This document discusses how colleges can weather the "perfect storm" of challenges facing college admissions. It outlines demographic trends showing declining numbers of traditional college-aged students and increased economic pressures. It argues colleges must overthrow dead recruitment cultures, embrace authenticity in their branding and marketing, and ensure the campus visit experience is engaging. Specific tactics include engaging students earlier in their college search, emphasizing authentic stories over statistics, and training tour guides to provide memorable experiences that feel "right" to prospective students.

1. Weathering the Admissions
Perfect Storm
GACRAO - Savannah 2010
Jeff Kallay, VP Consulting, “Apostle of Authenticity” TargetX

3. Managing Expectation
Overwhelm you with information
I don’t have all the answers, you won’t agree with me
You’re educated and smart; take what is relevant to you
The Perfect Storm
How to weather and thrive
Questions and Answers
Download PDF at in www.targetx.com/slideshare

4. There is no
magic bullet!

5. Recruitment and
retention is
everyone’s job!

8. Student
Demographics

10. 4,300,000
18-year olds
in 2010

11. White 2,480,000 58%
Latino 820,000 19%
African-American 640,000 15%
Asian 190,000 4%
Other 170,000 4%

12. Under $25K 940,000 22%
$25K to $50K 1,030,000 24%
$50K to $75K 860,000 20%
$75K to $100K 560,000 13%
$100K to $150K 520,000 12%
Over $150K 390,000 9%

13. Didn’t Finish High School 740,000 17%
HS Grad-Not in School 1,070,000 25%
HS Grad-Military Service 180,000 4%
HS Grad-Going to College 2,310,000 54%

14. 4-Year Public Colleges 860,000 37%
4-Year Private Colleges 450,000 20%
4-Year Proprietary Colleges 70,000 3%
2-Year Colleges 810,000 35%
Other Schools 120,000 5%

15. High School or Less 1,540,000 36%
Some College 1,380,000 32%
One Bachelors Degree 690,000 16%
Two Bachelors Degrees 350,000 8%
Advanced Degree 340,000 8%

16. Questions We’re Asking
How have you prepared for the decline?
Have you prioritized the adult market?

17. Millennial
Largest, most wanted, most watched over and
most diverse generation in American history.
Howe and Strauss “Millennials Rising”

18. 76
Million Millennials
(vs. 72 million Boomers and 42 million Xers)
Howe and Strauss “Millennials Rising”

19. The Three “Kaitlins”
Kaitlin Caitlin Kate Lynn

20. GI Generation (’01-’24)
Silent Generation (’25-’42)
Baby-Boomers (’43-’60)
Generation X (’61-’81)
Millennials (’82-’00)
Homeland or iGen
(2000-current)

22. 2nd Cohort Millennial

23. Parental
Influences

24. GI Generation (’01-’24)
Silent Generation (’25-’42)
Baby-Boomers (’43-’60)
Generation X (’61-’81)
Millennials (’82-’00)
Homeland or iGen
(2000-current)

25. Boomer Parents GenX Parents
Born in 1982
Graduate
College
High School
Elementary School
“New Silent Generation”

26. “A generation that can sneakily trump boomer
X
narcissism and millennial entitlement.”
Jeff Gordiner, “X Saves the World: How Generation X Got the Shaft but Can Still Keep Everything from Sucking”

29. About Generation X
Born and raised as independent latch-key kids.
Sexual Revolution, Watergate, Vietnam,
Gay Rights, High Divorce Rate, Recession and
Woman’s Movement peppered their youth.
Demonized by Hollywood: Rosemary’s Baby, The
Exorcist, Taxi Driver, Pretty Baby and The Omen.

30. About Generation X
Playing to win by half expecting to lose.
Accepting wide gaps between personal outcomes
and sex roles.
Proud of their ability to cut through the hype.

31. About Generation X
Becoming cautious in family life and gradually
mellowing in personality.
Dedicated to starting and maintaining stable
families, something their Silent generation
parents did not.

32. They are Stealthy

33. Questions We’re Asking
Have you actively engaged parents?
Have you promoted the ROI?
Are graduate & continuing studies ready?

34. Economy

35. “Loan crisis goes to college.”
CNN Money.com, May 2010
“College loans are the new subprime crisis”
New York Times, June 2010 (TargetX’s Trent Gilbert said this in April)
“Credit crisis hits student borrowers.”
The Boston Globe, April 2009

36. 46%
Colleges with Students Stopping Out
Impact of Economy on Enrollment, NAICU, October 2009

37. 22%
Enrolling Fewer Returning Students
Impact of Economy on Enrollment, NAICU, October 2009

38. 29%
Smaller Freshman Classes than Expected
Impact of Economy on Enrollment, NAICU, May 2010

39. Meeting Operating Expenses
The Common Fund Freezes
Paying Off or Pausing Capital Improvements
Increased Discount Rate
Largest Increase from Employee Benefits
Frozen or Cut Professional Development Expenses
Staff Reduction

40. Questions We’re Asking
Will students go to school closer to home?
Will they “go away” to college?
How will you encourage them to visit?
How is your financial aid strategy adjusting?
Are you prepared to answer cost questions earlier?
How well trained are you (recruiters) on aid?

41. Questions We’re Asking
Are you in Growth or Retreat Mode?
What are you doing to cut costs?
Will you (recruiting staff) travel less?

42. Weathering the
Storm

43. 3 Ways to Weather and Thrive
1. Overthrow Dead Culture
2. Embrace Authenticity
3. The Experience IS the Marketing

44. 1. Overthrow Dead Culture
overthrowingdeadculture.com

45. Change Adverse

47. Embrace the Tipping Point

48. Traditional Recruiting
Undergraduate Recruiting in Junior Year
Direct Mail Search Campaigns
Letter Series-Based Communication Plans
Viewbooks, Roadpieces, Department Brochures
Large Open Houses, Info Sessions and Group Tours
High School/Company Visits & College/Graduate Fairs

49. Where Most
Colleges Are Today
Special Thanks to Bob McCullough, Case-Western Reserve University

50. The New
Communication
Plan

51. 81%
Started their College Search Before their Junior Year
Eduventures, 2009

52. 50%
PSAT Takers Were in the 10th Grade or Earlier (2% in 8th Grade)
College Board, 2008

53. 19%
Started their College Search in Eighth Grade or Earlier!
Eduventures, 2009

54. >45%
First Point of Contact was the Admissions Application
Informal TargetX Survey of Undergraduate Admissions Clients & Noel-Levitz E-Recruiting Practices Report, April 2010

55. 84%
Students Spend Researching Colleges Online
Harris Interactive, 2009

56. 84%
Use the College’s Website Most Heavily in their Research
Eduventures, 2008

57. Rethink the Budget
Distribution Print vs. Web, On-Campus vs. Off
Stop the “have to” Activities (hint: start with travel)
Avoid the many online marketing fads - calc ROI!
Focus on what WILL work - Not what ALWAYS worked
Doesn’t necessarily mean additional funding

58. Takeaway
Preference for Electronic Communication
Want Details on Cost and Financial Aid
Desire to Connect with Students and Faculty
Use “New” Communication Tools

59. 2. Embrace Authenticity
“We are searching to get a
grip on what counts for
people in their personal
and business lives.”
Pine and Gilmore’s website
authenticitybook.com

60. Marketing Immunity
3,000-5,000 Daily Messages
Neurological Blockades

61. 90%
Trust Word-of-Mouth vs. Traditional Advertising
Consumers 18-65 years old, Ad Age 2009

62. 64%
Believe Advertising is “Dishonest” or “Unrealistic”
Consumers 18-65 years old, Ad Age 2009

63. You are not in
control

64. History of Higher Education
Recruiting Trends
1980’s Marketing
1990’s Branding
2010’s Authenticity

66. I’m an OK lover, but
afterwards I like to
Me too!
snuggle and talk.
AUTHENTICITY

67. Brands are
Mirrors.
Branding only works when it’s authentic.
We purchase on the basis of conforming to self-image.

68. Brand Analogy
Car;
Restaurant; or
Retailer

69. Inauthenticity
That is the fundamental problem
with advertising: it’s a phoniness
generating machine.

70. Inauthenticity
The easiest way to be perceived
as phony is to advertise things
you are not.

72. Rendering
Authenticity
“Stop saying what your offerings
are through advertising and start
creating places--permanent or
temporary, physical or virtual,
fee-based or free--where people
can experience what those
offerings, as well as your
enterprise, actually are.”

73. 6
Six steps towards
rendering
authenticity

74. 1. Know who you are
Don’t try to be all things to all people
The Ohio State University

75. 2. Say who you are/declare something
Draw a line in the sand
Baylor University

76. 3. Hop on the Cluetrain (talk with, not at)
"Markets are conversations.
Markets consist of human beings, not demographic sectors.
Conversations among human beings sound human.
They are conducted in a human voice.
University of Texas American University

77. 4. If you’re afraid to say it, say it
“Average Students Thrive Here!”
“80% of what I learned happened
outside of the classroom.”

78. 5. Keep it real
SACAC 2008 Survey of 200+ high school seniors
“I believe that imperfections show character. That's what I was looking for
in a college. A school that seemingly has no flaws during a one hour
information session (and tour) not only stands out negatively,
but it comes off as bland and ordinary.”
Read the complete survey results Password: sacac

79. 6. Champion stories (not statistics)
St. Edward’s University

80. 3. The Experience IS the Marketing
1. Repelling commodization
2. Charging a premium price
3. Persuading consumers to pay
when they never did before
4. Selling “Memories”

81. “The experience is the marketing.”
Arts & Science Group Student Poll 2004

82. The experience is higher
education marketing
- 84% use the web most heavily in
researching colleges
- 71% say the campus visit is the
most trusted source of information
Eduventures 2007 Survey of 7,867 High school junior and seniors.
Reported in The Chronicle of Higher Education “Prospective Students Rely on Campus Visits and Web Sites to Learn About Colleges, Report Says”

83. “Effectiveness”
Noel-Levitz 2009

84. Campus Visit in Record #’s
In Step with tradition: Campus Tours thriving

85. It’s all about the experience!
Read the New York Times Article

86. Unique (and Authentic)
Read the US News and World Report Article

87. Tour Guides Matter
Read the St. Louis Post Dispatch Article

88. Campus Tour Go Disney
Read the Washington Monthly Magazine

89. “I visited campus and it felt right!”
LA Times Article: On vacation -- at a college campus Read Trent’s blog post

90. “I visited campus and it felt right!”
But most college tour
scripts are numbingly
similar, and information is
not really the point.
Students and their families
are looking for the ineffable
moment when, through
some alchemy of
atmosphere, setting or
vibe, they suddenly know
this is the place for them.
LA Times Article: On vacation -- at a college campus Read Trent’s blog post

91. Word of Mouth
Text

92. Connect with best fit students
Hendrix College

93. Let go
Remember, you’re not in control.
Remember, they don’t trust marketers.
Remember, they are talking about you anyways.
Remember, they want to figure out the truth.
Remember, their parents are talking about you too.

94. Be a change agent!
Don’t lead change because it makes sense.
Lead change because you believe you
must get ahead of an approaching
“discontinuity” in order to survive.
Jack and Suzy Welch, BusinessWeek, October 2008

95. Want More? Read Our Blogs:
TargetX Blog at www.targetx.com/ithink/

96. Free on Friday Webcasts
Free On Friday Webcasts Watch Past Webcasts

97. Weathering the Admissions
Perfect Storm
GACRAO - Savannah 2010
targetx.com/slideshare
Jeff Kallay, VP Consulting, “Apostle of Authenticity” TargetX
kallay@targetx.com