It’s that time of year again – A time for Christmas lights, presents, hot chocolate and Lawrence & Schiller University!

That’s right! Our vigorous and sometimes rambunctious hunt for summer interns is well on its way. To apply online or to get more information feel free to visit us at http://www.l-s.com/internships/index.cfm

We also have an array of fun and insightful videos designed to give this year’s applicants an insider’s perspective on what to expect out of their internship, what all the Meet Greet Repeat will entail  and a few words from our team on what it means to be “5280″ and what exactly it is we do here.

Don’t be shy! Pass this on to anyone who might be interested in a 2012 summer internship at Lawrence & Schiller.

I recently became pen-pals with a college recruiter from a private institution who lives here, in the Midwest. In an earlier blog, I wrote about how she’s noticed that students are being drawn to the idea of taking the two-year route for their associate’s degree and then finishing their bachelor’s degree at a traditional four year school. If you didn’t get a chance to read it you can check it out here.

But another interesting trend she shared is how students have become surprising self-sufficient in “doing their homework” on finding the right college for them. She said that with the continued integration of online resources such as school websites and third-party reviews, students don’t have the same need for a recruitment counselor as they did only a few, short years ago.

“I started a career in recruitment in July of 2010 and even though that hasn’t been very long I have been so surprised of the student’s lack of need of an admissions counselor from last year to this year.”

Along with the growing usage of online resources she has also noticed how the credibility of having a face-to-face conversation with an admissions counselor does not interest them in the same way as it before. This is because they are not used to it, meaning, students text and Facebook their friends (rather than a face-to-face conversation) so they don’t readily engage in face-to-face conversations with a recruitment counselor. Students are especially hesitant since it’s a “sales-pitchy” kind of conversation with a stranger,  even though there are additional benefits to meeting with an admissions counselor that students can’t receive online.

So what does this tell us about the next generation of high school students entering the world of college hunting? That they desire, if not expect there to be sufficient, easy-to-find information on college’s website. And that they may be more comfortable with virtual campus tours and online chats with admission counselors in addition to the option of a face-to-face conversation with a recruitment counselor and a traditional campus tour.

So the challenge remains the same – how to best communicate what life, academic and extracurricular, is like at your particular college – but continually evolving your messaging medium to do so in the way today’s students communicate.

I recently became pen-pals with a college recruiter from a private institution here in the Midwest. I was intrigued by some of the trends she’s seen in the past couple of years working as a college recruiter. Let me share one with you.

The one trend she has found to be most prevalent among students is how cost sensitive they have become. “The ticket price of a Christian college is terrifying for anyone. For me, having to tell prospective families that it costs about $33,000 to attend my school for a year, you just see the stress instantly on their faces!” So what are students doing about it?

A supplementary trend my recruiter friend has also noticed is how students are going to a community college for two years and then transferring into her much more expensive, private institution. “Often times, students will quickly ask about the ease of credit transfer at my institution. The economy is bad these days and any student looking into higher education, especially Christian higher ed, will look into this plan.”

Many students who do this, take one of two routes: they realize right out of high school that the cost of a four-year institution is too much for them to swing and decide to get their two-year degree and then transfer to a four-year program to finish. Or go to a two-year institution initially thinking that an associate’s degree was what they wanted or needed and then transfer to a four-year institution because they have a change of plans.   

This trend shows a two-fold marketing opportunity:

1. Reach  students before enrollment to be a part of their two-part college plans.
2. Market to students attending a two-year institution to encourage them to continue on to a four year degree post graduating.

Highlighting partnerships with two-year institutions ease of credit/hour transfers and financial aid are all “sell points” to these particular students.

It’s no secret that the financial outlook of those entering college, in college and who have recently graduated college have dulled since previous years.

I recently read a national study conducted by the Artemis Strategy Group and PNC Financial Services Group, which found that only 18% percent of respondents ages 20-29 expect to have enough money for a comfortable retirement. This survey, which polled 2,000 people, shows this generation isn’t feeling too optimistic about their financial future.

I believe this study uncovers a great opportunity for colleges to promote their personal finance classes and any other programs they have established to help students learn to become financially independent. Topics covered in these programs include, but are not limited to: understanding and conquering student debt after graduation, planning for retirement, understanding the investment landscape and how to best approach financial milestones, such as home mortgages and work benefit packages.

Understanding that personal finance is a top concern for many students and acting on that knowledge is a great way to attract potential students. Last year’s Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act encouraged such courses on college campuses; however it did not require them. So if you’re looking for a way to offer a value-add on your college campus, consider a “Finance 101” for college freshmen.

Thinking back to college, and those first few years after graduating, would it have helped you to have taken some form of personal finance course?

Let me paint a picture. I was walking into IHOP and yes, my eyes were on my phone and not the walk way ahead of me. As fate would have it, I almost bumped into a woman passing by me and she proceeded to give me a rude glare and then said something along the lines of “get your nose out of your phone…”

My first response was to apologize and keep going my way as she went hers, but looking back on that situation, I realized she never would have said that to a fellow 40-something year old, and we “younger generationals” are getting a bad rap for our heavy phone usage.

I understand that much of our usage comes from continual texting and not just Internet browsing or streaming video, but it had me wondering about the facts behind younger, heavy phone-Internet users. Is mobile marketing a good medium to use when advertising to this group, specifically Millennials?

As some quick background information, the Millennial generation is larger than that of the Baby Boomer generation and three times larger than Generation X. They are a growing consumer “force” to be reckoned with.

Couple that with a study done by the Barkley/Service Management Group and the Boston Consulting Group, which states that this generation seems to have substituted television and print media consumption, with increased media consumption through online activities, we can see a glimmer of opportunity in new ways to reach this large group of consumers. 

Backup, how does relate to mobile advertising? According to Nielsen’s “State of the Media: Trends in Advertising Spend and Effectiveness,” mobile advertising is increasingly finding its way into mobile applications, and currently teenagers are much more receptive than their elders.

Over half of teens (58%)  ages 13-17 say they “always” or “sometimes” look at mobile ads followed by 46% of those ages 18-24. That percentage continues to decrease as age increases.

As mobile advertising becomes an even wider-spread medium, expanding existing campaigns set to target Millennials may be well suited for it. For example, higher education campaigns targeting high school students could find this to be a great medium for increased exposure, because it reaches out to future students where they are found most – on their mobile devices.

Video

Reading between-the-lines with this video, what did you learn about this year’s college freshman? Here are a few of my takeaways:

• 59% of the Class of 2015 updates their status in class. This tells me that they are always connected and extremely social. But why do people continually feel the need to update their status, even when it’s something as monumental as sitting in class?

• They watch TV with two or more devices – again this stat tells me that they are well connected, although many of us outside of the class of 2015 are also guilty of multitasking. It comes from the American way –of doing more, wanting more and needing more…now! How do we as advertisers cut through the clutter? We need to use personalized, multi-media messaging and utilizing the first, second, third and fourth screen!

• 66% of this segment looks up a store if a friend “checks-in” there. Word of mouth is key with this generation. Trust is built through relationships and experience, not necessarily the facts, brand prestige and qualifications.

• 73% have earned and used virtual currency. This piece of information blows me away and shows me this is a group of technology early adopters. This generation is willing to try something new.

• 11% define success as having a lot of money, which tells me status may be shifting. One could infer this has something to do with the changing career landscape for new graduates, which is painting a less than glamorous picture of opportunities, post-college. As this group ages and gets closer to graduating themselves I would a venture a guess that this number may go up, especially once they start paying their own bills and realize exactly how far their dollar stretches.

What do some of the stats in this video tell to you? Let me know – I would love to hear, especially if you interpret any of them differently than I do!

Over 100 million people in the US now carry their very own smartphone and there are apps for absolutely everything. They  range from the oddly addicting game of Angry Birds to the ever so annoying “Wooo Button,” where you push a button and a man shouts “wooo!” Seriously?

But with millions of apps being downloaded on a daily basis, there has to be a worthwhile use for at least some of them. For example, as smartphones and mobile apps continue to grow in popularity for industries such as retail and healthcare, some pose the question of whether higher education will adopt them.

According to CourseSmart, the world’s largest provider of digital course materials, they have already begun to make products available for smartphones. This technology is similar to e-reader applications, but they believe the implications of this will result in actual course work or classroom portals. Thus going one step further than simply reading the textbook on your device but actually completing assignments through apps.

Iansyst, an education and technology company that specializes in education and students with disabilities, highlights ten reasons why schools should be prepared to implement mobile tools into their classrooms structure. However, they put it best in saying, the next generation of students expect – not want, but expect – a learning environment to accommodate a mobile lifestyle, integrate today’s digital tools and adapt to individual learning styles.

What better time is there to start digitizing education and making classrooms compatible with mobile devices than when this generation, who had a cell phone before middle school, is looking at college? Technology is hard to keep up with, but by doing so can keep you one step ahead of your competition.

With the rising cost of education and the declining rate of graduates being hired weighing heavily on students’ minds, universities need to focus their marketing efforts on what makes college valuable to students.

Pew Research Center conducted a phone survey of 2,142 adults, released in May, to answer the question, is college worth it?

Results show over 86% of college graduates feel college has been a good investment, but 75% say college is too expensive for most Americans to afford. Even though the majority believes it is too costly, 94% of parents expect their child to attend college. However most young adults still do not attend a four year university and the number one reason for this is financial limitation.

Of the college graduates who took this survey, only 55% said college was very useful in helping them prepare for a job or career – which in my opinion seems low. Because after paying an arm and a leg for higher education, the next step would hopefully be a career followed by financial stability and paying back that debt. But surprisingly, 39% believe the main purpose of college is to help students grow personally and intellectually.

Competition among colleges to recruit these high school graduates is high, but knowing what these students are looking for can give some an edge. With a focus on preparing students for successful careers as well as keeping in mind the 39% who want personal and intellectual growth, can be an advantageous two-part message making your college seem “worth it” to more students.

As digital media and highly defined metrics become a larger part of delivering marketing messages, advertisers are looking for ways to relate the metrics of digital media to traditional media.

There are digital ways to track traditional media, but the over-arching metric among all media is still  impressions. This leads to the question, if digital metrics are more detailed, is digital better than the traditional? Not at all! They are meant to work together to target consumers throughout the purchase cycle. This makes knowing when and how to reach your audience essential.

Tara Payne Mueller, digital & media strategist, and Laura Mitchell, digital strategist, discussed how goals and messaging are important in evaluating your campaign metrics in May’s L&S Boot Camp Webinar – Message Delivery: Metrics Across Digital and Traditional Media.

When college campuses were first exposed to the addicting effects of social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, I’m sure most professors weren’t thrilled when students brought them into the classroom. But now, those same professors are adopting social media and making these platforms usable tools for interactive teaching. See the circle?

Schools.com depicts this rise of social media in the classroom with an interactive, visual tool, which displays how professors are using social media. These findings were constructed from a survey of 2,000 college professors. The study shows that over eighty percent of college faculty members have an account on at least one social media platform and a quarter of those have accounts on four or more platforms.

Aside from the obvious social benefits, eighty percent use social media for some aspect of a course they teach. Examples of this include requiring students to read or view social media as part of a course assignment, gernerating content for other students to view or assigning students to comment on or post to social media sites.

As many as seventy percent of faculty believe video, podcasts, blogs and wikis are valuable tools for teaching. A great example of this comes from San Diego State University where a professor had her students create their own Wikipedia page on an 18^th century novel. She then had the students act out and videotape a scene from the novel and upload it to YouTube. 

Many teachers have mentioned how social media helps students to speak up in discussions because it creates a less formal and intimidating setting. For many students this also aids in bringing the material to them in a new, fun, and engaging light, making the classroom a fitting location for these tools to thrive. As teachers continue to integrate new technology into their more traditional style of teaching, I believe students will be looking to attend universities who value social media as a tool for the classroom.

Last month, the University of South Dakota released their new look to the public for the first time. As we anticipated, response has been passionate and mostly positive, and overall, the decision to move toward a mark that holds up on a national level has been applauded. Our team at L&S had the unique opportunity to work with USD on developing this exciting new image over the past 6 months.

Here are a few tidbits from behind the scenes:

• All our work needed to hold up to the following guiding principles set by the institution. The new logo aimed to:

- Be classic and timeless
- Own “SD” and “South Dakota”
- Represent the University across the spectrum of offerings  from Academics to Athletics

• A team of about a dozen L&S designers was assigned to create initial options.
• An entire L&S war room was dedicated to the project, and was covered in design work and options for almost 3 months.
• Weekly meetings were set to present designs and discuss progress.
• Of the options explored, four were selected and presented to the marketing and executive teams at USD.
• Before selecting one of the four options, several design modifications were reviewed.
• Ultimately, the SD logo you see above was approved and submitted for trademark.

Along with announcements through the mainstream media, the marketing team at USD has been on a road show of sorts. They are presenting the brand development process to groups on and off campus, including students, faculty, administration and alumni, to further seed in the rationale for the change and the opportunities this evolution will bring to the University.

We are also collaborating with the graphics team at USD to build out a full graphic standards manual, including more renditions of the new SD for many applications. As one of many University of South Dakota alumni at Lawrence & Schiller, I am very much looking forward to the day when I can wear the SD look proudly on some new apparel!

The Internet and social media have fundamentally changed the pace of business, compressing time and rewarding speed. News breaks over minutes, not days. Companies can develop or refine products and services instantly based on customer feedback or events in the marketplace.

As a result, public relations has changed forever. Traditional media outlets are no longer the inpenetrable gatekeepers. Citizen journalists (whether they think of themselves that way or not) are reporting more updates from more locations than professional journalists could ever hope to cover. And businesses have an unprecented freedom to share their stories directly with key audiences – customers and potential clients.

This shifting landscape provides business with an opportunity never before seen. It’s called Real-Time PR… the mindset of finding and engaging with emerging story lines before they become old news.

Real-time PR was the topic of April’s L&S Boot Camp Webinar. Lawrence & Schiller’s Dave Haan, Director of Public Relations, and Lindsey Philips, PR Coordinator, presented the three “D”s at the foundation of real-time PR:

• Detect conversations about your brand
• Deliver the right messages to the right audiences
• Decrease your response time

When choosing a college there are many things to consider: the size of the college, the different majors offered and most important, the overall “college experience” you will have.

Many students look at a university’s athletics program and clubs when seeking a highly social college environment, but one factor that many overlook is campus housing. Close knit, college friendships are often built through convenience and proximity, especially when dealing with hectic college schedules. Therefore a university’s campus housing structure is also an import aspect to consider when looking for a school that facilitates more social interaction among their students.

 A great example of this is USD’s Coyote Village. This is a great addition to their campus, not just for the stylish and convenient new ‘digs’ for students, but also for the community atmosphere provided to students who still want a dorm experience without the dorms. The Coyote Village is currently open to upper classman, which is another great way to keep students living on campus while adding a level of freedom as they grow older and start looking for housing outside of the dorms.

I believe that these additions to a college campus are a great way to talk to potential students; it shows a long term commitment to growing each student’s college experience as well as offering above average campus housing in both, size and quality.

When one of my teachers from Sioux Falls Christian High School, Mrs. Wieking, asked if I would be interested in talking to some of her classes about Lawrence & Schiller’s work with public service announcements, I was initially hesitant. But as I thought about the opportunity, I felt honored she would even ask me as well as excited to go back to my old high school - so I accepted.

At work the next day, I started pulling some talking points together and a thought struck me – just talking about the campaigns would be interesting enough, but really digging into the strategic thinking that builds our campaigns would be more influential and helpful for the students in understanding the “why” behind what we do.

After talking with Scott Erickson, an account executive who works on many of our public service campaigns, I received a lot of valuable, insider knowledge on our team’s thought process, such as what drove the creative and why we chose certain mediums to get our message into the right hands.

As much fun as it was visiting my old high school, the best part was being able to peel back some of the layers surrounding our campaigns and shed some light on how we go ‘the extra mile’ with our messaging tactics.

The students of SFC have been instructed to create their own PSAs for a class assignment and the finished products will be showcased on their internal TV channel. I hope by showing the students some of our work and exposing them to the thinking behind our campaigns, they will use that knowledge when creating their own PSAs and make something to truly be proud of.

Facebook has become a student’s primary social media tool for keeping tabs on what their friends and families are up to in high school and college, but as they near the end of their school days Linked-In is building momentum to be the ‘go to’ tool – post college.

“Facebook has emerged as a hot spot for having fun and wasting time while LinkedIn has positioned itself as a place for getting down to business.”

The primary purpose of Linked-In is to facilitate networking amongst professionals. There are ways to be “introduced” to other professionals, as well as see other people’s networks so that connections can be easily made between Linked-In members. You are also encouraged to post your job history, accomplishments and resume as a way to promote yourself to potential employers on the site.

Most high school and college students are new to Linked-In and many don’t use it, but Linked-In is a great way to build professional relationships and networks. In order to get the most out of Linked-In, students need to start utilizing this tool and others like it prior to graduation. More than 90 million people are already on Linked-In, and students need to begin accessing and networking those individuals prior to graduation.

As a university, understanding the benefits of a program such as Linked-In and encouraging your students to use it can help boost graduate placement rates. Starting freshman year and building a strong portfolio both in the classroom and online through tools like social media will be a great way to show the commitment you have to helping place your students in careers when they graduate.

Other online tools your university can utilize are:

Ecademy

Xing

Ziggs

Networking For Professionals

NetParty

Students borrowed more money in the 90’s to pay for school than in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s combined. Last year, 118,000 people under the age of 24 filed for bankruptcy. Today, two-thirds of undergraduate students graduate with student loans.

Many students are still under the impression that Ivy League schools and big names are the places to go after high school in order to make the most money, to impress others and to be a part of the ever-popular Division 1 athletics. However, according to a study of more than 6,000 college graduates, published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, students who applied to several elite schools but didn’t attend them are more likely to earn higher incomes later in life.

The study concluded that a student’s motivation and desire to learn has the greatest impact on their success. Therefore going to a college that offers a high level of collaborative learning with not only peers, but also with faculty and the community, will likely have a greater influence on a student’s success during their time at school and post graduation.

Not to diminish the quality of an Ivy League education, but these qualities can be found in many state schools which will also save students a bundle in student loans. Students today are graduating with $30,000 in debt on average, and as this number grows students will be looking for colleges that can give them the same potential for success but at a lower cost.

L&S is excited to announce Lawrence & Schiller University (LSU), our Summer 2011 Internship program.  We are seeking five interns who are willing to go the distance for our clients and the agency.  Throughout our 32-year history, finding the best talent in the region has been a top priority. This year, we’re enhancing our efforts to find the best people and help the best people find us.

We have also created a new internship website, http://www.l-s.com/internships/, which clearly describes the agency’s needs, the selection process and includes an internship blog which documents lessons we’ve learned along the way.  We even have success stories and videos from former interns who have made the grade and moved on to full-time positions at L&S.

As a part of this year’s selection process, candidates must attend an initial Meet-Greet-Repeat session Friday, February 4, 2010. Similar to speed dating, candidates will participate in a series of 5-minute interviews with key agency team members.  After, we are hosting a mixer so the prospective interns can socialize with peers and L&Sers.  The candidates who impress us most will be called back for the next round of interviews. But candidates must be at the Meet-Greet-Repeat session to make it to the final round.

Key Dates to Keep in Mind:

• Monday, January 31:  All intern applicant resumes and work samples are due.
• Friday, February 4: Come to L&S from 2:00-5:00 p.m. for Meet-Greet-Repeat interviews.
• Monday, February 7-Friday, February 25:  Call-back interviews will be held individually.
• Monday, February 28:  Our top interns will be selected and offered positions.

Know someone who would be a great candidate?  Encourage them to visit LSU, read the descriptions and apply by January 31, 2011. We’re looking forward to meeting our next great talent on February 4th!

Choosing the right college isn’t always easy but many parents are there to help. Eight out of ten parents say that they plan to play a crucial role in making the final decision.

The study, Circling Over Enrollment: The E-Expectations of the Parents of College-Bound Students, talks about the importance of parents in the decision making process, as well as how crucial the internet is to those same parents. As a result, colleges should tailor the information and features of their admissions websites to appeal to parents as well as to potential students.

Ninety percent of parents say they rely on web sites to research potential colleges. Ten percent of those parents would not recommend the school to their child if the site was not effective and did not provide the information needed to answer their questions or concerns.

What type of content do parents value when researching a potential school? Academic programs and majors were ranked as number one followed by scholarships, admissions requirements, tuition/fees, and financial safety. Creating a parent-specific on a college website could have a positive influence on a parent’s thoughts and feelings toward an institution.

Fifty percent of adults also recommended that schools should communicate directly with them after their child has requested information from the institution. Since parents play such an important role in the college decision making process, it may be in both parties’ best interest to reach out to them as soon as possible.

Even though it is ultimately the student who needs to be “won over” by the institution, parents are still one of the most influential factors, and need to be communicated to when reaching out to new students for 2011 enrollment.

Where to go college? It’s a top question in most high school and even middle school students’ minds. Some know just what they’re looking for, and others are still wondering what programs and environment will be right for them. University of South Dakota believes it should be a student’s first choice. To help them communicate that message, USD turned to Lawrence & Schiller for help.

L&S sat down with USD freshmen to better understand their college selection process. A common theme continued to surface: students today view college as a real investment in their future. Students are looking for the best college experience for the smallest possible price tag. Especially in this economy, students are looking to get a high-quality education and avoid facing massive debt after they are handed their diploma.

L&S developed “One Smart Move,” a college admissions campaign, based upon these student insights. Media was placed to put the USD message directly in front of students at teen hangouts, such as movie theaters, bowling alleys and malls. Online banners and TV spots will also roll out on popular teen websites and programs.

College students today want it all, and our new campaign shows them they can find it all at USD.

Earlier this month, a team from Lawrence & Schiller was invited to the University of South Dakota to talk with a marketing class in the Beacom School of Business about the “One Smart Move” campaign.

I discussed some of the concepts the students were learning in class and tied those into how Lawrence & Schiller worked with USD to create this campaign from start to finish.

Bob Fitzpatrick, marketing director at USD, also gave the client’s perspective and answered questions about the university’s role throughout the creation of “One Smart Move.”

Aside from receiving a behind-the-scenes look into how an advertising agency creates a campaign, students were also able to view the new TV spots, digital marketing and non-traditional print pieces for USD.

After the presentation we talked with a few students about the campaign. See one of the commercials and the reaction of students to the “One Smart Move” campaign here.

How do you effectively reach the underage party-goer? What kind of messaging does it take to get the point across? The team at L&S recently joined forces with the South Dakota Office of Highway Safety in an effort to reduce underage drinking with the “Marked For Life” campaign.

Convincing 18-to-20 year-old college students not to drink is a daunting task. Quite frankly, it’s a message they just don’t want to hear. In order to reach them for the greater good and really make an impact to curb underage drinking, L&S used bold language and visuals with stopping power.

The “Marked for Life,” campaign includes mirror clings with wake-up messages for residence hall bathrooms, posters and wristbands with reminder messages and a TV commercial showing the aftermath of a party with underage drinking.

The team looked to research to help craft this message, and hopes viewers agree it’s one that needs to be heard after reading a few statistics:

• Death: 1,825 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including motor vehicle crashes (Hingson et al., 2009).
• Injury: 599,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are unintentionally injured under the influence of alcohol (Hingson et al., 2009).
• Assault: 696,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking (Hingson et al., 2009).
• Sexual Abuse: 97,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape (Hingson et al., 2009).
• Unsafe Sex: 400,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 had unprotected sex and more than 100,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 report having been too intoxicated to know if they consented to having sex (Hingson et al., 2002).
• Academic Problems: About 25 percent of college students report academic consequences of their drinking including missing class, falling behind, doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades overall (Engs et al., 1996; Presley et al., 1996a, 1996b; Wechsler et al., 2002).

South Dakota State University is the first school in the state to use all elements of the campaign. On campus, students are helping spread the word. A recent story by KDLT News gives an inside look at this edgy campaign and street team approach currently in the works.

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, National American University, Western Dakota Tech, Oglala Lakota College and the University of Sioux Falls are also participating in the campaign.