Gene Begin, Managing Director, CP Education

Higher education has undergone a remarkable transformation in recent years, whether it’s the ongoing demographic shift, the change in student and family expectations on the value of a degree, or the shifts in modality, exacerbated by the pandemic and advancements in technology. As colleges deal with this evolving landscape, and many simultaneously strive to find stable financial footing, they often find themselves evaluating their portfolio of programs. And while higher ed loves to call them “programs” to steer away from marketing language, let’s be clear. Programs are the “product,” the forgotten element of higher education marketing’s Four P’s.

Constituents on campus and beyond typically look to the marketing team for “promotion,” but let’s remind ourselves that there are Four P’s of marketing, with “place” and “price” being additions to the aforementioned “product” and “promotion.” Marketing leadership typically has expertise in market analysis, strategic planning and communication, always thinking about the audience first. Institutions build programs with two primary audiences in mind, students and employers, so who better to help strategize on programs than a leader who puts the consumer first in everything they do?

Today, we’ll leave thoughts on “place” and “price” for another time, so let’s focus on the benefits marketing leadership can provide in program development:

Identifying Student Demand by Conducting Market Research

Understanding the demand for a particular program can significantly impact enrollment expectations. The shifts in demographics and the shifts in interests of different generations can help you identify emerging program ideas. Students and families expect programs to deliver tangible outcomes such as employability and career advancement, so understanding the needs of employers is table stakes. Additionally, evaluating industry data as well as institutional insights, such as enroll and non-admit information on your applicants’ majors that went to other institutions, could provide an understanding of new program potential.

Most marketing teams conduct primary market research at least every three to four years in addition to any ongoing brand studies. This research can be a starting point for program managers, but market research can also be conducted to determine which topics, subjects and programs are likely to attract prospective students and their families and meet the needs of today’s employers. Identifying trends and assessing demand can limit the risk of investing in programs with limited market potential.

Benchmarking Competition to Craft Compelling Messaging

In a crowded higher education marketplace that has turned into a commodity in the eyes of many consumers, it is very difficult to be distinctive. Not many colleges or universities can say they are distinct, but every college and university can differentiate from their top competitors. Marketing leaders can help assess how a program compares to its competitors and recommend potential variations or niche elements of the program vision that may generate a higher level of interest. 

Successful programs require more than talented faculty and a well-intentioned curriculum. They need a compelling value proposition that resonates with prospective audiences and current students and communicates the key features and benefits provided by the new program. In fact, identifying a message that may differentiate from competitors is critical to help stand out. The positioning of the program from the competitive benchmarking will help institutions develop that primary message.

Integrating Targeted Program Marketing Into Brand Strategy

Programs are often created without integrated marketing and brand strategy in mind and that can be a serious detriment when the program is ready for the old reliable “P,” which is “promotion.” A new program is typically provided with a “marketing” allocation as part of its draft budget to help get “butts in seats.” First of all, it is likely not enough budget to build the brand of a new program on its own. 

Secondly, there may be other budgets to leverage. Marketing leadership is often planning for the fiscal year far in advance to ensure that an integrated marketing campaign can holistically impact the institution and maximize visibility for its multiple programs. A new program can be an energizer to an integrated campaign, but its effectiveness can be exponentially more impactful if coordinated as part of a two-pronged brand marketing and enrollment strategy. The right marketing strategies reaching the right audience at the right time to inspire the right action can only be done through coordination, communication and collaboration. The analogy, “A rising tide lifts all boats,” is over-used for a reason; because it is accurate.

Change isn’t easy but product evaluation and evolution are critical to shaping the future of any institution. In fact, the evaluation of program offerings is an exercise that higher education institutions have been doing since their inception. But too often marketing leaders do not have a seat at the table early enough to help with program development. Rather than pulling our chief marketing and communications officers in to communicate and help community-manage stakeholder feedback after the announcement of the program evolution, let’s proactively plan to maximize program visibility and positively impact enrollment. I mean, those were the original objectives for the new program development anyway, weren’t they?

At CP, we are always asking “why?” We’re fascinated and ever curious about customer mood and mindset. Here’s a few observations and constructive fodder for discussion from our anthropology and strategic planning teams from this past quarter.

1. #Girlhood
The power of women in economic revival.

Observation: The #girlhood cultural movement is in full swing, evidenced by a surge of trends in feminine self-expression. 

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour grossed over $1 billion. Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour impacted inflation in two countries. Barbie became the biggest movie of the year. The Women’s World Cup set new records in ticket sales and TV viewership.

What brands can do: Focus on empowering women to embrace and celebrate their individuality and unique experiences while emphasizing joy, creativity, and authenticity.

Sources: Fortune, Forbes & Variety

2. On Strike
The renaissance of labor movements.

Observation: The Writers Guild of America (WGA) and SAG-AFTRA initiated strikes for equitable pay. This is historic as it is the first time both have simultaneously gone on strike since 1960. 

The newly established Creators Guild of America characterizes itself as a “professional service organization” for digital content creators, extending benefits that are akin to those in unions.

What brands can do: Prioritize making their employees, and subsequently their customers, feel valued. Align themselves with workers’ rights by actively supporting fair compensation and ethical practices.

Sources: Vulture & TechCrunch

3. “Hype” it Up
“Hype” business model.

Observation: Streetwear is a major disruptor in modern retail, and its success is rooted in hype. The “hype” business model involves creating brand buzz through high-profile “drops,” and then leveraging that hype to sell ordinary products. MSCHF’s 2023 “Big Red Boots,” which sold out in seconds and ranked fourth on List’s list of most desired products, exemplify this strategy.

What brands can do: Borrow strategies from streetwear’s playbook to achieve similar success. Adopt limited “drops,” utilize irony, and create scarcity.

Sources: MSCHF & Courier Media

4. Transparency is Sexy
Advancing sustainability through clarity.

Observation: Allbirds revealed the design of its zero-carbon shoe, the “M0.0NSHOT.” Also released is an open source toolkit that outlines their process, including its materials and manufacturing.

In the 2023 Fashion Revolution’s Fashion Transparency Index, the luxury segment exhibited the most substantial improvements, with Gucci, Armani, Miu Miu, and Prada leading the way.

What brands can do: Investing in sustainable materials and production to reduce carbon footprints and publicizing footprint data for each product will demonstrate a proven commitment to climate action.

Sources: Retail Dive & Vogue

5. It’s Getting Hot in Here
European travel on the rise.

Observation: Popular European destinations proved their dominance, with a total of 11.7 million Americans traveling to Europe in 2023. International cruise bookings have also gone up 44% around European river routes.

June to August was the planet’s warmest period ever recorded. Because of rising summer temperatures, more people are seeking out cooler destinations like Denmark, France and the United Kingdom.

What brands can do: Climate-conscious messaging can work to reflect the changing priorities of consumers as our environment changes.

Sources: Forbes, CNN & ABC

6. High Value Travel
People want to maximize their time and money.

Observation: The fallout from Covid continues to be far reaching. People are rethinking what they want from travel, making authentic and immersive experiences central to a sense of ‘value’.

This might involve heading into the great outdoors for a wellness-focused retreat, indulging in adventure therapy, taking a package trip with strangers, or going on an old-fashioned tour with a range of exclusive perks.

What brands can do: Tap into the sentiments, the motivations behind them and leverage these themes in messaging. Positioning themselves as the facilitators or gatekeepers of these experiences.

Sources: Expedia & Deloitte

All good things expire. Look out for more reports coming soon.

Courtney Marlow, Senior PR, Social Media & Influencer Marketing Manager
Sam Coons, Copywriter
Will Maslach, Paid Social Manager

Members from our Creative, Media, and Social teams spent a day at TikTok immersing themselves in all things content strategy and execution— getting them excited about the breadth of possibilities when it comes to tapping creators and ideating social-first content for the platform. For marketers across industries who are looking to “win” on the platform, here are three key tips to keep in mind. 

Empower Influencers to Do What They Do Best

Whether you are trying to sell clothing, shoes, makeup, food, home decor, financial services, medical resources, etc., influencers have the ability to help humanize the brand and connect with consumers on a more personal level. That said, it’s important to keep in mind that the true “magic” happens when you let influencers do what they do best—create. Think of it as arming them with the “recipe”—including “ingredients” like brand tone, messaging points, key CTAs, etc.—and letting them chef it up in the kitchen. Knowing that we need to strive for less “ad-like” content in order to break through on TikTok, we need to encourage influencers to ideate concepts that bring their personality to the forefront, tap into relatability, and utilize engaging/trending formats to grasp users’ attention. 

Reengineer the Creative Process 

When ideating social-first content, you may naturally start by tossing around outside-of-the-box ideas, taking inspiration from pop culture, creatively incorporating a product, etc.—but oftentimes, the creative process can and should be re-engineered. One aspect of this entails keeping a pulse on what’s trending on TikTok—what are people talking about, adding to their grocery carts, whipping up at home, etc.? Consumer behavior and preferences on the platform can serve as great inspiration and TikTok has made so many features and tools available in their Creative Center to help you stay on top of these trends, plan out new creative, write scripts, and compare your thoughts to other top trending advertisements in their ads library! 

Secondly, you can use your results and engagements to fuel what your next round of content should look like. Creators or brands will often take a deep look through their comments to answer “what do the people want next?” And it WORKS! You can even consider linking one user’s comment in your next video as a way to show users that you pay attention to them, and that their ideas are valid—garnering inspiration from your actual followers/consumers can be a game changer. 

Don’t Underestimate the Power of Integrated Creative Thinking

No matter what area of marketing you specialize in, everyone has every business learning what works on TikTok—because when it comes to reaching younger audiences, TikTok is the barometer for their culture, trends, and needs. Breaking through the noise on the platform is challenging, which is why internal and external collaboration is so key. Before kicking off your next influencer campaign or launching a new social strategy, integrate your creative thinking process and look for ways to evolve. Consider garnering insights by talking to influencers, too—after all, they may know your audience better than you. Overall, let diverse perspectives complement each other and bring stronger creative to the forefront. The industry calls this “integration,” but if we’ve learned one thing from TikTok, it’s that simply talking to each other in an authentic manner will likely lead to a bigger impression than you ever thought possible.