November 2006 Lawlor Focus
Generating Buzz
The home field of the National Football League's Arizona Cardinals became the University of Phoenix Stadium last month after the for-profit school signed a 20-year, $154 million naming-rights contract. Brian Mueller, the president of parent company Apollo Group, Inc., explained the school's motivation: "We're trying to get the dialogue about the University of Phoenix ratcheted up … We want to lend more credibility to the students who earn degrees from here." He further elaborated on their motivation, saying, "By raising awareness of who we are, and what value we deliver to our students and the workforce, this agreement will lift the credibility of the entire institution. This will make our students' degrees worth more."
How does the name visibility afforded by the University of Phoenix Stadium lead to a greater understanding of the value of the school's diploma? The key is a growing success rate in cross-channel promotion—specifically, consumers are increasingly more inclined to go online to learn details about products they discover via physical advertising media. This phenomenon is especially true of people in age groups older than "Generation Y" (Gen Y spans ages 18-26), according to a recent analysis by Forrester Research. Because the average age of students entering the University of Phoenix is 34, using the name of the stadium as a unique media channel for catering to that demographic has merit.
Meanwhile, members of Gen Y more commonly visit an institutional web site by linking to it from another online forum, as opposed to crossing from print to online media. So for colleges wishing to target this market, utilizing channels like blogs and social networks can be more efficient—especially since this younger demographic responds particularly well to "buzz," the report says. Their highly connective behavior makes them receptive to word-of-mouth recommendations. Several schools are taking advantage of this trend; for example, the University of Florida has not only launched its own social networking community, GoGatorNation.com, which allows students, alumni, parents and others to contribute photos and video and communicate with each other, but has created groups on YouTube, Facebook and Flickr to further support their community.
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Obviously, generating buzz doesn't require spending $7 million per year. But can the cross-channel promotional strategy behind the naming of the University of Phoenix Stadium be instructive for the non-profit higher education sector? For years, the University of Phoenix has practiced a basic awareness strategy of selecting campus sites that allow them to place prominent signage on the sides of relatively modern office buildings near high traffic routes. All the while, many non-profit colleges were engaged in debate regarding the tastefulness of advertising their own schools on billboards, in airport displays, etc. While it may spark even more debate in the higher ed community over how valuable a University of Phoenix degree actually is, perhaps this giant step by the for-profit school will serve as a catalyst for more traditional colleges and universities to take some small steps toward advertising that generates greater awareness and name recognition.
Online is a good place to start generating buzz. Consider posting your promotional videos on YouTube, and your campus photos on Flickr. Take advantage of a new feature in Facebook that allows you to tag material on your institutional web site with a Share Link icon that enables Facebook users to pull it into their own pages. Recruit current students to blog about their campus experiences. Just remember: the name of the game in these channels is "authenticity," so when you use them, you also cede control of your message—but that is a low risk if your institution's brand promise is truly genuine.
In the News: The Next Big Thing?
It's entirely possible that colleges might soon be staffing a virtual admission office! At last count, 1,377,717 people are living in a parallel universe—as avatars in the 3D digital world called Second Life. Residents (including some university professors and students) are exploring and creating, connecting with others, running simulations, and even transacting business in Second Life, where virtual commerce is increasingly being converted into real dollars.
Read more about Second Life via this National Public Radio feature.
Did You Know?
Students are demanding more social networking opportunities from college and university web sites, according to the "E-Expectations Class of 2007" survey of college-bound high school juniors. Activities that hold the most interest for them include reading a blog written by a faculty member (83%), instant messaging an admission counselor or student worker (72%), and creating their own profile page for an area similar to MySpace (57%).
Source: Noel-Levitz
Is your school equipped to seize the marketing opportunities presented by social media? To find out more about how to communicate with prospective students via their preferred channels, or to have The Lawlor Group conduct an audit of your institution's communications plan, please contact us by e-mailing tlg@thelawlorgroup.com or calling 800.972.4345.
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