The Lawlor Group gave us a refreshing look at the strengths and weaknesses of the College and provided information we needed to develop a strategic enrollment management plan. Their professional and congenial approach made them immediately credible, even as they asked probing and important questions about our past, present and future. Guidance provided by TLG was critically important to the development of a new web site and printed materials for the admission office.

— Dr. F. Dominic Dottavio
Former President
Heidelberg College
Tiffin, Ohio

Now President
Tarleton State
Stephenville, Texas

The Smarketplace

New fresh intelligence from The Lawlor Group

Posted April 28th, 2008, by Lynsey

Coming soon to your mailbox: The Spring 2008 isssue of The Lawlor Review. If you'd like a sneak peek, you can download a PDF version. And remember, subscriptions to The Lawlor Review are free—subscribe today.

An inconsistent truth

Posted March 31st, 2008, by John L.

Last week was my family’s spring break, and I tried to catch up on lots of reading. Needless to say, my thoughts often turned to the business of marketing and strategic brand management. Since I was fully immersed in a hotel/resort brand experience, an article in the Tuesday, March 25, Wall Street Journal caught my attention.

Gen Y’s perceptions of “leadership”

Posted March 28th, 2008, by Amy

Here’s a headline that completely misses the point: “Many Potential Leaders of Tomorrow Reject the Role.” Yesterday's Washington Post article reported the findings of a nationwide survey (a random sample of more than 4,000 young people ages 8 to 17) and determined that the key take-away was “a majority of children and youths in the United States have little or no interest with achieving leadership roles when they become adults, ranking ‘being a leader’ behind other goal

Demographic projections of high school graduates through 2022

Posted March 20th, 2008, by Amy

According to the latest figures from WICHE, this year’s graduating high school class will be the peak, in terms of the number of graduates nationwide, for some time to come. We’ve been keeping a close eye on these projections, given the case that “geography is destiny” for most private colleges (see our report “Ten Observations & Trends” ). You’ll want to make sure you bookmark the WICHE site, which offers state-by-state estimates of college enrollment for the coming years:

Survey sheds some light on corporate marketing structures

Posted March 14th, 2008, by Amy

The Association of National Advertisers asked senior marketers in the corporate world about their companies’ marketing structure, and MarketingVox highlights the findings. When marketers were asked if, over the past two years, their marketing function has become more or less centralized, this was the breakdown:

• 49% reported more centralization
• 22% reported more decentralization
• 30 percent say it’s stayed the same

Admissions Marketing Report recognizes TLG

Posted February 25th, 2008, by Lynsey

The results of the 23rd Annual Admissions Advertising Awards are in—and The Lawlor Group has come out on top again. Our work for Lawrence University's initial contact brochure won Best of Show, while other communication pieces for Allegheny, Alvernia, Augustana (Sioux Falls), The Common Application and Luther received gold, silver, bronze and merit awards.

Ten trends and observations worth taking note of in 2008

Posted January 7th, 2008, by Lynsey

This past weekend, John had the honor of speaking to more than 100 college presidents at the annual Council for Independent Colleges (CIC) Presidents Institute. As part of a panel presenting recent research about prospective students and the college selection process, he discussed 10 observations and trends about student recruitment and enrollment at independent colleges and universities.