From: facstaff-bounces@lists.drake.edu [mailto:facstaff-bounces@lists.drake.edu] On Behalf Of Debra K Lukehart
Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2010 10:16 AM
To: facstaff@drake.edu
Subject: Drake Advantage

Faculty and Staff,

In our eagerness to launch Drake Advantage, the new undergraduate recruitment campaign, to coincide with the start of the recruitment cycle, we neglected to invite faculty and staff to preview the campaign as it was introduced in the revised undergraduate recruitment site (www.drake.edu/advantage) and in publications distributed to prospective students.  In hindsight, introducing the concept and the testing that was conducted with the target audience may have minimized some of the concerns that have been expressed, and we are very sorry that many of you were caught by surprise as a result.

The new Drake Advantage undergraduate recruitment campaign was developed as a collaborative project involving the Office of Admission, Marketing and Communications and Stamats Communications, a firm specializing in higher education communications.  The direction given to Stamats included a charge to create something edgy and intriguing to prospective students who often ignore traditional admission materials from colleges and universities.

The theme of the campaign is the Drake Advantage, which is represented through messages related to all aspects of the Drake experience. One of the visual representations of the theme is a stylized + graphic. It is used to pair stimulating concepts of student interest and distinguishing features of Drake into a compelling equation where the conclusion is arrived at by the reader. Constructions such as “Your potential + Our opportunities,” “Your passion + Our experience” and “Your world view + New perspectives” have been used in brochures and the website.

Another visual representation of the theme is a stylized D + graphic, which was designed to catch the attention of high school students who are bombarded with college and university materials to the point that they are often in information overload and unable to differentiate among the many institutions that have contacted them.

Because this campaign is a dramatic departure from Drake's past student recruitment efforts, the concept was thoroughly tested with the target audience (high school sophomore and junior students).  The results of the survey were strong and provided some assurance the intentionally edgy campaign would be effective.

Stamats conducted an online survey in which 921 high school students reviewed the creative direction of the Drake Advantage campaign. Most survey respondents were from the Midwest, but the online delivery of the concept testing allowed us to capture student reaction from all areas of the United States.

When presented with a brochure cover design that featured the stylized D+ graphic, more than three-quarters of the respondents indicated the cover grabbed their attention either a little or a lot. In addition, nearly 90 percent of the respondents felt the concept was unique from other college and university materials they have seen.

The testing also explored the relevance of the Drake Advantage theme. When asked if the Drake Advantage concept conveyed that “attending Drake would give me a distinct advantage that might not be available from other colleges and universities,” three-quarters of the participants responded affirmatively.

Furthermore, more than two-thirds of the respondents indicated the concept differentiates Drake from other institutions being considered. And perhaps most importantly, more than 60 percent of those who completed the survey indicated that receiving a brochure based on the Drake Advantage concept would make them more likely to want additional information about Drake. Only 3 percent of the respondents reported they would be less likely to want more information about Drake after receiving such a brochure.

A group of Drake's incoming first-year students participated in a panel discussion at a recent marketing conference focused on higher education. The students reported that they paid no attention to printed pieces and other marketing materials during the college search process unless the materials were out of the ordinary and had unique features that pique their interest.

The Drake Advantage alone is not unusual, but the D+ graphic is distinctive because it's surprising and intriguing to prospective students. The D+ was not designed to stand alone or represent a grade. Instead, it was designed to be paired with prose and draw attention to the distinctive advantages of the Drake experience.

Admission counselors using Drake Advantage materials in the field have reported that the campaign is generating extremely positive feedback from prospective students.  Our experience in the survey and in the field suggests that the kind of students whom we want to attract to Drake easily understand and appreciate the irony of the D+, and that it is having the intended effect of encouraging students to find out more about what makes Drake so special.

Members of the Office of Admission and the Office of Marketing and Communication will continue to monitor the effectiveness of the Drake Advantage campaign throughout the admission cycle.

Tom Delahunt & Debra Lukehart