March 9, 2021

Creating an Adaptable Brand Promise in the Age of Social Media

Creating an Adaptable Brand Promise in the Age of Social Media

On today’s episode, Bart Caylor, President & Founder at Caylor Solutions Inc, and Troy Singer, Senior Account Executive at Think Patented, chat with Deedie Dowdle, Vice President for Communications and Marketing at DePauw University about:

- Working internally to create university marketing campaigns

- Creating a brand promise that captures your university’s core values

- Engaging students, professors, and alumni in the creative process

- Evolving current and future university marketing campaigns

Know of a higher education marketing change agent you’d like to hear on the show? Does your university have an interesting story to be featured?

Connect with Bart Caylor or Troy Singer. If you’re not on LinkedIn, check the Caylor Solutions or Think Patented.

To hear more interviews like this one, subscribe to The Higher Ed Marketer on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform.
 

The Higher Ed Marketer podcast is brought to you by Caylor Solutions, an Education Marketing, and Branding Agency.

    

 

Transcript
WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:04.799 The best friend promises out there are those, in my opinion, that people 2 00:00:04.839 --> 00:00:08.310 begin to define for themselves, and when you let go with that control a 3 00:00:08.669 --> 00:00:13.750 little bit and let others define and make it personal to themselves, you find 4 00:00:13.789 --> 00:00:19.589 out things that and possibilities and created the jam even thought us. You were 5 00:00:19.629 --> 00:00:24.059 listening to the Higher Ed Marketer, a podcast geared towards marketing professionals in higher 6 00:00:24.059 --> 00:00:28.859 education. This show will tackle all sorts of questions related to student recruitment, 7 00:00:29.179 --> 00:00:33.700 dontor relations, marketing trends, new technologies and so much more. If you 8 00:00:33.780 --> 00:00:37.969 are looking for conversations centered around where the industry is going, this podcast is 9 00:00:38.090 --> 00:00:46.649 for you. Let's get into the show. Welcome to the High Reed Marketing 10 00:00:46.729 --> 00:00:50.759 podcast. I'm Troye singer and I'm here with my cohost, Bart Taylor. 11 00:00:51.320 --> 00:00:54.840 How is it going today, Bart try? It's going well. Thank you 12 00:00:54.920 --> 00:00:58.280 for asking. How about you? I am wonderful and, as always, 13 00:00:58.320 --> 00:01:03.520 excited to get into our conversation with today's Higher Reed Marketer. Today our topic 14 00:01:03.640 --> 00:01:07.510 is branding for your school. Branding is a word that we often toss around, 15 00:01:07.629 --> 00:01:11.750 but it isn't as easy as it seems. Tell us about the day's 16 00:01:11.750 --> 00:01:15.069 guests, bar yeah, we're going to be talking to DD doubt all she 17 00:01:15.189 --> 00:01:21.299 has the vice president of marketing and communications at Depaul University and it's going to 18 00:01:21.340 --> 00:01:23.939 be a good conversation because I think you're right. We often consider branding to 19 00:01:25.019 --> 00:01:27.140 be a lot of things that it is and isn't. I mean sometimes it 20 00:01:27.140 --> 00:01:30.900 gets confused with the low go or with the Tagline, but I think is 21 00:01:30.980 --> 00:01:34.409 deed. He's going to explain to us it's a lot more than that and 22 00:01:34.530 --> 00:01:38.010 it's really a way to really differentiate your school. So true. So, 23 00:01:38.250 --> 00:01:45.409 without any further ado, I'm excited to welcome D D Dabble, vice president 24 00:01:45.530 --> 00:01:49.719 for Communications and marketing that the Paul University, to the conversation. Thank you 25 00:01:49.799 --> 00:01:52.799 for joining this, D D. Thank you. It's good to good to 26 00:01:52.879 --> 00:01:57.200 be here. Troy and bar DD, before our professional conversation, could you 27 00:01:57.319 --> 00:02:00.909 share one or two things about your personal life to give everyone a flavor about 28 00:02:00.950 --> 00:02:06.349 who you are? Well, I don't know, it seems like in a 29 00:02:06.430 --> 00:02:08.830 year with a pandemic, it's maybe do we all still know who we are? 30 00:02:08.949 --> 00:02:14.270 We're gotten to know where fills better or maybe gone a little crazy. 31 00:02:14.469 --> 00:02:17.460 But that's so. I am at the Paul University. I've been here for 32 00:02:17.620 --> 00:02:23.580 three years and I have been in higher in for longer than I care to 33 00:02:23.740 --> 00:02:28.860 mention and prior to that worked in agency business, much like Taylor Solutions, 34 00:02:29.020 --> 00:02:31.770 outside of the House and private sector. So it's been an interesting run, 35 00:02:31.889 --> 00:02:36.370 although I think all of us in highered would say nothing has been more interesting 36 00:02:36.449 --> 00:02:39.810 than than the past year or so. You know I'm but I'm I consider 37 00:02:39.889 --> 00:02:44.639 myself lucky to pause a great place and it's an interesting time to be part 38 00:02:44.680 --> 00:02:47.280 of a higher in, probably more than even if it's not fun, certainly 39 00:02:47.400 --> 00:02:53.360 interesting. That's great. And DD when we first spoke about doing the podcast, 40 00:02:53.919 --> 00:02:55.360 you were telling us a little bit about the new branding campaign that the 41 00:02:55.439 --> 00:02:58.949 par recently launched. Maybe you can tell us little bit more about that as 42 00:02:58.949 --> 00:03:01.469 we kind of get into the professional part of the conversation. Sure, jotted 43 00:03:01.509 --> 00:03:05.710 down a few notes here because it seems like it's been I guess we launched 44 00:03:05.710 --> 00:03:08.590 it in two thousand and nineteen, in the latter half of two thousand and 45 00:03:08.629 --> 00:03:12.900 nineteen, which was interesting because we did things in a little bit of a 46 00:03:12.979 --> 00:03:15.500 reverse order. I could say. I would not recommend this at home. 47 00:03:15.979 --> 00:03:20.580 It's not the typical way that we would want to do things and I think 48 00:03:20.860 --> 00:03:25.060 in higher education institutions I worked at previously, branding was very much about doing 49 00:03:25.180 --> 00:03:30.169 that research, doing all that homework, engaging your constituents, and that is 50 00:03:30.210 --> 00:03:35.409 are tried in through process. That's desirable. However, because of the number 51 00:03:35.409 --> 00:03:38.810 of things that were happening at the Pau and surrounding to pause at that point, 52 00:03:38.969 --> 00:03:43.960 including a presidential transition, we had to put some things on pause and 53 00:03:44.240 --> 00:03:50.159 so we and we shared the campaign idea and creative and when I say the 54 00:03:50.199 --> 00:03:53.159 campaign, it was the brand, really a brand promise that we had and 55 00:03:53.360 --> 00:03:58.870 some research discovery we had done from the past couple of years with the trustees 56 00:03:58.949 --> 00:04:01.669 in the cabinet over the summer and they really liked it and didn't want to 57 00:04:01.830 --> 00:04:09.069 delay despite the presidential transition, and so we launched as students were coming in 58 00:04:09.389 --> 00:04:12.539 that fall of two thousand and nineteen. And then, as you know, 59 00:04:12.780 --> 00:04:15.459 we were in market for five months and the bottom fell out of the world 60 00:04:15.779 --> 00:04:20.579 and the bandemic kit and so right about the time we're ready for measuring all 61 00:04:20.620 --> 00:04:25.410 those results and that that happened. Prior to that it seemed to be going 62 00:04:25.930 --> 00:04:29.490 really well. There was a lot of enthusy asn't and despite the fact that 63 00:04:29.610 --> 00:04:32.370 our constituents didn't see it in advance, they sort of saw it as it 64 00:04:32.490 --> 00:04:36.889 was rolling out. We had done enough testing to know that the idea of 65 00:04:38.009 --> 00:04:42.800 gold within, which was the brand promise that encapsulates what Depauli is and what 66 00:04:42.920 --> 00:04:45.920 we stand for, we had done enough for search to know that it would 67 00:04:45.959 --> 00:04:48.879 resonate. Were pretty confident in that, and so we did those three and 68 00:04:49.040 --> 00:04:54.790 forty presentations with constituents. At the same time we were rolling out and market 69 00:04:55.029 --> 00:04:58.350 and art. I believe you saw some of that in Indianapolis. Exce's the 70 00:04:58.750 --> 00:05:00.350 that's our major market where we willing a lot of it. Yeah, I 71 00:05:00.430 --> 00:05:03.790 was very impressed with it and I think that it's a great testimonial to your 72 00:05:03.910 --> 00:05:06.980 to your campaign, in the fact that you know that gold within I think 73 00:05:08.100 --> 00:05:12.100 says a lot about the paw and kind of what that's all about, and 74 00:05:12.180 --> 00:05:15.660 then to be able to just see the the outcomes on the on the billboards. 75 00:05:15.699 --> 00:05:17.500 I think that was such a smart move to do it that way. 76 00:05:17.579 --> 00:05:20.060 And and you kind of talked a little bit about some of the challenges with 77 00:05:20.139 --> 00:05:25.170 the presidential transition and then with the pandemic and then also just kind of the 78 00:05:25.290 --> 00:05:27.529 the order that you had to do things. What did you have to do 79 00:05:27.610 --> 00:05:30.009 anything else as far as really pivoting in the midst of the pandemic? I 80 00:05:30.089 --> 00:05:33.649 mean I'm guessing that even some of the messaging that you were doing for enrollment 81 00:05:33.689 --> 00:05:38.639 had to shift a little bit just because campus visits stopped. You know, 82 00:05:38.839 --> 00:05:42.800 there was a lot of other things. Absolutely we had to really hit pause 83 00:05:43.000 --> 00:05:46.639 on everything. There was, as most of us did, when schools, 84 00:05:46.319 --> 00:05:50.310 when a lot of colleges were closing and sending students home. We were still 85 00:05:50.430 --> 00:05:55.389 very much in the beginnings of this virus where we didn't know what what was 86 00:05:55.470 --> 00:05:58.230 causing it, where it was coming and we didn't know what we know today, 87 00:05:58.790 --> 00:06:01.350 and so there was no way that you can try to be out there 88 00:06:01.430 --> 00:06:05.339 with positive advertising and all of the all of the wonderful things that we were 89 00:06:05.420 --> 00:06:10.339 doing at and those two things that just don't go together at all. So 90 00:06:10.579 --> 00:06:13.100 so we did have to hit pause. We felt like we had a lot 91 00:06:13.139 --> 00:06:15.379 of momentum going into it, but we felt it was the right thing to 92 00:06:15.459 --> 00:06:18.449 do to hit pause on that and to get through the rest of the turn 93 00:06:18.569 --> 00:06:23.730 and number one priority at that point became taking care of our students making sure 94 00:06:23.730 --> 00:06:28.610 they got home safely. Everything shifted to internal and focus on the students and 95 00:06:29.009 --> 00:06:32.720 certainly taking care of our staff back at that time. So other than outdoor, 96 00:06:32.879 --> 00:06:38.399 which of course was contracted, everything else was put on hold until this 97 00:06:38.560 --> 00:06:44.000 fault when we relaunched efforts great again. Great. One of the things I 98 00:06:44.160 --> 00:06:47.629 think we did do prior to that that we loved about the campaign was we 99 00:06:48.350 --> 00:06:54.350 asked alumni to participayment, and so what we did in Indianapolis area we found 100 00:06:54.430 --> 00:07:00.750 those outstanding alumni and also students from local schools in Indianapolis and we featured them 101 00:07:00.910 --> 00:07:05.899 on the outdoor boards as representing that quality, that outseeing not just academic but 102 00:07:06.019 --> 00:07:10.980 overall student experience, that the Paul and outcomes that that leads to, which 103 00:07:11.060 --> 00:07:14.740 is that gold standard, the gold wooden touches on. And so we had 104 00:07:15.459 --> 00:07:20.329 very prominent alumni, everyone from Brad Stevens who in the Indianapolis area. We 105 00:07:20.490 --> 00:07:27.850 had the CEOS and CFOs and broadcasters, just terrific alum I who didn't even 106 00:07:27.889 --> 00:07:30.480 hesitate. The minute they saw the concept there they said we're in, and 107 00:07:31.000 --> 00:07:34.399 you know there was no cost to that. They were happy to participate. 108 00:07:34.519 --> 00:07:40.800 So you know it was rolled out. Literally all of the creative work was 109 00:07:40.879 --> 00:07:45.589 done internally and rolled out and in nine days we launched that outdoor campaign. 110 00:07:45.750 --> 00:07:48.990 was almost thirty participants, different individuals in it who are willing to be highlighted, 111 00:07:49.110 --> 00:07:51.949 and you told me in advance we would have been able to do that. 112 00:07:51.990 --> 00:07:55.389 If I had time to think about it. Yeah, what if? 113 00:07:56.750 --> 00:07:58.740 So, how are you? How are you? Obviously you have some great 114 00:07:58.779 --> 00:08:01.939 stories. I mean thirty alumni. Are you? How are you kind of 115 00:08:01.980 --> 00:08:05.459 transitioning that into like your alumni magazine and other ways? Are you? Are 116 00:08:05.500 --> 00:08:09.300 you kind of taking that content and then repurposing it in other ways? Yes, 117 00:08:09.459 --> 00:08:15.569 absolutely so, online and with our students. We've spent a lot of 118 00:08:15.649 --> 00:08:20.689 time asking students now. Once, once we sort of figured our pathway forward 119 00:08:20.769 --> 00:08:24.449 in the pandemic and students started returning to classes or hybrid and even our remote 120 00:08:24.449 --> 00:08:28.040 students, we ask them what you know? What is it the gold within 121 00:08:28.160 --> 00:08:33.039 means to you, because the best brand promises out there are those, in 122 00:08:33.200 --> 00:08:35.840 my opinion, that people begin to define for themselves. And when you let 123 00:08:35.960 --> 00:08:41.750 go of that control a little bit and let others define and make it personal 124 00:08:41.870 --> 00:08:46.389 to themselves, you find out things that and possibilities and created the Ja hadn't 125 00:08:46.389 --> 00:08:48.789 even thought of. So a lot of our students just said here's what that 126 00:08:48.870 --> 00:08:52.549 means to me, and then we ask our professors what does what does that 127 00:08:52.710 --> 00:08:56.820 mean to you? And internally on us the interview that on campus we have 128 00:08:58.019 --> 00:09:01.379 banners featuring our faculty all over campus so that students can meet the first year 129 00:09:01.419 --> 00:09:07.659 cinem our faculty on those banners and and just calling out their quality of gold 130 00:09:07.700 --> 00:09:13.570 within the classroom experience and video and social we carry that through the Hashtag just 131 00:09:13.850 --> 00:09:16.649 got going to gold with them Hashtag whenever we talk about someone who's done something 132 00:09:18.730 --> 00:09:22.409 wonderful on their career pathway or in terms of service or giving, and we 133 00:09:22.570 --> 00:09:26.320 call that that gold within spirit, which of course relates to our spirit color, 134 00:09:26.519 --> 00:09:31.080 which is that bold goal. And bringing all of that together with the 135 00:09:31.200 --> 00:09:33.720 more we've done, the more we said, wow, we can do this 136 00:09:33.000 --> 00:09:37.639 and we can do this, and that's that's what I love about a brand 137 00:09:37.759 --> 00:09:41.870 of concept and a brand promise that is malleable and adaptable and it just kind 138 00:09:41.870 --> 00:09:45.309 of takes along life of its own and that's when you know, I think 139 00:09:45.429 --> 00:09:48.350 you've got some magic. That's pretty cool, that's great and so I want 140 00:09:48.350 --> 00:09:50.710 to go back to something you said earlier, because you've got you said that 141 00:09:50.750 --> 00:09:54.019 you did most of it internally. We've done some work together det out. 142 00:09:54.179 --> 00:09:56.779 Just kind of say that you know. So everybody knows that. But I 143 00:09:56.940 --> 00:10:00.500 know that you have a pretty small staff. So you know, tell me 144 00:10:00.539 --> 00:10:03.779 about the staff makeup and how you were able to pull off what you've done, 145 00:10:03.779 --> 00:10:05.500 because you know a lot of schools that are listening to this, they 146 00:10:05.539 --> 00:10:09.889 might have just a very small marketing department, maybe one, two or three, 147 00:10:09.970 --> 00:10:13.289 maybe five people. I know there are other schools. State schools often 148 00:10:13.330 --> 00:10:16.049 have thirty, forty, fifty. I know that Eden Ethan Braden was on 149 00:10:16.129 --> 00:10:20.529 a couple weeks ago on the podcast and he's at perdue and he said I 150 00:10:20.610 --> 00:10:24.519 have four hundred people on campus. It you have something to do with communications. 151 00:10:24.080 --> 00:10:28.639 To Pat doesn't have four hundred people in marketing and communications. But tell 152 00:10:28.679 --> 00:10:33.080 us about the makeup of your of your department and how, I'm sure people 153 00:10:33.080 --> 00:10:35.509 wear different hats and do different things. Rolling out a brand campaign on your 154 00:10:35.549 --> 00:10:39.710 own. There's a lot of factors. So I will qualify that the same. 155 00:10:39.750 --> 00:10:41.590 First of all, yes, we have a small team. I would 156 00:10:41.590 --> 00:10:46.549 I call him small, but mighty super creative and and just. But we 157 00:10:46.710 --> 00:10:48.950 really didn't have when I came aboard, we did not have a central marketing 158 00:10:50.059 --> 00:10:54.700 communications department. It was there were really just for people who primarily did designs. 159 00:10:54.860 --> 00:11:00.580 So we really just introduced this after two years of building that core central 160 00:11:00.620 --> 00:11:05.370 team to serve as the you know, the entire campus to support and consult 161 00:11:05.450 --> 00:11:09.929 with, and most of that was done by just tremendous talent that was located 162 00:11:09.009 --> 00:11:15.090 throughout the university that came together in a central arm so that we could probably 163 00:11:15.169 --> 00:11:18.200 those resources. And of course we had outstanding partners in our enrollment and development 164 00:11:18.399 --> 00:11:22.720 and advancement areas, and so that helps. And we have all those alumni 165 00:11:22.840 --> 00:11:26.240 who helped make up for some of that marketing team we don't have. But 166 00:11:26.360 --> 00:11:30.759 I hear exactly what you're saying. Or my previous university, which is actually 167 00:11:30.799 --> 00:11:33.309 Miami University, we had had more than an I know Jamie's going to be 168 00:11:33.350 --> 00:11:37.710 a guest on delightful and wonderful place. Prior to that I was at Auburn 169 00:11:37.750 --> 00:11:43.269 and I'm accustomed to having forty something people in the central, you know area. 170 00:11:43.429 --> 00:11:48.419 So having fourteen to do that who you know, we had help with 171 00:11:48.740 --> 00:11:52.700 research in terms of the past couple of years. When I first came in 172 00:11:52.860 --> 00:11:56.460 there was a firmed that during the transition to my role, was doing some 173 00:11:58.139 --> 00:12:01.970 marketing research and some personality research on what to Paul is like, and then 174 00:12:01.610 --> 00:12:07.809 very briefly we transition to an external agency to help us take that forward and 175 00:12:07.970 --> 00:12:11.009 sort of modernize it and refresh it. So they helped us with getting that 176 00:12:11.210 --> 00:12:16.200 concept down and then, because our budget is small, then we sort of 177 00:12:16.279 --> 00:12:18.559 took it and has some enrolled it out ourselves. So but yeah, it 178 00:12:18.720 --> 00:12:22.919 was primarily the internal team and we have, you know, a design team, 179 00:12:24.200 --> 00:12:28.960 we have a small wet team that moved over from the ITER ISS area 180 00:12:28.559 --> 00:12:33.990 of campus and we have a project manager and I think we all work about 181 00:12:35.029 --> 00:12:39.269 eighty hours a week. We have writers the magazine. Also we had a 182 00:12:39.470 --> 00:12:43.740 new editor and she was able to incorporate the gold within and especially as the 183 00:12:43.820 --> 00:12:48.139 new president came in, very important there that your ultimate brand champion at any 184 00:12:48.139 --> 00:12:54.220 university as university president. And so Dr Lori White came in on July first 185 00:12:54.379 --> 00:12:56.980 and under the theme of gold within. You know, we embraced her and 186 00:12:58.059 --> 00:13:01.850 welcomed her and she has continued to carry that forward and to tie that meaning 187 00:13:03.049 --> 00:13:07.529 directly to our core values. So what we like a lot about gold within 188 00:13:07.970 --> 00:13:13.320 other than the looking at Our Name, to Paul, which is spelled DPA 189 00:13:13.559 --> 00:13:18.200 uw that AU is the symbol for gold, and seeing that and having that 190 00:13:18.320 --> 00:13:20.759 pointed out to us. We have been using gold and had terrip it, 191 00:13:20.879 --> 00:13:26.000 test responses and advertising, terrific results and very prompt and we just couldn't take 192 00:13:26.039 --> 00:13:30.549 it to that next and the minute we saw that were it was one of 193 00:13:30.590 --> 00:13:35.870 those dumb you know what's right there in our night. I thought that was 194 00:13:35.950 --> 00:13:39.990 extremely clever. Just to be able to pull out that a you with a 195 00:13:39.070 --> 00:13:41.820 box around it. I just thought was brilliant. It was a lot of 196 00:13:41.860 --> 00:13:46.460 fun. So and actually that's something that just opened up all sorts of opportunity 197 00:13:46.820 --> 00:13:50.620 playing off gold and bold and just the idea of that gold standard of the 198 00:13:50.700 --> 00:13:54.299 academics which we believe the liberal arts experience for lives. It just all interest. 199 00:13:54.340 --> 00:13:58.490 Everything sort of connected at that point. And then, so again we 200 00:13:58.570 --> 00:14:01.169 had a new president who coming in during a pandemic, which is a whole 201 00:14:01.210 --> 00:14:05.769 podcast right there, right becoming a new president a pandemic and historically at that, 202 00:14:05.970 --> 00:14:09.159 the first black present, first be no, president for the paw making 203 00:14:09.320 --> 00:14:13.320 history, and she has it. She has directly connected gold with into who 204 00:14:13.440 --> 00:14:18.120 we are and what we stand for and our core values, which not sure 205 00:14:18.159 --> 00:14:20.799 if that directly answers your questions. A little bit of rambling, but they're 206 00:14:20.799 --> 00:14:24.269 just so many components there. Now that's that's excellent. So regle to reinforce 207 00:14:24.350 --> 00:14:28.710 that and even include it when moving forward with a new strategic planning effort and 208 00:14:30.029 --> 00:14:33.230 very much those core values and that idea of gold within is a broad thing 209 00:14:33.350 --> 00:14:39.059 within that strategic planning as well. DD. Kudos to you and you're small 210 00:14:39.139 --> 00:14:45.220 and mighty team. If you could help us understand how many different departments or 211 00:14:45.299 --> 00:14:50.259 stakeholders did you have to go to or to work with, and how did 212 00:14:50.379 --> 00:14:54.690 that small and mighty team engage ship? Wow, that's a great question. 213 00:14:56.330 --> 00:15:00.570 We had a lot of departments. Again, enrollment managemment very key to that 214 00:15:00.850 --> 00:15:05.129 process, the mission counselors carrying it out, teams bringing forth. We had 215 00:15:05.250 --> 00:15:09.679 the internal team, my team concept at an idea at the very end of 216 00:15:11.279 --> 00:15:13.600 all of two thousand and nineteen. Like goodness, it's all blur, but 217 00:15:13.759 --> 00:15:18.159 it followed two thousand and nineteen of sending off the students into their final exams 218 00:15:18.320 --> 00:15:22.750 with a big event and we called it to Choo Choo at the call. 219 00:15:22.830 --> 00:15:26.149 We love to play with the D of Her name and add it towards it's 220 00:15:26.629 --> 00:15:28.669 just a little thing we do. And and we called it to Chot and 221 00:15:28.710 --> 00:15:33.070 we actually rented a train that went up, you know, up and down 222 00:15:33.190 --> 00:15:37.980 for part walk in the main central area of campus and gave students lifts and 223 00:15:37.419 --> 00:15:43.580 we handed out swag and and gold within cookies that were gold within and and 224 00:15:43.779 --> 00:15:46.659 t shirts and they all but, you know, and just and hot chocolate 225 00:15:46.860 --> 00:15:52.049 and just really the tight stuff, tigers with the gold of the in Tshirts, 226 00:15:52.129 --> 00:15:54.690 the keychains, you know, the whole thing, and just made it 227 00:15:54.850 --> 00:15:58.370 a big fun event. And and in the middle of winter and it was 228 00:15:58.450 --> 00:16:02.009 breezing, but it was it was wonderful instand. Of course, staff and 229 00:16:02.049 --> 00:16:04.279 faculty very much part of that and that's what's been key, I think, 230 00:16:04.320 --> 00:16:10.399 as we had so many staff and faculty embrace it and and really seem to 231 00:16:10.480 --> 00:16:14.879 be saying this is what we've been waiting for, something that that showcases the 232 00:16:14.919 --> 00:16:18.110 kind of quality education that the Paul provides. That really, we like, 233 00:16:18.230 --> 00:16:22.789 captures it. There are many universities out there that are certainly small, all 234 00:16:22.870 --> 00:16:27.830 private universities, small classes right that are showcase or definitely who we are, 235 00:16:27.909 --> 00:16:32.230 those relationships with faculty members. But how do you define all that? And 236 00:16:32.350 --> 00:16:34.899 At de Paul we were able to define it within the scope of a color 237 00:16:36.580 --> 00:16:40.980 that represents a really gold spirit. It just became it. When you hit 238 00:16:41.100 --> 00:16:45.179 something that just hits the right note and everybody felt like they could own it. 239 00:16:45.779 --> 00:16:49.289 Our HR department, human resources, has a gold learning academy. They 240 00:16:49.529 --> 00:16:55.009 have the gold you know, they're wrapping honors for the year within that gold 241 00:16:55.129 --> 00:16:59.730 them just carrying that through. So so I would say so many people across 242 00:16:59.809 --> 00:17:03.240 campus embraced it, not the least of which the faculty and staff in many 243 00:17:03.359 --> 00:17:08.160 departments and Roman advancement career service it. You know, the Hubbard Center that 244 00:17:08.240 --> 00:17:11.759 we had, the Prindle Institute for Ethics, we so many of our centers 245 00:17:11.799 --> 00:17:17.990 and institutes. Everyone just said we can make this and adapted in a way 246 00:17:18.069 --> 00:17:22.230 that fits our individual area that also unites with the campus. And so I 247 00:17:22.269 --> 00:17:25.710 would say it's kind of a long winded answer, but I would say we, 248 00:17:26.150 --> 00:17:30.140 as part of the development of the brand, we developed a messaging hierarchy 249 00:17:30.500 --> 00:17:33.460 that said, you know, it's not just the brand promise, it's what 250 00:17:33.579 --> 00:17:37.539 are those pillars? And so we had forty five main pillars, which is 251 00:17:37.819 --> 00:17:41.500 the gold standard education. You know all about the outstanding faculty and how they 252 00:17:41.539 --> 00:17:47.250 mentor our students and those small classes. Incredibly you are incredibly successful alumni. 253 00:17:47.410 --> 00:17:51.730 We are. We have just a for a small university, just a unheard 254 00:17:51.809 --> 00:17:53.849 of level of I I've never really does. One of the reasons I came 255 00:17:53.930 --> 00:17:56.849 to the Paul was that. So that was a pillar, the launch pad 256 00:17:56.930 --> 00:18:02.640 for leaders. We were known for leadership programs for students, and then the 257 00:18:02.799 --> 00:18:07.920 goal commitment, which which basically says we stand behind our you know, ninety 258 00:18:07.920 --> 00:18:11.039 eight percent of our students are successful when within six months of graduation, and 259 00:18:11.200 --> 00:18:15.549 we stand behind the outcome of every degree. And then the powerful support network. 260 00:18:15.670 --> 00:18:19.670 So we had those brand pillars and then with in each of those pillars, 261 00:18:21.029 --> 00:18:26.230 every department on campus can then have the proof points that prove out each 262 00:18:26.269 --> 00:18:29.740 of those pillars and what they stand for, so you can adapt the message 263 00:18:29.740 --> 00:18:33.579 across departments but also at the university. Yeah, that's that's great and I 264 00:18:33.180 --> 00:18:36.900 particularly like the fact that, and I you know, I run across this 265 00:18:37.019 --> 00:18:40.900 so many times because you've really got a differentiate yourself from everyone else. I 266 00:18:40.940 --> 00:18:44.970 mean you can't use the typical we've got small class sizes were, you know, 267 00:18:45.130 --> 00:18:48.809 mentors for your teachers. Everybody can say that. That's in a certain 268 00:18:48.849 --> 00:18:52.490 range of small private to small to medium private colleges. But I really like 269 00:18:52.609 --> 00:18:56.000 the fact that you've taken this this branding campaign, the messaging that goes with 270 00:18:56.079 --> 00:19:00.240 it and actually to find it out so that everyone on campus can actually have 271 00:19:00.799 --> 00:19:04.559 the ability to articulate that very well, whether it's a professor or faculty others. 272 00:19:04.640 --> 00:19:07.279 I think that's that's that was great. So tell me a little bit. 273 00:19:07.319 --> 00:19:11.230 What are the plans moving forward? I mean, this is in place 274 00:19:11.710 --> 00:19:14.349 coming out of the pandemic. You know, how are you going to continue 275 00:19:14.390 --> 00:19:17.029 to kind of put the fuel back in the tank and get it moving? 276 00:19:17.990 --> 00:19:22.069 We might just happen, we might just get out of we really do so. 277 00:19:22.509 --> 00:19:26.819 So we the previous class because we rolled out midway through the year. 278 00:19:27.099 --> 00:19:30.180 Of course, that class that came in the fall of two thousand and twenty 279 00:19:30.900 --> 00:19:36.700 had not seen gold within yet because we it was we, they were here. 280 00:19:37.140 --> 00:19:40.650 So it actually this next class of two thousand and twenty one will be 281 00:19:40.769 --> 00:19:45.690 the first incoming class that will be able to carry that being forward through for 282 00:19:45.930 --> 00:19:48.210 four years right, and so that's what you want, is that longevity behind 283 00:19:48.289 --> 00:19:52.769 a campaign. So we're looking forward to that and we're looking forward to so 284 00:19:52.880 --> 00:19:56.880 much of the brand promise of gold within is those interactions on campus. So 285 00:19:56.000 --> 00:20:00.799 I do. I'm just looking really forward to the interactions that naturally will pave 286 00:20:00.920 --> 00:20:06.799 the way towards more ideas around the concept, but but certainly with video, 287 00:20:07.150 --> 00:20:11.230 once we can get back on in class and on the campus, evolving more. 288 00:20:11.470 --> 00:20:15.230 As with the incoming class and what they think and their first impressions of 289 00:20:15.309 --> 00:20:18.829 gold within, we have those in mine. We have more faculty that we 290 00:20:18.950 --> 00:20:23.339 want to showcase and other alumni lined up who are in students, especially recent 291 00:20:23.380 --> 00:20:27.099 graduates, who are eager to participate in the campaign and and have asked to 292 00:20:27.420 --> 00:20:30.259 be part of that. And the storytelling, let's not the storytelling is a 293 00:20:30.299 --> 00:20:33.259 huge part of that. Telling. That a Paul Story. On our home 294 00:20:33.380 --> 00:20:37.410 page and elsewhere. We try to weave in that the experience and the stories 295 00:20:37.450 --> 00:20:42.410 of how people are using their to Paul experience to live out their lives and 296 00:20:42.650 --> 00:20:47.849 wrap that within the content of gold within. So we have just tremendous like 297 00:20:48.130 --> 00:20:52.240 colum the social media guy, because he's just got a bring such a great 298 00:20:52.279 --> 00:20:56.880 sense of humor and and just real strategy there that where he brings out a 299 00:20:57.039 --> 00:21:03.799 sort of natural bubbling up of ideas just from the Pete, from from our 300 00:21:03.920 --> 00:21:07.910 constituents and our stakeholders that naturally arise just because of the way he approaches social 301 00:21:07.950 --> 00:21:11.190 media. And so none, nothing is scripted, and that's what we really 302 00:21:11.230 --> 00:21:15.309 like about this brand. But but we do we're very excited because we did 303 00:21:15.789 --> 00:21:21.180 in two thousand and nineteen, right as the pandemic hint we got notified that 304 00:21:21.460 --> 00:21:26.900 we want national gold at the case circle excellence for compressially just institutional branding. 305 00:21:26.140 --> 00:21:30.420 Hey, we had to bring it home to the Midwest because Syracuse. We 306 00:21:30.859 --> 00:21:34.410 we be out Syracuse with very good laugh that they actually have a trrific campaign 307 00:21:34.410 --> 00:21:38.170 too. So we were very excited and so that that that they gave us 308 00:21:38.210 --> 00:21:41.369 some affirmation that we needed that we were on the right track. And really 309 00:21:41.410 --> 00:21:45.450 I feel like it's just the beginning. We're just really wanting to get back 310 00:21:45.450 --> 00:21:52.119 on dd you gave accolades to your social media person and said that they do 311 00:21:52.279 --> 00:21:56.559 a great job of bringing out stories, and I would like to say I 312 00:21:56.720 --> 00:22:00.549 think the same of you and as I've gotten to know you before and during 313 00:22:00.589 --> 00:22:06.509 our talk today, I definitely think you have a knack for portraying the story. 314 00:22:07.430 --> 00:22:10.829 As we kind of bring this to a close, we try to give 315 00:22:11.029 --> 00:22:15.980 at least one takeaway to our listeners that they may be able to apply right 316 00:22:15.099 --> 00:22:19.779 away. So, as you think about this brand refresh, what one or 317 00:22:19.819 --> 00:22:25.019 two things do you think that you've learned from that experience that you could give 318 00:22:25.059 --> 00:22:27.220 to them? You know, I really think I touched on it already and 319 00:22:27.339 --> 00:22:30.450 maybe it could be a little more clear, but I think, and certainly 320 00:22:30.490 --> 00:22:36.170 I've experienced this at previous institutions and even in the corporate sector. Private sector 321 00:22:36.930 --> 00:22:41.210 is that used to be that brands are the idea of branding was something that 322 00:22:41.490 --> 00:22:47.880 entities controlled, organizations controlled, and this is an era of social media at 323 00:22:47.960 --> 00:22:52.480 that, you know, shows no end in sight, and I've really found 324 00:22:52.519 --> 00:22:56.440 that when you let go a little bit of that control and let things sort 325 00:22:56.480 --> 00:22:59.950 of bubble up like water in a sprain, you know, you let that 326 00:23:00.150 --> 00:23:03.990 magic happen, I really think that's when. Yet there they'll always be negative 327 00:23:03.990 --> 00:23:07.990 things that happen. Positive things that happened there with there will be. But 328 00:23:07.109 --> 00:23:11.900 if you let people define things in their own way and then let that guide 329 00:23:11.940 --> 00:23:15.500 you in your creative efforts. That's one thing I've learned that has worked better, 330 00:23:15.819 --> 00:23:18.500 I think it to pall, than anywhere I've ever been, is that 331 00:23:18.740 --> 00:23:23.220 people didn't obsess over what's that, what's that out? Exact outcome. We've 332 00:23:23.220 --> 00:23:27.690 been willing to let go a little bit and let others take some ownership of 333 00:23:27.809 --> 00:23:36.569 the brand promise, and that's how you're small but mighty team becomes mightier exactly. 334 00:23:36.970 --> 00:23:40.329 It's a great group. I'm really excited, I should say. You 335 00:23:40.369 --> 00:23:45.400 know that with the new president, who is just well, talk about Petit, 336 00:23:45.680 --> 00:23:51.079 petite and mighty. She probably or eleven. I mean so much energy. 337 00:23:51.519 --> 00:23:53.039 She is out and about on that campus, even in this pandemic, 338 00:23:53.160 --> 00:23:59.269 and I think she's already exemplify that goal within spirit. So I think skies 339 00:23:59.269 --> 00:24:03.470 a linen. DD. I want to express much gratitude on behalf of Bart 340 00:24:03.549 --> 00:24:07.829 and I. I've enjoyed this conversation and I'm sure I can say the same 341 00:24:07.990 --> 00:24:12.220 for Bart and. I believe that we've achieved our goal of putting out insights 342 00:24:12.259 --> 00:24:17.579 and ideas that people other marketers can glean from. So thank you for your 343 00:24:17.660 --> 00:24:19.859 time. Well, thank you, and I know on behalf of some other 344 00:24:19.900 --> 00:24:23.529 high edit marketers out there, this is wonderful thing you're doing. We're happy 345 00:24:23.529 --> 00:24:30.009 to just thank you into everyone out there. The Higher Ed Marketer podcast is 346 00:24:30.089 --> 00:24:34.650 sponsored by Taylor solutions and education, marketing and branding agency and by Think, 347 00:24:34.730 --> 00:24:40.880 patented, a marketing, execution, printing and mailing provider of Higher Reed Solutions. 348 00:24:41.279 --> 00:24:45.039 On behalf of my cohost Bart Taylor, I'm troy singer. Thank you 349 00:24:45.160 --> 00:24:52.119 for joining us. You've been listening to the Higher Ed Marketer. To ensure 350 00:24:52.200 --> 00:24:55.990 that you never miss an episode, subscribe to the show in your favorite podcast 351 00:24:56.069 --> 00:25:00.390 player. If you're listening with apple PODCASTS, we'd love for you to leave 352 00:25:00.430 --> 00:25:03.910 a quick rating of the show. Simply tap the number of stars you think 353 00:25:03.950 --> 00:25:06.509 the podcast deserves. Until next time.