The challenge of balancing short-term and long-term goals in higher education marketing by defining a brand and campaign platform.

1. Brand
VS.Campaign?
Brand
+Campaign?
OR
Balancing short-term and long-term goals in Higher Ed Marketing
1

2. Teri Lucie Thompson
University of Arizona
@terilucie
Bill Faust
Ologie
@williamfaust
2

3. our agenda for today
Brands vs. Campaigns
• Defining a brand platform
• Defining a campaign platform
What is a “brand campaign”?
• Some examples outside and inside higher ed
Insights and conclusions
3

4. Historically...
brand campaign
• came first
• more about identity
and experience
But these lines are blurring.
• came second
• more about promoting
something specific
4

5. A brand platform is typically...
• A longer-term proposition (5–10 years or more)
• A filter for many decisions (beyond communications)
• A tool to drive PERCEPTION
• Derived from organizational purpose
• Lived and reinforced over time
• Created for all stakeholders
5

6. A traditional campaign
platform is typically...
• A shorter-term proposition (1–3 years or less)
• More about promoting something specific
• A tool to drive behavior (call to action)
• Derived from a focused message strategy
• Focused on near-term results
• Tailored to selected stakeholders
6

7. A brand platform includes
brand strategy
+
experience
More about the WHO and WHY
(we are) (we exist)
7

8. A traditional campaign platform includes
message strategy
+
story
More about the WHAT and HOW
(we offer) (you benefit)
8

9. Strong brands often use campaigns
to sell ideas... not just “things.”
campaign
platform
brand
platform
“brand campaign”
9

10. A few examples
from
outside
higher ed
10

11. The Brands
11

12. 12

13. happiness
13

14. 14

15. 15

16. 16

18. 19

19. performance
20

20. THE ULTIMATE DRIVING MACHINE.
21

21. THE ULTIMATE DRIVING MACHINE.
22

22. 23
THE ULTIMATE DRIVING MACHINE.

24. 26

25. freedom
27

26. 28

27. Expressed in many ways...
the sign off
(Ding!) You are now free to move about
the country.
The employee promise
Freedom begins with you and me.
the company store
The Freedom Shop
29

31. advocacy
36

32. 37

35. 42

36. 43

37. 44

38. innovation
45

39. 46

40. 47

41. 48

43. 51

44. contrarian
52

45. 53

46. 54

47. 55

48. 56

49. 57

51. But what makes these successful
brand campaigns?
• They are AUTHENTIC
• They are ASPIRATIONAL but grounded in
reality (see above)
• They are SIMPLE, clear, and engaging
• They convey a strong POINT OF VIEW
• They are timeless (some have run for decades)
60

52. But in higher ed...
• Branding is still relatively new (10–15 years)
• Campaigns are typically very focused
– on recruiting students
– on raising money
• Resources are scarce
Can a brand campaign be succesful?
61

53. we think so.
(some examples)
62

54. 63

55. makers
64

56. We are Makers.
(the big idea)
• STEM leadership
• A history of innovation and discovery
• The eureka moment
• The Boilmaker story
which
stands
for
“What we make moves the world forward.”
(expressed more broadly)
65

58. makers
BOILER
purdue.edu
IDEA makers
makers
purdue.edu
DISCOVERY
purdue.edu
68

60. 71

61. public
72

62. Public Value
Outcomes and outreach in:
• Health
• Economics
• Environment
(the big idea)
• Culture/Art
• Athletics
• Social Mobility
“That’s the power of public.”
(expressed more broadly)
which
stands
for
73

63. 74

64. 75

65. 76

66. A leader in sustainability
programs, UC has saved more
than $100 million in energy
costs and holds more LEED
certifications than any other
university in the country.
Taking care of the
only home we’ve got—
that’s the power of public.
universityofcalifornia.edu
NASA
Using the CARMA telescope
array, UC astronomers collect data
on stars and galaxies, deciphering
new clues about how our universe
formed and evolved.
Answering the biggest questions
in astrophysics today—
that’s the power of public.
universityofcalifornia.edu
universityofcalifornia.edu
©Jens Kauffmann
UC astronomers at the Keck
Observatory are using the world’s
largest optical and infrared
telescopes to study the skies with
unprecedented precision.
Bringing the depths of space
in for a closer look—that’s the
power of public.
©Laurie Hatch
In the Sierra foothills, UC
researchers are helping California
ranchers by showing them how
to implement the newest soil
and grazing methods.
Putting research to work—
that’s the power of public.
universityofcalifornia.edu
The UCLA Film and Television
Archive, the world’s largest
academic collection, preserves
more than 300,000 media titles
and 27 million feet of newsreel.
Ensuring cinema’s defining
moments are never lost—
that’s the power of public.
universityofcalifornia.edu
Meet John Doe (1941)
universityofcalifornia.edu
Treatments developed at UC,
like this hepatitis B vaccine,
have saved millions of lives
and improved millions more.
Preventing disease for a
healthier world—that’s the
power of public.
The world’s largest Grateful
Dead archive, housed at UC
Santa Cruz, preserves the iconic
band’s music and legacy for all.
Celebrating the wonders
of music, old and new—
that’s the power of public.
universityofcalifornia.edu
Assistant professor Octavio Aburto-Oropeza
and his team from UC San Diego’s Scripps
Institution of Oceanography study the world’s
oceans up close.
Making sure our ecosystems are full
of life—that’s the power of public.
universityofcalifornia.edu
Octavio Aburto / iLCP
77

67. 78

68. boundless
79

69. Boundless
(the big idea)
• A shared mind set – unlimited potential
• A shared spirit – Bear Down
• Both literal and figurative
• Never Settle – the strategic platform
“Bigger questions. Better answers. Bear down.”
(expressed more broadly)
which
stands
for
80

71. 83

72. HERE FOR
BUSINESS?
SO ARE WE.
NO. 2
PUBLIC
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
PROGRAM
130+
INVENTIONS
DISCLOSED AND PATENTS
FILED (2013)
NO. 1
FEDERAL RESEARCH
FUNDING
(BUSINESS FACULTY)
#BUSINESS #BEARDOWN ARIZONA.EDU/BEARDOWN
84

74. the bottom line
A successful brand campaign...
... sells an idea, not a thing
... conveys a brand’s essence but in
tangible ways
... aligns with people who share the
brand’s philosophy
87

75. But it can also move metrics (over time).
• awareness
• engagement
• enrollment/advancement
• perception
• trial or consideration
• internal alignment
+
88

76. THANK YOU.
Questions?
89