways that colleges and universities across the country were communicating their brands to prospects, current students and alumni. Among those recognized was Intelliworks customer University of Connecticut for its "Always Part of U" campaign, an integrated campaign that featured a unique Web destination and a national television commercial used to promote school loyalty.
Recently, we spoke to Dave Martel, Director of Marketing Communications at the University of Connecticut, to discuss the school's motivation behind the campaign and some of the results they've seen to date.
INTELLIWORKS: This fall, UCONN debuted its “Always Part of U” marketing campaign. Why did you feel the need for this new direction, and what sparked the idea behind the campaign?
MARTEL: In previous University commercials, we were underutilizing a great opportunity to strengthen the emotional connection we have with our alumni.
As such, we headed in a new creative direction informed by research. We did an evaluation of best practices, we examined themes from competitors, and we assessed what worked and what didn't. Ultimately, we discovered what underlying themes added to the impact of commercials we viewed and then used that as the basis for developing our own creative approach.
INTELLIWORKS: In addition to the TV ad, it looks like you viewed this as an opportunity to really connect the University of Connecticut community across a number of different channels. You had a unique web destination where you allowed visitors to download ringtones and screensavers, connect with peers across a number of social networking groups, and share their own photos and videos about their experiences at UCONN.
What was the most challenging part of bringing all these pieces together? What advice do you have for other schools looking to put together an integrated, cross-channel campaign like Always Part of U?
MARTEL: The most challenging part was having that "Ah ha!" moment with less than 30 days until the commercial was scheduled to make its national debut.
Our team was enthused to use some more of our technical skills to advance the brand using social media and other Web 2.0 innovations.
In terms of lessons learned and advice I'd give to others...allow for more than 30 days to move from end to end.
INTELLIWORKS: What were some of the results you’ve seen since launching the campaign in September?
MARTEL: Results have been impressive. We've had impressive traffic patterns in the thousands and that has stayed steady. We've given away thousands and thousands of downloads, and people are posting their own photos and videos. We've really connected with our alumni and our student body.
INTELLIWORKS: Given this as a case study, what are your thoughts on how higher education marketing has evolved?
MARTEL: The market for higher education has grown highly competitive. We have a product, an experience, to sell and if we aren't meeting demand and expectations we will lose valuable space in the market.
INTELLIWORKS: What’s next for UCONN and the "Always Part of U" campaign? What are your goals for the future? Where do you see UCONN taking its marketing initiatives over the next couple of years?
MARTEL: We're planning an "Always Part of U" remix to see how we can keep the concept fresh and innovative with the potential to extend the campaign another year. We're also looking at new ways to leverage the campaign using Intelliworks.
We're planning to use Intelliworks to deploy communications to our admitted students introducing them to the "Always Part of U" concept and remind them that they're about to embark on a life-long journey with UCONN.
As far as big picture, our goals are to continue to expand and grow our electronic communications programs for our audiences. The key to success is clear - personalized. We must communicate with our audience where they are, in the ways they prefer.
Not long ago I had a conversation with a client who described to me how her department used to handle inbound inquiries from prospective students. It was a two-step process:
STEP 1: A student would request more information about the program;
STEP 2: Someone would send the information that was requested.
That's it. No big deal. No pressure. Also, no follow up.
While the program was certainly responsive to the inquiries it would receive, it was not capitalizing on an opportunity to build long-term relationships with prospects by following up with them after their initial inquiries. They simply relied on faith that prospects would review the materials that were sent and return if they had more questions.
Unfortunately, in a world where competition is just a click away, prospective students may not simply return to your Web site after their initial inquiry. This is where planning a "drip marketing" strategy can have a big impact.
Last year, we began our "Share Your Knowledge" initiative where we ask the Intelliworks community to share their opinions on enrollment and recruitment, and share best practices with their peers. So far, the results have been great with customers presenting webinars, writing blog posts, or participating in surveys to help inform the community. We're happy to continue this new tradition with our next Webinar featuring a case study of the Intelliworks solution.
Join us on Thursday, January 29th at 1:00p.m. for a FREE Webinar "Graduate Admissions Best Practices from Soup to Nuts" featuring Joanne Murray, Assistant Dean for Graduate Studies at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania.
During her presentation, Murray will demonstrate how her admissions department has been able to manage its entire student enrollment lifecycle - from initial inquiry management and program marketing to application review and admissions processing - using a suite of tools from Intelliworks.
Webinar attendees will learn how the admissions department at the Annenberg School for Communication:
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