Ashley Washburn, May 31, 2019
National marketing campaign highlights Nebraska research
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is undertaking a reputation marketing campaign aimed at highlighting areas of strength and boosting the university’s national stature. The video series, “In Our Grit, Our Glory,” is part of a broader effort by University Communication to raise awareness of Nebraska’s strengths at the regional and national levels and the university’s new brand, launched in August 2018.
Introduced in March, the campaign features a series of videos intended to capture the attention of higher education leaders across the country. The fast-paced, 30- to 40-second spots provide snapshots of groundbreaking research happening at Nebraska and spotlight programs that have gained national prominence. Each video includes snippets of popular media coverage that demonstrate what opinion leaders are saying about Nebraska.
The video vignettes cover a wide range of topics: food for health, drone journalism, biomedical research, water for food, national defense, firefighting drones, early childhood education, virology, laser research, digital humanities, the Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management and the Clifton Strengths Institute. Features on space law and the Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts also are planned.
During the campaign, scheduled to run through fall 2019, leaders in the Big Ten Conference, at other peer institutions and beyond are receiving the videos via direct email. Open rates – defined as the percentage of total recipients who open an email – have steadily increased since the campaign’s launch. The open rate for “In Our Grit, Our Glory” has ranged between 23.5% and nearly 40%, exceeding the average rate of 15-20% for direct emails related to higher education, said Deb Fiddelke, chief communication and marketing officer.
Targeted social media promotion is aimed at further engaging higher education stakeholders, plus academic and scholarly organizations. Each video is being featured for two weeks on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
University Communication is producing the videos in collaboration with Academic Services and Enrollment Management and in partnership with the Office of Research and Economic Development and subject experts. “This is an important step in our efforts to champion and articulate the high-reputation research that is integral to our university. We appreciate the collaborative support of both University Communication and Research Communications,” said Bob Wilhelm, vice chancellor for research and economic development.
