Category: communication

Tragedy on Montreal campus

While I was blogging about the CASE conference today, a big story was developing on the campus of Dawson College in Montreal. A gunman opened fire in the cafeteria and atrium of the campus, wounding 20, before he was shot and killed by police.
The school’s response to this crisis is posted in red bold type on the Dawson College website:

Dawson College is CLOSED due to emergency.

DO NOT come to Dawson College or the area today.

Check the website tomorrow to know if you should come to classes or not. Please do not call the school as the telephone lines need to remain open.

Students – call your families.

Thank you for your co-operation.

Liveblogging from CASE: primal branding

Toward the end of his presentation this afternoon, Joe Hice referenced the work of Patrick Hanlon, the author of Primal Branding: Creating Zealots for Your Brand. I’d read a column about Hanlon’s work in a recent issue of Marketing News and was intrigued by the seven points of primal marketing, so I was happy to see someone applying these concepts in higher education. (Actually, a lot of us incorporate some of these concepts but probably not as effectively or as systematically as we could.)

According to Hanlon, great organizations have a “primal code” that creates passion in their customers (followers). (Here’s an interesting review that outlines the elements in detail.)The code consists of these seven elements:

  • A creation story. For Harley-Davidson (Hice’s example), the creation story is all about how H-D was born in a woodshed.
  • A creed. “We fulfill dreams” is H-D’s.
  • Icons. The Fatboy.
  • Rituals. The annual pilgrimage to Sturgis, S.D.
  • Pagans/Unbelievers. Those who ride Japanese motorcycles.
  • Sacred words. “HOG.”
  • A leader. Perhaps the CEO, or the company founder. For H-D, it’s Willie G. Davidson. For Apple, it’s Steve Jobs. For Microsoft, Bill Gates.

I’m curious whether anyone else in higher ed marketing is following the primal branding school of thought?