Spring Break
Miles working on marketing strategies
by Miranda Neubauer
Senior Writer
News | 11/20/07
Posted online at 11:07 PM EST on 11/19/07
/ Last updated at 2:43 AM EST on 11/19/07
The University needs to start allocating money for national print and broadcast advertising in order to build a brand identity and keep pace with its peer institutions, said Senior Vice President for Communications Lorna Miles.
The University doesn't currently have a marketing budget, she said.
In 2005, the University composed an Integrated Plan, a blueprint the administration established outlining Brandeis' overall goals through 2012.
This year the administration is doing a midcourse review of the Plan, and Miles' advertising proposal comes as part of this review.
"In the context of this Integrated Plan review, I created a communications plan and budget going forward that I'm asking the entire team to consider," she said. Miles added that she couldn't yet determine what kind of budget her entire plan might see, because the Integrated Planning Committee, would not prioritize its goals until December.
Miles recalled that when she came to Brandeis in 2003, her first goal was to centralize the marketing activities departments had been undertaking on their own.
"In order to be competitive and forward thinking and to keep up and hopefully outpace our competitors, we need to do that extra bit, which is the advertising piece," Miles said.
If all goes well, Miles envisions a "national brand building advertising campaign" that would include "radio advertising across the country." For example, an ad on National Public Radio's "Science Friday," show could convey the message that "we're building a science center [and] research is a priority for us," she said. Brandeis stopped advertising on NPR in 2002 after an alumnus expressed concerns that ads ran on radio news programs critical of Israeli policies towards Palestinians.
At the Oct. 14 Student Union Senate meeting, Miles said she believed the previous concerns with NPR were avoidable if the university was strategic in the placement of its ads.
The focus of the print and broadcast ads, she said, needs to reflect the expected demographic shift of college-bound students from the Northeast to the West and South-West. "I can't tell you how many times people say to me that nobody knows anything about Brandeis west of Chicago," she said.
The University doesn't currently have a marketing budget, she said.
In 2005, the University composed an Integrated Plan, a blueprint the administration established outlining Brandeis' overall goals through 2012.
This year the administration is doing a midcourse review of the Plan, and Miles' advertising proposal comes as part of this review.
"In the context of this Integrated Plan review, I created a communications plan and budget going forward that I'm asking the entire team to consider," she said. Miles added that she couldn't yet determine what kind of budget her entire plan might see, because the Integrated Planning Committee, would not prioritize its goals until December.
Miles recalled that when she came to Brandeis in 2003, her first goal was to centralize the marketing activities departments had been undertaking on their own.
"In order to be competitive and forward thinking and to keep up and hopefully outpace our competitors, we need to do that extra bit, which is the advertising piece," Miles said.
If all goes well, Miles envisions a "national brand building advertising campaign" that would include "radio advertising across the country." For example, an ad on National Public Radio's "Science Friday," show could convey the message that "we're building a science center [and] research is a priority for us," she said. Brandeis stopped advertising on NPR in 2002 after an alumnus expressed concerns that ads ran on radio news programs critical of Israeli policies towards Palestinians.
At the Oct. 14 Student Union Senate meeting, Miles said she believed the previous concerns with NPR were avoidable if the university was strategic in the placement of its ads.
The focus of the print and broadcast ads, she said, needs to reflect the expected demographic shift of college-bound students from the Northeast to the West and South-West. "I can't tell you how many times people say to me that nobody knows anything about Brandeis west of Chicago," she said.
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Justin
posted 11/20/07 @ 9:07 AM EST
Kudos to Senior Vice President for Communication Lorna Miles for all of her hard work and diligence in promoting Brandeis. I look forward to more improvements under her magnificent leadership. (Continued…)
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