The Higher Ed Marketer – Details, episodes & analysis

Kelly Hiller, VP of Marketing and Communications at Purdue University, shares the story behind Purdue’s exciting rebrand, transforming their marketing department into the in-house agency Purdue Brand Studio.

Kelly discusses the inspiration behind this bold move, the challenges faced in repositioning the department, and how Purdue is pushing creative boundaries to elevate its brand on a national stage.

Tune in to hear insights on navigating internal and external messaging, maintaining a culture of excellence, and how higher ed institutions can benefit from embracing bold changes in marketing.

Join us as we discuss:

• [2:26] Why Purdue’s marketing team rebranded as an in-house agency

• [9:57] What differentiates Purdue’s transformation from a reorganization

• [20:18] Corporate influence and its impact on higher ed marketing

• [31:22] The future of Purdue’s enterprise marketing campaign
  

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

• Purdue Brand Studio

• Email Kelly at khiller@purdue.edu

• The Most Important Question of Your Life by Mark Manson

• Boilers to Mars Trailer

• Brandweek 2024

• Ad Age

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website, or search for The Higher Ed Marketer in your favorite podcast player.

The Higher Ed Marketer Podcast is powered by Caylor Solutions—your go-to partner for higher ed mission-fit marketing strategies, enrollment, and branding needs—and sponsored by Ring Digital, your ad targeting people.

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Bart and Troy return for a conversation with Janice Supplee, VP for Enrollment and Communications at Cedarville University, around intentional branding in higher ed messaging. 

Janice shares how Cedarville’s “One Thousand Days” metaphor has not only defined the institution’s identity but also shaped its approach to student development and marketing strategy. She emphasizes the importance of consistent messaging, intentionality in brand communication, and building a high-capacity team that embodies the university’s mission. 

Tune in to discover practical insights on how your institution can stand out in a crowded higher ed space through intentional and consistent branding.

Join us as we discuss:

• [1:30] How a university president’s speech became a marketing slogan

• [8:34] Keeping messaging on-brand through consistent communication

• [15:48] The secret to a fulfilled, high-performing marketing team
  

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

• The 6 Types of Working Genius by Patrick Lencioni 

• The Speed of Trust by Stephen Covey

• Smart Brevity by VandeHei, Allen, and Schwartz

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website, or search for The Higher Ed Marketer in your favorite podcast player.

The Higher Ed Marketer Podcast is powered by Caylor Solutions—your go-to partner for higher ed mission-fit marketing strategies, enrollment, and branding needs—and sponsored by Ring Digital, your ad targeting people.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Vanderbilt University is at the forefront of Generative Artificial Intelligence.

AI is not going away, but it can be understood through intentional time and effort. By destigmatizing generative AI at your institution, you may just broaden your impact to set your students and staff one step ahead of the game.

We’re joined by Jules White, the Senior Advisor to the Chancellor on Generative AI & Professor of Computer Science at Vanderbilt University, to discuss the ever-evolving realm of generative AI.

Join us as we discuss:

• [4:23] Generative AI’s impact on the higher ed landscape

• [13:31] Misconceptions around generative AI

• [21:49] Why generative AI is not an internet search tool

• [25:47] How institutions can promote AI education
  

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

• Coursera Course on Generative AI for University Leaders

• Previous Coursera Courses from Jules White

• Shawn Keen on LinkedIn

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website or search for The Higher Ed Marketer in your favorite podcast player.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

A few months ago, we spoke with Shauna Davis and Mary Laphen Pope from the Lumina Foundation. They provided an overview of their Million Dollar Community College Challenge and explained why assisting community colleges with branding and marketing is so important.

Shauna and Mary return for this follow-up episode along with Dr. Angel Reyna, President of Madera Community College - the proud winners of Lumina’s Million Dollar Community College Challenge.

Join us as we discuss:

- Madera Community College’s reaction to winning the challenge

- Lumina’s top-10 candidate selection process

- Madera’s immediate branding and marketing goals post-challenge

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

- Lumina Foundation Community College Challenge

- Lumina Foundation Grand Prize announcement

- Madera Community College watch party

- Madera Community College submission

- Contact Dr. Angel Reyna

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website or search for The Higher Edge in your favorite podcast player.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

QR codes have made a furious comeback in business circuits over the last couple of years.

The folks at spokenote saw a unique opportunity for marketers: embed QR codes with personalized videos for a targeted audience.

We spoke with spokenote’s CEO, John Weschler, and CMO, Mike Harmon, about the potential for personalized QR code videos in the higher ed space.

In an age of short form content, can the humble QR code maintain its renewed momentum?

Join us as we discuss:

- How the pandemic revived QR code applications (5:15)

- Practical applications of video QR codes in higher ed (14:02)

- Spokenote’s roadmap for enhancing the custom video experience (21:41)

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

- spokenote

- john@spokenote.com

- mike@spokenote.com

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website or search for The Higher Edge in your favorite podcast player.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

University rankings play a big part in where a prospective student chooses to go to school, but most rankings focus on prestige and what other peers of institutions think of each other rather than the influence the university is making on the students and alumni.  

Dr. Jed Macosko is the President and Research Director at Academicinfluence.com and a professor of Physics at Wake Forest University. At Academic influence, they use a ranking engine that assesses influence in the academic world by ingesting, analyzing, and evaluating huge amounts of data. Because of this, the data is less prone to bias and manipulation, giving accurate rankings to universities. In this episode, Dr. Macosko brings thoughtful insights and resources into how higher ed marketers can use rankings to tell their stories and show the value of their institution.  

Join us as we discuss:

• How Dr. Macosko got involved in ranking universities and what data they use for academic influence
• What is important to future students and parents that the current ranking systems doesn’t take into consideration
• The alternative solutions that academic influence offers that other ranking systems don’t
• How higher ed marketers can use rankings to help market their school better 

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Many marketers struggle to keep track of photo and video assets on campus, but with the proper techniques, you can implement a campus photography program that can enhance the experience of your university.

Cindi Farmer is the Director of Strategic Marketing and Communication at Arizona State University. Cindi manages teams of designers, photographers, videographers, and writers to create content and tell stories. Her team is responsible for the multi-channel communications to prospective students and bases their work on data-based decisions and design thinking. In this episode, Cindi talks about the best practices for doing campus photography.

Join us as we discuss:

• The power of faces and why authentic emotion is critical to storytelling
• The importance of protecting student's identity and keeping privacy of design in mind when using students in marketing
• Cindy's thoughts on campus photo programs

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The most important part of storytelling in higher education is creating stories where students can easily insert themselves and be an active participant. 

Chad Wilson is the Vice President and Executive Creative Director of Marketing at Grand Canyon Education, an education service company that provides an array of support services in the post-secondary education sector, including work with their key client, Grand Canyon University.  

Chad oversees everything encompassing strategic work including creative vision, creative development and consumer research to dynamic media plans and multi-platform initiatives. In this episode, Chad breaks down purpose-driven branding, marketing, and storytelling and why it is important in higher education marketing.  

Join us as we discuss:

• The definition of purpose driver marketing and what it means to Chad
• The importance of aligning the DNA of your brand with your students’ values
• The importance of authentic storytelling in marketing 

GCE Agency Vimeo showcase: https://vimeo.com/showcase/gceadagency 

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The liberal arts education has evolved. Students not only need skills developed from classic education subjects for career readiness but also to be able to continuously adjust as the world around them changes. They need the ability to learn how to learn. 

Dr. Lake Lambert began his tenure as the 16th President of Hanover College in 2015 and is the former Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Mercer University in Macon, Ga. In this episode, Dr. Lambert outlines how Hannover College markets the concept of the liberal arts and gives examples of how to use statistics and stories to reach students.  

Join us as we discuss:

• What does a well-rounded education mean for career readiness
• How to market to high school students and parents who are often focused on job readiness 
• Dr. Lambert's thoughts on the value of liberal arts curriculum 

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While there are common elements across marketing (the 4 P’s), higher education marketing presents some unique challenges with the diversity of audiences, the buying cycle, and the customer journey.

Today we welcome Teresa Flannery to talk about her book, How to Market a University. In this episode, Teresa unpacks the language, frameworks, tools, and tactics that CMOs or aspiring CMOs will need to lead the world of marketing in higher education. 

Teresa Flannery has spent her entire career in higher education. She was the first marketing director and chief marketing officer at the University of Maryland and the first Vice President of Communications at American University. Recently, Teresa accepted the role of Executive VP and Chief Operating Officer at CASE.  

Teresa’s book, How to Market a University, engages leaders and CMOs in discussing their work and its strategic nature and purpose. 

The book has also been developed into a master course on Enrollify, a digital resource hub designed to empower the modern enrollment marketer. 

Join us as we discuss:

• The idea for the first fully digital professional development experience for enrollment marketers through the book How to Market a University and master course. 
• Why are Higher Education organizations in the best position they’ve ever been in? 
• Why Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) are coming from outside higher education to roles inside the sector? 

How to Market a University: https://www.amazon.com/How-Market-University-Competitive-Environment/dp/1421440342/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1Q3DRFNNUQGIH&keywords=how+to+market+a+university&qid=1659357687&s=books&sprefix=how+to+market+a+uni%2Cstripbooks%2C114&sr=1-1 

How to Market a University Master Course: https://www.enrollify.org/mastercourse/how-to-market-a-university?utm_campaign=EDU%20Marketing%20Minute&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Revue%20newsletter 

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