Category: branding

Friday Five: Intern Mike’s 5 takeaways

Today I turn over the Friday Five reins to Intern Mike.

It’s the final day of Mike’s internship in our department, and boy are we going to miss him. He’s done a lot of work for us over the past couple of months. He’s led focus groups, conducted and analyzed market surveys, carried heavy stuff for us sedentary office drones, worked with a TV crew and presidential campaign PR guys, and provided entertainment and a fresh perspective.

I asked Mike to share with readers his five internship takeaways before he makes his getaway, so here they are. By the way, after today, Intern Mike will be MBA Mike, and if you’re looking for a talented market researcher with a solid work ethic, he’s your man. Drop me a line and I’ll put you in touch with him.

The five things I’ve learned during my marketing internship at Missouri S&T
By Intern Mike

These are in no particular order, this is just a reflection.

  • How slow everything is in higher education
    I’m not sure why this is happening, but being in a restaurant my whole life; things can be changed on a dime. We don’t have to go through so many committees, meetings, etc. Maybe higher ed should be run like a private business.
  • The many details of branding
    This may sound odd, since I want to be in brand management, but I did not realize the detail that was involved in keeping a brand consistent. I looked at many different schools’ standards for logos, letterhead, business cards, etc., and couldn’t believe how detailed it was. Cornell Rutgers has a 110-page pdf that details everything down to the millimeter. Impressive.
  • How to film a TV mini-series and work on a presidential campaign
    Well not exactly, but I did get to set up a set for the Discovery Channel, assist during production and filming. Obama came to Rolla and I played bouncer/secret agent man. I was even interviewed for an alumni DVD. Next step, Hollywood.
  • How to perform research using focus groups and surveys
    This is a skill I will take with me working in marketing. It was a great experience learning how to conduct, moderate, and analyze focus group results.
  • How to convey information in reports and presentations
    From using the right tables, to bar and column charts. I now pay more attention to detail when writing a report, making a presentation, and even emailing. I rewrite everything a lot more now, especially these five things I’ve learned during my internship.

Good words, Mike, and congratulations on the MBA. Now go out there and change the world.

Wanted: Examples of great integrated marketing

For an internal evaluation of our communications operation, I’m seeking the wisdom of the crowd.

I’m looking for examples of institutions that are the best integrated marketing, and would welcome readers’ comments on this topic. For the purpose of this project, I’m using the BrandSavvy definition of integrated marketing, which is:

Integrated Marketing – coordination between a variety of communications and advertising to ensure the messages and imagery are consistently received by the greatest possible number of people across multiple venues.

For my research, I’ll be looking beyond the walls of academia. But knowing that many higher ed marketing experts read this blog, I’m looking for your insight. I’m looking for truly integrated marketing, meaning consistency of message in:

  • admissions
  • alumni relations
  • athletics
  • internal communications
  • electronic marketing (not just web communications)
  • PR and media relations
  • brand identity
  • graphic identity

So, if you would like to suggest a college or university you consider to be “best in class” in the realm of integrated marketing, please comment below and give me a reason or two why you believe this institution is best in class.

I look forward to hearing from you, and once I conduct some shirtsleeve research on this subject, I’ll be sure to post about it.

Thanks much.