As we head into 2015, I’d be remiss if I didn’t recount some of what was a terrific 2014 for me. After leading marketing efforts for the University of California System, I joined SimpsonScarborough in February.
I simply can’t say enough about the terrific team at SimpsonScarborough and the passion we bring to client challenges. We have been true partners with our clients, and the opportunity to bring insights and deliver marketing strategies that endure has been thrilling. Launching our creative division at the end of 2014 means we’ll now be able to help clients bring those ideas to life.
Higher education and the role and importance of marketing in higher ed continues to see rapid change and transformation. As 2015 begins, here are three trends to be on the lookout for:
1. Celebrity watch
For years celebrity endorsements have been a surefire and easy way for brands to draw attention and generate awareness. But with recent consolidations of marketing agencies, talent agencies and media channels, celebrity sighting is at an all-time high. Content marketing has led to some notable brand endorsements. My favorite remains “The Prom Date” with Jason Bateman and Will Arnett for Orbit Gum.
Colleges and universities have a plethora of notable celebs that can add value or draw awareness to their brands. Which university will find a way to do so in an authentic way? The opportunity to build value for your higher ed brand while being true to a celebrity’s personality and persona is there. Just look to the authentic role The Big Bang Theory’s Jim Parsons (a University of Houston alum) has taken on with Intel for inspiration.
2. Brands as real experiences
More than ever, brands have been able to create their own platforms for telling their stories and creating relevance. Social media has been a catalyst in creating fans, followers and engagement. But sometimes a real experience has to be, well, real. Then it can be reverberated through social.
Look for higher ed brands to be even more focused on creating experiences that bring together the experiential with the digital.
Our client, Stony Brook University, recently held a series of innovative events that were simultaneously great for attendees and social followers. A celebration of “40 under 40” was a great way to build awareness of some of the University’s great alumni, generate content and create additional awareness. Alum Tristan Walker was honored at the event and was also recently profiled in a lengthy article in Fast Company. That’s relevance, and it provides a long tail to a meaningful experience for attendees and lurkers alike.
3. Service-minded tools
Lumina Foundation president and CEO Jamie Merisotis gave a wonderful presentation at 2014’s AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education. His message focused on encouraging marketers to focus on the needs of students first.
In today’s over-connected and over-programmed world, the last thing people need is another useless marketing message. And in higher ed, the last thing we need is to spend time on making things only to have them lost in the shuffle or discarded. Instead consider the role a useful tool or resource may play in contributing to your brand story.
American University’s recent “We Know Success” site that combines career data, starting salary information and meaningful alumni and student stories fits the bill. But useful tools don’t have to be complicated. Just consider how your brand might be viewed differently if it was easy to ask a question and get a response via Twitter—for example, if alumni could easily find out how to get copies of their transcripts. UMass Lowell’s personal response via Twitter to a potential transfer student is a great example.
Here’s hoping you have a terrific 2015! And—for good measure—here's a playlist for some of my favorite tracks from 2014! Enjoy!