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Most people draw a clear line between conventional marketing of products and services, and social marketing, which broadly defined applies marketing principles to change human behavior in order to improve health or benefit society. But what happens when you bring a social issue forward that almost nobody knows even exists — one that goes to the very heart of an American ideal as old as the Declaration of Independence. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. True in countless respects, but not when it comes to gauging a child’s future academic success. Some children simply are born “gifted” or “talented” — and that wealth of talent spreads equally across all segments of the American population, regardless of race, religion, geography or family income. Researchers count about 3.4 million academically gifted American school children in grades K-12 who happen also to be poor. Here is where the story gets interesting. Year after year, grade after … Continue reading
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It’s simple. It’s about people, their stories and their relationships. It’s about compelling storytelling. It’s about telling stories with great photographs, great videos and intriguing ideas. If you follow these three guidelines with your social media, you will be very successful. Learn more about our social media marketing services.
Posted in: Social Media
As the world of higher education settles in after a frenzied first few weeks of new faculty introductions, last minute dormitory re-assignments and opening football weekend, there is that lingering question: what should we do about our brand? Whether you’re stuck in avoidance or racing headlong toward action, it’s worth considering a pause. Maybe past attempts at brand cohesion have failed. Maybe the current administration has lost its will to move forward. Maybe the ink just dried on a statement of work. Whatever your situation, relax. Your brand issues did not arise overnight. They won’t magically resolve any time soon. It may well be the single most important thing you orchestrate in your career as a vice president of marketing or college president. And it can wait. Great brands, in the end, depend on good soil to take root. And when I say soil, I mean smart, authentic, surprising, delightful story telling. Show me a college bold enough to tell … Continue reading
While your faculty and students may have taken the summer off from their college assignments, you know that the work of higher education brand building never ends. Today, and every day, your college brand continues to do its daily work — on your website, social sites and across the continuum of digital and human conversation. As new and returning students unpack in residence halls and faculty reclaim their offices, it’s a good time of the year to ask: What can we do to renew our college brand for the 2014-2015 academic year? We offer five steps forward: 1. Begin investing in first impressions. That could mean redesigning an initial search mailing aimed at rising high school juniors, or rethinking training for new and returning student tour guides. First brand impressions hold great potential — but can also be overlooked. Given the number of campus visits that students (and parents) make, it’s worth preparing your student guides. Can they really translate … Continue reading
We spend a lot of time thinking about higher education marketing – from brand refresh to increasing enrollment. Like most agencies, we’ve drawn our own conclusions, studied others and learned from our own successes and mistakes in order to define a clear set of higher education marketing strategies. Be accessible and authentic “Your reputation lasts for a long time, and needs to be treated with respect. You won’t get very far if you try to be something you’re not. Rather, your personal brand is about figuring out who you really are and what you do best, and then living that brand out. It’s the essence of authenticity.” – Dorie Clark OK. We all know the keg-swilling derelicts aren’t the best students. In fact, they were barely students at all. But Dean Wormer (“Animal House,” 1978) was the absolute worst at making Faber accessible to anybody but polo-wearing rich kids. Incorporate brand ambassadors Getting brand ambassadors to talk is more important … Continue reading
While we heed one alarm after another signaling the decline of higher education as we know it (brick and mortar campuses made irrelevant by more, better and cheaper online courses and degree programs) a counter revolution can be seen and heard, in the form of heaving equipment digging foundations, paving roads and pouring fresh concrete. A new book from the Brookings Institution Press, The Metropolitan Revolution, explores in detail how cities and metros are “fixing our broken politics and fragile economy.” Not surprisingly, colleges play an increasingly active and vital role in the revolution. All cities thrive today thanks in large part to concentrations of land, people, investment capital, talent, amenities, ideas and innovation. Colleges and universities provide many of these key ingredients. Authors Bruce Katz and Jennifer Bradley describe a variety of “anchor plus” innovation districts with major higher education and academic medical center tenants. The paradigm traces to the 1980s when research powerhouse MIT first joined with developer … Continue reading
Mr. Gilka, Director of Photography at National Geographic, recently passed away. He was adored, feared and respected – all at the same time. Two quotes from his Remembrance in the latest issue of National Geographic Magazine stood out. “He pinpointed talent like a heat-seeking missile, assembling a team that would bring the excitement, immediacy and candor of photojournalism to the pages of the magazine.” And “Gilka wasn’t looking for photographers. He was looking for storytellers.” RIP Mr. Gilka. The world will miss you. Photo: Courtesy of National Geographic. Elliance is fortunate to be the home of some of the most talented people I have met in my life. I pray they live long healthy lives bestowing their gifts to our valued clients and to each other.
Tonight, the Pittsburgh Pirates host their first playoff game in more than two decades, just a few blocks away from Elliance headquarters. What might anyone involved in higher education branding take away from the most surprising team in Major League Baseball? We offer 5 brand “signs” worth stealing from the Pittsburgh Pirates: 1. Be real… Pirates’ manager Clint Hurdle never tried to sugar coat two consecutive late-season collapses, while always maintaining his optimism for the team’s future — an optimism grounded, he says, in the team’s underlying work ethic. What’s the take-away for higher education branding? Colleges most clear-eyed about their strengths and weaknesses have the greatest chance of realizing their one true brand voice, and building steadily upon its potential to attract prospects and energize alumni. 2. Be authentic … Pirate management and the fan base have embraced the “braids and tats” demeanor and personalities of stars like Andrew McCutchen and A.J. Burnett, without sacrificing a hint of its … Continue reading
Posted in: Brand Voice, Branding, Higher Education Branding, Storytelling
Recently, while watching the movie “A Knight’s Tale” with my son for about the 50th time (no kidding), I picked up on something I hadn’t heard before in all the times we’d watched it together. If you don’t know the story, it follows the life of a poor 14th century squire named William Thatcher who always dreamed of changing his stars by becoming a knight. He seizes his moment when his master dies during a break in a jousting tournament. Donning his master’s armor, he finishes the tournament in his master’s place – and wins the joust! He then meets up with Geoffrey Chaucer, himself a down on his luck writer/gambler looking for greatness. Chaucer makes Thatcher a deal; in exchange for his care, he’ll write him a patent of nobility. Knowing it’s needed to compete in other tournaments, Thatcher accepts the offer, and in that instant, the two are bonded. William Thatcher will now be known as Sir Ulrich … Continue reading
The closer my son gets to college age (t-minus three years) the more I ask myself: “Does the work I do listening for and giving voice to higher education brands actually help prospects and parents make sound choices?” In an essay published last week in the Chronicle of Higher Education, James M. Lang, associate professor of English and director of the college honors program at Assumption College, an Elliance client, brings the question home. Lang recounts how seven or eight campus tours left both he and his daughter wanting more. In particular, Lang craved “dialogue — from tour guides, admissions representatives, or promotional literature — about what most people see as the main functions of college: teaching and learning.” Lang offers a “modest proposal” — work with student guides to translate moments of classroom engagement and transformation (value) into succinct stories worth telling on a campus tour. As someone charged with soliciting such “aha” teaching and learning moments from faculty … Continue reading