EMG also developed a plan for differentiating UMW from its competition, a strategic marketing plan. Among the goals are an increase in applications for enrollment and an enhancement of UMW’s visibility.
To these ends, the University is developing creative and innovative student recruitment pieces and initiating an advertising blitz.
Lavar Edmonds ’14 looks chill in a field of ivy near the amphitheater and attracts attention in this ad on a highway billboard. Photo by Norm Shafer
About a dozen students participated in a photography session in September. With the theme of “where great minds get to work,” the students told the photographer where they do their best thinking. Then they trekked to settings that put a twist on those places – high atop the fitness center, surrounded by historic buildings in downtown Fredericksburg, among the amphitheater’s beds of ivy, in the chilly water of the Rappahannock.
The result is a set of intriguing photos that will appear with equally intriguing headlines in places UMW has never been seen before – in newspaper ads, on billboards, in college guidebooks, on Facebook, in shopping malls and airports, and on websites.
EMG isn’t new to this task. It has helped more than 150 educational clients, including several Virginia institutions. One of the best known of EMG’s successes is Virginia Tech’s memorable tagline, “Invent the Future.”
Claire Harrington ’15 studies best surrounded by books. Photo by Norm Shafer
A brand finds its home in the minds and hearts of individuals; it’s made up of stories, expectations, memories, and experiences that, over time, create feelings. For Mary Washington, that feeling is best expressed in this way: “rigorous academics in a supportive community of high integrity.”
As more and more people get it, the UMW brand comes to life – and great minds get to work.
Anna B. Billingsley is the University of Mary Washington brand manager.
About Anna Billingsley