The campaign’s theme of what it means to be a son or daughter of Marshall University is intended to be simultaneously aspirational and traditional, according to Ginny Painter, senior vice president for communications and marketing.
She said the new branding initiative positions Marshall as a place to be bold, while hearkening to the university’s long history and rich traditions. It also leverages the sense of safety and support students find at Marshall, and fits within the established institutional messaging of “We Are…Marshall” with a new, individualized angle.
“For generations, our students and alumni have been referring to themselves as sons and daughters of Marshall,” she said. “It’s so deeply ingrained that it’s in our alma mater and is even referenced in our fight song, so it’s really a perfect vehicle for drawing people in.”
According to Painter, the marketing firm Marshall has been working with held focus group meetings earlier this year with current students and alumni, with the goal of helping to shape a new campaign. In the focus groups, they kept hearing people talk about being a son or daughter of Marshall.
“The marketing folks didn’t understand, so at their first break between sessions they Googled the term and discovered what it meant. That was the ah-ha moment,” she said. “They helped us understand that there was this incredible tradition surrounding those words, but also that it really speaks to what our research showed to be Marshall’s distinct student experience—having the resources and opportunities to define yourself and belonging to a community that embraces and supports you like a family.”
Painter said Marshall’s story is about finding a supportive community where students have the intimate relationships that give both guidance and the breadth of resources that allow them to explore. The university offers the perfect environment in which to realize their potential.
She said, “Coming to Marshall means joining a family, and, like the best family environments, this means being pushed to go further but being accepted for who you are. Beyond giving students outstanding preparation for their chosen careers, the Marshall experience gives them both confidence and momentum that are genuinely transformative.
“One of the best-known marketing maxims is that a successful brand has to be authentic. In this case, the brand is a true reflection of Marshall’s culture and not simply a tag line that was imposed on the university community. It is something the Marshall family was already living. We just needed this campaign to bring it to life and help us share it with others.”
Painter credits new president Jerome A. Gilbert with having the vision to realize the potential of the Marshall brand and ensuring that resources were allocated to properly promote it.
“President Gilbert knew from the very first time he visited Marshall when he was interviewing that we have a great product. Once he came on board in January, he quickly learned that financial restraints and internal silos had kept us from being able to get the word out effectively. His leadership and encouragement has really been the linchpin for making all this happen and happen quickly,” she said.
The new campaign began rolling out in newspaper, magazine, radio, outdoor and online ads over the last few weeks, targeting Marshall’s traditional recruiting hotspots in southern West Virginia, eastern Kentucky and southeastern Ohio, as well as several new, strategic regional markets.
A video, “We Are the Sons and Daughters of Marshall University,” was developed to introduce the new campaign and has been shown on television during football and basketball games. Last week, Marshall officials learned the spot has received a silver award in the annual Education Digital Marketing Awards sponsored by Higher Education Marketing Report.
Early indications are that the brand is resonating with people. The university’s traveling recruitment staff reports that new printed materials are drawing in prospective students at college fairs, and Painter said applications are on the rise.
Alumni, parents, faculty and staff, and other stakeholders also have embraced the new brand, she added, and are chiming in on social media using the hashtag #MarshalluFamily to talk about their own experiences at Marshall and what their education means to them.
“It’s all been incredibly positive,” she said. “We haven’t had one negative remark. Nobody’s said, ‘That doesn’t speak to me or my Marshall experience.’ I’m very encouraged and excited about the long-term possibilities for continuing to develop this brand and seeing where we can go from here as a university.”
The university worked with Zone5 and TWG Plus, both nationally recognized higher education marketing and branding firms, to do marketing research and develop the new campaign.