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Situation
One of the nation’s largest community college systems was looking to address numerous challenges, including a diverse, slow-growing student base with retention issues, as well as impending bond and annexation elections. The college wanted to align and integrate its strategies and communications in order to achieve desired recruiting, community engagement, and fundraising outcomes.
Approach
We were engaged by the Chancellor to facilitate strategic planning for the college, an important outcome of which was a positioning concept that resonated with key audiences in diverse communities. The newly established positioning strategy, along with utilization of our proprietary media platform to target key constituents, and an integrated communications campaign, dramatically increased awareness of the college and supported the positive results of the bond election.
Our subsequent strategic and communications work with the institution included developing a long-range strategic plan, organizational brand standards, a new identity, and a vision for the future. This resulted in an historic increase in enrollment as well as a successful repositioning of the college as a force for significant future change as it impacts the diverse and growing communities it serves.
Outcomes
- Crafted strategy to pass the institution’s first-ever successful $151 million bond election
- Conducted and presented household segmentation research as well as specific lifestyle, psychographic, and value-based research on the community
- Developed community engagement strategies to engage key neighborhoods prior to elections
- Planned and executed a successful inaugural gala which raised significant philanthropic dollars, and was recognized as one of the year’s best galas
- Created new positioning campaign which achieved record enrollment increases of over 9% and millions of dollars to the college
- Developed a vision and strategic plan for the future
- Created and launched a new brand identity, including a new logo and set of brand standards
- Developed and implemented a Field Marketing Research Workbook to help campuses in diverse communities identify meaningful opportunities within their areas of service
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