Quality Education. Lifetime Opportunities.

Sandra Conn, left, and Susan Williams discuss the storyboard of an upcoming commercial for Indiana University. The ad ideas were presented to 16 test groups prior to selection of the final six put into production

Quality Education. Lifetime Opportunities.
Telling the IU story --the team approach

By Susan Williams

Sandra Conn frequently tells her journalism class that there's nothing mysterious or difficult about the marketing process.

"It's just a matter of determining who you should be talking to and deciding what you want to say and the best way to say it," she said. "But, most important do extensive research to ensure your message is correct and you are successfully reaching your target audience."

The television advertising that earlier this week signaled the beginning of the new Comprehensive Marketing Campaign for Indiana University is only the most visible strategy among several which the university has chosen to disseminate its messages of quality and effectiveness, efficiency and accountability.

Conn, who is now director of marketing at IU after holding the J. Stewart Riley Chair in journalism for two years, explained that this campaign was well researched, that it has resulted in a comprehensive integrated marketing communications plan and is, in fact, a textbook example of the marketing communications process.

"We've just done it a little faster than you'd expect," Conn said. A textbook example begins with background information identifying the need for a marketing campaign. In this case, a need was suggested after IU friends in the business community and legislature spoke candidly with Myles Brand, president of IU, and Christopher Simpson, vice president for public affairs and government relations, about generally held perceptions of the university.

"What we were hearing about IU," Simpson said, "echoed some of the complaints being aired about higher education nationwide. Our friends told us IU was a great institution, but some felt we were not good fiscal managers, faculty taught too little and graduates didn't readily get good jobs.

"When President Brand explained some of the innovative programs implemented recently by the university to address and correct such perceptions and problems, our friends were impressed and urged us to make a concentrated effort to tell our story more effectively."
Simpson, Conn and members of the marketing staff began by forming a faculty research committee, tapping the expertise of some of IU's internationally known marketing research specialists. They designed the methodology and survey instruments used last August by committee member Brian Vargus and the Public Opinion Laboratory at IUPUI. Survey results confirmed the vagueness and misperceptions.

The survey polled representative samplings of five key IU audiences: prospective students, parents, alumni, donors and the general public. Among the questions asked: How do you define a university as "excellent," how does IU compare to a select list of competitors, where do you get your information on colleges and universities and what are the strengths and weaknesses of IU?

Some results were anticipated. For example, nearly all audiences ranked "quality of faculty and teaching" and "job opportunities for graduates" as their top criteria for considering a university excellent. IU ranked at the top among its competitors. And, information sources varied by audience. The most startling finding was that nearly one-third of the members of every audience polled couldn't name a single strength of IU. The only good news was that an even larger percentage couldn't name a weakness!

While the research was underway, Simpson and the marketing staff put together a University-wide Marketing Committee to assist them in developing a marketing plan.This committee included faculty, administrators, and public relations, marketing and media relations staff representing all campuses. When the research findings were complete, this committee used them to determine the campaign's overall message‹that IU is working hard to be effective, efficient and accountable while continuously improving the quality of its programs. The audiences at which the message is aimed and the strategies and tactics by which it will be delivered were also determined based on the research results.

Part of the campaign, particularly the television advertising, is directed at the general public. Another important audience selected to receive IU's message is the business community, a major influence on the legislature's appropriation of funding. The campaign's timing is synchronized to parallel the current legislative session. A series of business-oriented print ads will appear in the Sunday business sections of state newspapers and in business journals. The business community is also targeted with breakfast and dinner meetings around the state at which various IU chancellors, vice presidents, trustees or faculty members will deliver IU's message of quality, effectiveness, efficiency and accountability.

Other levels of communication built into the campaign include this section in IU Home Pages, direct mail activities, opinion editorials, an aggressive public speaking schedule, a special Web site and placing articles in campus publications and newsletters. An audio brochure with President Brand explaining the programs IU has recently implemented has been prepared as well as a written brochure.

Another essential part of the marketing effort was to hire an advertising agency to coordinate the production of television and print advertising and to determine where and when those ads should appear‹the "media buy." In late October a "request for proposal" was issued to advertising agencies in the state and, Pearson, Crahan, Fletcher, England was contracted for these services.

Once the University-wide Marketing Committee approved the agency and completed the plan, Simpson, the marketing staff and agency began the process of developing the "creative platform."

"In particular, we had to arrive at how to embody the messages and identify a slogan or positioning statement to summarize and unify all the elements of the campaign," explained Conn.

More than one brainstorming session was conducted with internal and external groups to produce key words associated with IU: quality, opportunity, dreams, friendly, success, jobs and so on. Guided by this list of key words, several slogans were written and tested to measure which carried the most appeal. Sixteen focus groups were conducted among chancellors, vice presidents, faculty, students, staff, alumni and the general public. One slogan emerged the leader‹"Quality Education. Lifetime Opportunities."

Scripts for television ads were also written, rewritten and tested with these same groups before six were jointly decided upon and produced. Final topics of the advertisements focused on the attributes that quantitative research identified as those defining a good university: quality of faculty and teaching and job opportunities for graduates.
"While it looks to many like our job is done, the biggest part of the work still lies ahead," said Conn. "We still must execute most of the tactics beyond the television ads and brochure. And, of course, at the end a major undertaking will be to measure its success, the closing textbook exercise in marketing. "

In April when the campaign ends, the Public Opinion Laboratory will again poll statewide to see if there is heightened awareness and movement toward our desired change in the perception of IU.
The campaign's goal is for everyone to be able to identify and express the strength and value of a higher education at Indiana University .

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Quality Education. Lifetime Opportunities. Telling the IU story --the team approach

Quality Education. Lifetime Opportunities.
Telling the IU story --the team approach