This document discusses Carnegie Mellon University's experience managing its brand on social media following the viral popularity of a professor's "Last Lecture". It describes how the university joined online conversations, identified key audiences to engage with, developed messaging around important topics, and partnered with outside organizations to spread its message. It also analyzes the positive impact on the university's global brand awareness and undergraduate admissions, referring to the phenomenon as the "Pausch Effect". Lastly, it outlines best practices and lessons learned for other institutions looking to leverage social media for branding and recruitment.

1. Managing the power of
the brand on the web
Marilyn Kail & Lara Steiner
Carnegie Mellon University
Marketing Communications Department
July 26, 2010

2. People are already talking…
• Social media is an interactive, two-way
communication
• It’s the wild west on the web
• Word of mouth = WORLD of mouth
We no longer search for the news. The news finds us.

3. So we joined the conversation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFZ0z5Fm-Ng

4. So we joined the conversation.
Why for higher ed?
- Brand awareness
- Student recruitment
- Alumni engagement
- $$

5. How we joined the conversation.

6. Who we are talking to?
• Alumni
• Prospective and current students
• Parents
• Thought-leaders
• Donors
• Government, corporations, foundations
• Media
And not just our followers, but also their followers…

7. Our online communications footprint

8. What are we saying?
Repetition of key story lines across all central
platforms:
• Technology and the Arts
• Energy, Environment, Sustainability
• Health & Wellness
• Global Society & Economy

9. Collaborating in a decentralized world

10. Case Study: The “Pausch Effect”

11. The “Pausch Effect”
- two immediate impacts
• The effect on Carnegie Mellon’s global brand
awareness
• The effect on undergraduate admission

12. A Multilayered Marketing Approach
• Online
YouTube
iTunes U
/randyslecture
Cross-linking

13. A Multilayered Marketing Approach
• Carnegie Mellon branded
DVD package of the Lecture
60,000 sold since October 2007
• Partnered with publisher to
package our DVD with Randy’s book translated in
36 languages and 4 million copies in print; promotional
materials included Carnegie Mellon information about
university programs/partnerships in each country;
offered spokesperson

14. A Multilayered Marketing Approach
• Media Relations
Responding and managing the perceptions of
Carnegie Mellon in major national and international
print, radio, TV and online media

15. A Multilayered Marketing Approach
• Partnerships
Promotional partnerships with PBS and the NFL
Educational partnership with major “kids brand”
• Internal Communications
“Inside” university print publications
targeted email from the president to faculty, staff,
alumni
• Carnegie Mellon Today articles reaching 92,000 in
our key audience groups

16. A Multilayered Marketing Approach
• Development
Created the Randy Pausch Legacy Fund (fall 2007)
gifts from individuals in more than a dozen
countries; most with no prior affiliation to
Carnegie Mellon

17. A Multilayered Marketing Approach
• Celebrating Randy’s Legacy
Campus Memorial
Expanded “Randy’s collection” on YouTube
Added him to our Notable Alumni reel (viral)
14,174 visits to the “Share Your Randy Story” with
more than 1,500 people worldwide showing how
Randy touched their lives
The ‘official university book’ The Last Lecture
The Pausch Bridge

18. Measuring the Impact
Millions of impressions in top tier media around the
world. Following Randy’s death, there were more
than 323 million impressions.
60,000+ DVDS sold since October 2007
/randyslecture continues to be in the top 10 most
visited pages on www.cmu.edu each month
Tens of Thousands of downloads from iTunes U and
Randy’s lecture was number one for several months

19. Measuring the Impact
11,838,641 total views of the Last Lecture on YouTube
The most viewed video of all time on the YouTube EDU
channel
Received the highest possible 5-star rating and has been rated
more than 40,000 times
Favorited 99,794 times, 10,524 comments
“I want to attend the
university after
viewing the video!”

20. The “Pausch Effect”
- the admission story.
• Our admitted students reported an overall more
positive view of the university after learning about
Randy.
2008: of the 45% that were aware of the Last Lecture, more
than half were influenced to apply to Carnegie Mellon
2009: 65% saw the story and of that audience, 79% said it was
important in their decision to apply to Carnegie Mellon
41% ended up enrolling at CMU

21. The “Pausch Effect”
- the admission story.
• Randy set an expectation among prospective
students of what Carnegie Mellon’s faculty would be
like.
• His Last Lecture influenced students to apply to
and enroll at Carnegie Mellon.
• In fact, international students reported that the Last
Lecture had an even stronger influence on their
decision to apply to Carnegie Mellon than US
citizens.

22. The “Pausch Effect”
- the admission story.

23. Lessons learned
• Even if the story gets ahead of you, it’s never too
late. Every millisecond counts*
• Have communication platforms in place so you can
react quickly. Be prepared to repeat the story 5x or
more.
• Look at all the possibilities and assemble a
multidisciplinary team.
• Box above your weight**. Find the “right” partners to
tell your story through channels you can’t reach.
*What Would Google Do? Jeff Jarvis, **Behind the Cloud Marc Benioff

24. Lessons learned
• Letting go on web 2.0. Give the people control and
we will use it.*
• If you’re not searchable, you won’t be found.* Set up
platforms to find and be found.
i.e. HootSuite & Google Alerts. Use institution
name and keywords where you excel.
• “Ask” the audience. Don’t guess, do your research.
Use analytics (i.e.Google Analytics) to track your
visitors and capitalize on those pages.
*What Would Google Do? Jeff Jarvis

25. Lessons learned
• Every brand needs a little emotion. The stories that
connect are the stories that are truly human and
relevant.
• Keep the story alive.
Randy’s legacy lives on.
Pausch Bridge Dedication
October 30, 2009

26. Lessons learned
Everyone needs a little “Google Juice”
Google tribute to Randy. Text reads, “In Memoriam: Randy Pausch (1960-2008)”

27. One last lesson.
Always take advantage of the tools available
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nb9jbkGItc

28. Resources
• Carnegie Mellon University home page: www.cmu.edu
• Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch’s “Last Lecture”
www.cmu.edu/randyslecture
• Most read blog for social media: http://mashable.com
• Another good blog resource: http://technorati.com/blogstop100
• “What Would Google Do?” by Jeff Jarvis
• “Socialnomics” by Erik Qualman www.socialnomics.com
• “Behind the Cloud” by Marc Benioff
• “The Twitter Book” by Tim O’Reilly, Sarah Milstein
• “The Comet and the Tornado” by Don Marinelli
• Tell your story: www.youtube.com/searchstories

29. Questions?