by James A. Baumann
Considering the growing number of ways there are to transmit a message these days, one might think it would be easier than ever to communicate with students. On the contrary, with all those options comes chaos, meaning that campus housing marketing departments must now work to discover the media and messages that can cut through the clutter and grab the attention of their audience.
That challenge, and the solutions for it, were on display in the entries for this year’s ACUHO-I Marketing Awards competition. Drawing on print, video, email, websites, apps, and more to convey their messages, the submissions strived to promote the opportunities their institutions provided students. Whether the work was whimsical, thoughtful, or anything in between, the level of care, planning, and professionalism was deeply evident. Raven Robinson, the assistant director of operations at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, served as chair of the awards process this year. She noted that “so many of the entries submitted work that served great utility for their respective organizations. The work was informed by data and assessment; was resourceful, creative, and intentionally implemented; and was in line with their institution’s vision. The judges were amazed at the work that campuses continue to produce to ensure that students are aware of their opportunities and what is happening at their institution.”
Enjoy and be inspired by the following award recipients who were recognized at the ACUHO-I Business Operations Conference. More information about the winners is available online at acuho-i.org.
When cannabis was legalized in Canada in 2018, campuses had a lot of questions about what the new laws would mean for them. At the University of British Columbia, they realized that students likely would have a lot of questions as well and set about creating a wide-ranging campaign to encourage UBC students to develop a fact-based understanding of cannabis risks, as well as harm-reduction guidelines and usage regulations.
Working around the themes of education, harm reduction, and residence risks and rules, the campaign delivered bright, attention-grabbing, and evidence-based content to students in the weeks just prior to and after legalization occurred. The work even caught the attention of colleagues at Western University, Humber College, and Simon Fraser University who asked to use the campaign materials on their campuses.
The campaign had its intended effect. Once complete, the UBC housing department collected 4,300 resident surveys; while 90% of respondents said that legalization had not changed their cannabis consumption, 82% saw the Love Your Brain campaign materials in the halls or on social media and 20% indicated that the campaign impacted their decisions about how they used cannabis following legalization. Judges noted that the campaign was “very resourceful” and that “the data proves the success of the campaign. You should be proud to have accomplished so much.”
Project Team: Leith Blachford, Jasper Murphy, Mike McGhee, Andrew Quenneville
When your campus is located in Miami, Florida, it takes some work to stand out. With its 2019-20 housing viewbook, “LIVE,” the team at FIU did just that, though, thanks to eye-catching photographs and brisk copy that touted the top 10 reasons to live on campus and valuable information parents and students were asking for. Plus, the project was coordinated to complement the campus’s admissions viewbook (“Stand Out”) and the orientation resource guide (“Start”). Said the judges: “Very useful as a tool to provide information to students considering living on campus. Photos are vibrant. The design and colors make the option to ‘LIVE’ on campus come alive.”
Project Team: Andrew Naylor, Cristina Jaramillo, James Karnib, University External Relations
The staff at Oregon State University were exploring ways to keep potential students interested and engaged with the campus during the long three-month period between the opening of housing applications and the final deadline. And then there is at least another month before roommate matching opens. How does a campus remain top of mind?
OSU attempted to solve this issue with a multi-tier email marketing campaign targeting students who had applied for housing but had not yet received a room assignment. The messages were light on text – less than 300 words – but high on media, such as 360º videos of the halls, an online quiz, a movie on how to find a roommate, and other steps students needed to prep for their move. The message was received, as the campus saw a steady uptick in engagement on their website and social media accounts after each wave of emails.
Project Team: Tracy Getz, Jennifer Viña, Blake Brown, Jen Rouse
Many campuses now have programs to promote reuse and recycling of materials as students move out of the halls. At DePaul University, that program is the DePaul SWAP, a sustainable rummage sale that began in 2009. Students leaving campus donate items as they are moving out, and community members shop for upcycled housewares, clothing, furniture, and tech for a good cause. The money raised goes to assist DePaul students in need, and leftover items are donated to Chicago-area nonprofits.
To promote the most recent SWAP, housing placed 2,500 postcards in campus mailboxes of faculty and staff. With a colorful and playful design that reinforced the spirit of sustainability, it promoted a coupon and tote-bag giveaway. The result was the SWAP sale’s largest turnout ever, raising more than $3,750 for the student emergency assistance fund.
Project Team: Jennifer Roop, Nathaniel Grills, Elizabeth Duck, Ashley Diaz, Sydney Snell
With large-scale, billboard-like graphics, the secret often is to grab people’s attention when they are on the move. Sometimes, though, you can catch their eye when they are standing still – like when they are waiting for the elevator. The University of Iowa capitalized on this opportunity with stunning photos and persuasive copy plastered on the outside of the elevator doors in residence halls. What better place to try to convince students to stay in the residence halls beyond their first year?
Project Team: Anne Matthes, Jake Sorg, Megan Yoder
Never underestimate the value of a little potty humor to get your point across. Such was the case at the University of Arizona when the housing department was inundated with reports of a number of clogged and overflowing toilets. To help make the point that some things, no matter what the box might say, shouldn’t be flushed, the posters depicted the “life cycle of a toilet blob monster” and what students could do to avoid future issues. The department reports that since the posters went up, the number of reported clogs has gone down. Plus they received positive feedback on this poster via social media shares.
Project Team: Kelsey Rowley, Ali Santander
Move-in can feel like rocket science, so it makes sense to use technology to help it move more smoothly. At Illinois State University, the housing department deploys its move-in guide through a mobile app. Filled with info about navigating campus, specific hall specs, dining options, and much more, as well as a space for students to build their own moving to-do list, the app quickly becomes an all-in-one information repository. Judges were impressed as well, praising its checklists and detailed contact information.
Project Team: Tamanna Tasmin, Kristen Johnson, Stacey Mwilambwe, Megan Rolfs
How do you liven up student surveys to try to get more response? The UCLA research and assessment team gave their three major housing surveys – Rate the Hill, UA Undergrad Survey, and Grad + Family Housing Survey – a graphic overhaul. With a new logo and icon system that encompassed all three surveys, the marketing and the surveys themselves all became a cohesive family of interconnected products. Judges praised “the consistency of the use of the different icons (in various colors based on the residence area/population) as well as the follow through in using them as a feedback tool to complete the communication cycle with residents regarding survey outcomes. Very nice.”
Project Team: Jesse Herring, Paul Mendoza, Vanessa Codilla (student), Lori Vogelgesang, Yen Ling Shek, Evelyn Melendez, Constance Chang
One wonders how humankind ever expressed itself before the invention of the animated GIF. The Florida Gulf Coast marketing team noted that, when searching the GIPHY app, there was nothing for their campus despite the fact that others were well represented. Inspired, the staff created a verified business account and started creating GIFs specific to FGCU housing and its “Live the FGCU Life” slogan. Other campus offices soon were reaching out for help creating new GIFs for their events. The millions of views they’ve received just in the first year is proof that it’s working.
Project Team: Meghan Skrobis, Haley Levy, Danielle Galipeau, Taelor Rimer
Based on stereotypes, one would not equate dining hall food with picturesque cookbooks. But the award-winning residential restaurant at the University of California Los Angeles, Bruin Plate, is anything but stereotypical. This book collected student favorites as well as the most requested recipes from Bruin Plate and is for sale at the UCLA bookstore. With stellar photography, it indeed looks good enough to eat.
Project Team: Magyn Kydd, Minh Ly, Sara Stockford, Lynley Fleak, Skyler Burt, Paul Turang
Two things college students really enjoy are social media and covering most of their personal belongings with stickers. At UCLA they merged the two with packages of stickers designed with bright and colorful icons, characters, and meme-worthy phrases. As an added bonus, students could type in a search tag on the back of the packaging to use these real-life stickers as animated GIFs for Instagram and Snapchat stories. One of the student designers praised the creative freedom they were given, saying, “We retained elements of the UCLA brand, while still reflecting our individual styles. It keeps things fun and student-centric!”
Project Team: Jesse Herring, Paul Mendoza, Hannah Park (student), Vanessa Codilla (student), Rachel Tu (student), Esther Abosch (student), Jessica Borchardt (student), Zoe Miles, Lori Vogelgesang
Move-in day at the University of Wisconsin Stout is a masterclass in logistics as they move approximately 2,800 students in all on the same day. Arriving students are scheduled based on their home zip code. Individual halls and the staff working them are color coordinated. Student athletes are recruited to assist with moving items. For all that, though, it appears really simple when viewed as an animated how-to movie judges called “very cool” and “informative and engaging.” Using a student designer and a lot of collaboration to iron out the details, the video, sent out to new students before they arrive, breaks the process down into its basic steps and helps ease the process.
Project Team: Nicole Juza, Steve Shaw, Dana Fritz, Sarah Snyder, Adam Ludwig
Incoming students turn to a housing department’s website to find the answers to a whole host of questions. Since the update to Bowling Green State University’s website and the addition of a BGSU Student Advice and Experiences blog, they can also get an honest perspective of what life is like in the residence halls on this northeast Ohio campus.
In describing the blog, the school reported, “No matter how much content we create about housing and the housing processes, we find students asking over and over again for honest feedback about what it will be like to be a college student. And, because we now live in a world where Amazon reviews are read more than product descriptions, we knew we needed to adapt to how our students seek information on our website.”
The blog featured stories from eight diverse students, all of whom had just completed their first or second year living on campus. Only major grammatical and spelling errors were corrected, preserving the students’ voices and opinions, and both positive and negative stories were published. Each student also hosted their own personal tour of the residence hall they lived in, giving the reader added insight. In the first two months after the website’s launch, the videos were viewed almost 4,500 times.
Project Team: Stephanie Brinkman