IU is a great university. I know it. You know it. We have world-class programs, tremendous faculty and enthusiastic students. But once outside our campus communities, IU's strengths are not as well known. There are plenty of others who don't know IU's successes or who may have just part of the story.
A variety of factors show that we must do a better job telling our success story. That is why we have initiated a marketing and communications campaign that identifies IU as an institution of "Quality Education. Lifetime Opportunities."
After all, if we don't tell our own story, who will?
You may wonder why a marketing and communications campaign is necessary. The answer is twofold. First, our state and federal funds for higher education are diminishing rapidly, while calls for increased accountability grow and the competition for students and private support soars. Second, the marketing research IU conducted throughout the last half of 1996 uncovered some disturbing results.
Our qualitative and quantitative findings showed a basic lack of knowledge regarding the strengths of IU. Those polled included prospective students, parents, alumni, donors and the general public.
In our survey of the general public, for example, roughly one-third of those asked could not "name a strength of Indiana University." Not one answer‹not the School of Music, the School of Education or the School of Business.
Not even a favorite sport!
When one in three people can't name one IU strength, it is alarming.
With this in mind, we expedited the timetable to develop and implement a Comprehensive Marketing Campaign. The faculty committee that developed the research instruments joined with the University-wide Marketing Committee to complete the process in less than six months.
In advancing our plan faster than originally anticipated, however, there were no compromises in either quality or precision. This is a comprehensive and multileveled plan that focuses on two single messages: IU has outstanding faculty and programs, and IU is striving to become more effective, efficient and accountable.
While television advertising is the most visible means the campaign employs in delivering these messages, equally important are the statewide public speaking engagements, brochures, opinion editorials, features and news stories, and a special Web site.
This campaign was consciously crafted as an "umbrella" to include each campus and messages specific to their missions and communities. We achieved all of this with considerable cost savings realized by utilizing in-house talents and capabilities wherever possible.
The campaign was launched publicly Monday, January 13, and it will run through April. The bottom line is we hope to enhance our image as a quality institution striving to be more effective, efficient and accountable.
The ultimate success of this campaign won't be measured by the frequency of television commercial or newspaper advertisements. Nor will the image of IU be changed overnight.
We have a great university and a great success story to tell. The key to this campaign is remarkably simple‹we all must join together in a unified fashion to better tell the IU story. We hope this Comprehensive Marketing Campaign is step one.
Related Link: All campuses helped prepare campaign
Related Link:Slogan, slogan. Who liked which slogan?
Related Link:Production help--finding an agency
Related Link: New web site for campaign
Related Link: Campaign spending a good investment
Related Link:Myles Brand's script from the test group's favorite commercial
Return to Table of Contents