Managing the power ofthe brand on the web

Marilyn Kail & Lara SteinerCarnegie Mellon UniversityMarketing Communications Department

July 26, 2010

People are already talking…

• Social media is an interactive, two-waycommunication

• It’s the wild west on the web

• Word of mouth = WORLD of mouth

We no longer search for the news. The news finds us.

So we joined the conversation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFZ0z5Fm-Ng

So we joined the conversation.

Why for higher ed?- Brand awareness- Student recruitment- Alumni engagement- $$

How we joined the conversation.

Who we are talking to?• Alumni• Prospective and current students• Parents• Thought-leaders• Donors• Government, corporations, foundations• Media

And not just our followers, but also their followers…

Our online communications footprint

What are we saying?Repetition of key story lines across all centralplatforms:

• Technology and the Arts• Energy, Environment, Sustainability• Health & Wellness• Global Society & Economy

Collaborating in a decentralized world

Case Study: The “Pausch Effect”

The “Pausch Effect”- two immediate impacts

• The effect on Carnegie Mellon’s global brandawareness

• The effect on undergraduate admission

A Multilayered Marketing Approach• Online

YouTubeiTunes U/randyslectureCross-linking

A Multilayered Marketing Approach• Carnegie Mellon branded

DVD package of the Lecture60,000 sold since October 2007

• Partnered with publisher topackage our DVD with Randy’s book translated in36 languages and 4 million copies in print; promotionalmaterials included Carnegie Mellon information aboutuniversity programs/partnerships in each country; offered spokesperson

A Multilayered Marketing Approach• Media Relations

Responding and managing the perceptions ofCarnegie Mellon in major national and internationalprint, radio, TV and online media

A Multilayered Marketing Approach• Partnerships

Promotional partnerships with PBS and the NFLEducational partnership with major “kids brand”

• Internal Communications“Inside” university print publicationstargeted email from the president to faculty, staff,alumni

• Carnegie Mellon Today articles reaching 92,000 inour key audience groups

A Multilayered Marketing Approach

• DevelopmentCreated the Randy Pausch Legacy Fund (fall 2007)

gifts from individuals in more than a dozen countries; most with no prior affiliation toCarnegie Mellon

A Multilayered Marketing Approach

• Celebrating Randy’s LegacyCampus MemorialExpanded “Randy’s collection” on YouTubeAdded him to our Notable Alumni reel (viral)14,174 visits to the “Share Your Randy Story” with

more than 1,500 people worldwide showing howRandy touched their lives

The ‘official university book’ The Last LectureThe Pausch Bridge

Measuring the ImpactMillions of impressions in top tier media around the

world. Following Randy’s death, there were morethan 323 million impressions.

60,000+ DVDS sold since October 2007

/randyslecture continues to be in the top 10 most visited pages on www.cmu.edu each month

Tens of Thousands of downloads from iTunes U andRandy’s lecture was number one for several months

Measuring the Impact11,838,641 total views of the Last Lecture on YouTube

The most viewed video of all time on the YouTube EDUchannelReceived the highest possible 5-star rating and has been ratedmore than 40,000 times Favorited 99,794 times, 10,524 comments

“I want to attend theuniversity after

viewing the video!”

The “Pausch Effect”- the admission story.

• Our admitted students reported an overall morepositive view of the university after learning aboutRandy.

2008: of the 45% that were aware of the Last Lecture, morethan half were influenced to apply to Carnegie Mellon2009: 65% saw the story and of that audience, 79% said it wasimportant in their decision to apply to Carnegie Mellon

41% ended up enrolling at CMU

• Randy set an expectation among prospectivestudents of what Carnegie Mellon’s faculty would belike.

• His Last Lecture influenced students to apply toand enroll at Carnegie Mellon.

• In fact, international students reported that the LastLecture had an even stronger influence on theirdecision to apply to Carnegie Mellon than US

citizens.

The “Pausch Effect”- the admission story.

The “Pausch Effect”- the admission story.

Lessons learned• Even if the story gets ahead of you, it’s never too

late. Every millisecond counts*• Have communication platforms in place so you can

react quickly. Be prepared to repeat the story 5x ormore.

• Look at all the possibilities and assemble amultidisciplinary team.

• Box above your weight**. Find the “right” partners totell your story through channels you can’t reach.

*What Would Google Do? Jeff Jarvis, **Behind the Cloud Marc Benioff

Lessons learned• Letting go on web 2.0. Give the people control and

we will use it.*• If you’re not searchable, you won’t be found.* Set up

platforms to find and be found.i.e. HootSuite & Google Alerts. Use institution name and keywords where you excel.

• “Ask” the audience. Don’t guess, do your research.Use analytics (i.e.Google Analytics) to track yourvisitors and capitalize on those pages.

*What Would Google Do? Jeff Jarvis

Lessons learned• Every brand needs a little emotion. The stories that

connect are the stories that are truly human andrelevant.

• Keep the story alive.Randy’s legacy lives on.

Pausch Bridge Dedication October 30, 2009

Lessons learnedEveryone needs a little “Google Juice”

Google tribute to Randy. Text reads, “In Memoriam: Randy Pausch (1960-2008)”

One last lesson.

Always take advantage of the tools availablehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nb9jbkGItc

Resources• Carnegie Mellon University home page: www.cmu.edu• Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch’s “Last Lecture”

www.cmu.edu/randyslecture• Most read blog for social media: http://mashable.com• Another good blog resource: http://technorati.com/blogstop100• “What Would Google Do?” by Jeff Jarvis• “Socialnomics” by Erik Qualman www.socialnomics.com• “Behind the Cloud” by Marc Benioff• “The Twitter Book” by Tim O’Reilly, Sarah Milstein• “The Comet and the Tornado” by Don Marinelli• Tell your story: www.youtube.com/searchstories

Questions?