Authentic Experiences in Person

Authentic Experiencesin Person

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Managing Expectations

The college visit - does it do any good?“10 Steps” to a better visit “experience”

Authenticity - the “visitor” demand“10 Steps” toward rendering authenticityQuestions throughout and at conclusion

(I strive to overwhelm)

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The college visit - does it do any good?

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The college visit - does it do any good?

SFO Article: The college visit - does it do any good? Read Jeff's blog post

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Greatest College Prank Ever

Watch the video Watch more tour prank videos

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Welcome to the Experience Economy

Pine & Gilmore

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The Experience Economy 101

Agrarian

Industrial

Service

Experiences

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Experiences = Memories

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Experience marketing is about:

1. Repelling commodization 2. Charging a premium price3. Persuading consumers to pay when they never did before4. Selling “Memories”

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Remember, “The experience is the marketing.”

Arts & Science Group Student Poll 2004

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The experience is higher education marketing

Eduventures 2007 Survey of 7,867 High school junior and seniors.Reported in The Chronicle of Higher Education “Prospective Students Rely on Campus Visits and Web Sites to Learn About Colleges, Report Says”

- 84% use the web most heavily in researching colleges- 71% say the campus visit is the most trusted source of information

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10Ten Steps to a bettervisit experience

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1. Integrate the four E’sHigher Education is the experience economy: 4 E’s

Entertainment Education

Esthetic Escape

Strategic Horizons, LLP

Absorption

Immersion

Active ParticipationPassive Participation

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2. Craft a mini campus experience

- Customize the Experience We all want what we want - accommodate the various levels of interest of guests to your campus

- Eliminate negative cues - Accent positive cues- Look for missed cues Elon University

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2. Craft a mini campus experience - Engage ALL the senses“83% of marketing appeals to sight, leaving a paltry 17% to the other senses. Surprisingly, smell is the second most important sense after sight, and not sound. In fact, 75% of all emotional connections are based on smell.” Adweek review of Brand Sense

Centre College The Ohio State University

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2. Craft a mini campus experience

- Mix in the memorabilia - “ticket stub”

California Lutheran University

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3. Set the expectation

- Before guests arrive (online, email, & mail) - Explain route (will and won’t be seen)

Map courtesy of Lenoir-Rhyne College and Sketches

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4. Spend no money

- Engage the “sense of the butt”

Millsaps College Albright College

Hampshire College Saint Joseph’s University

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5. Tell stories not statistics

- Stories render authenticity

Lenoir-Rhyne College

Hendrix College

Albright College115

6. Reveal your school’s nomenclature7. Keep it real - do what’s authentic to

your campus and experience

Millsaps College California Lutheran University

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8. Do you have a signature moment?Westmont College

Hampshire College

Ursuline College

Albright College

Millsaps College

Cerritos Public Library

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9. Mystery shop your tour (and your competitors)

The Ohio State University

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10. Top Ten Tidbits for Tour Guides1. Interact as if you’re giving your sibling a tour

2. Answer questions honestly and directly, but remind them it’s your perspective

3. Watch your pronouns - “We” is exclusive, “You’ll “is inclusive

4. Tell stories - yours and your friends’

5. When you walk backwards they look at you, not the campus

6. If you feel negatively about any other school - don’t name names

7. “Tour guides” is boring - you’re bright, come up with a memorable name

8. Find connections with your audience and ask open-ended questions

9. Is asking “Do you have any more questions?” the best way to end a tour?

10. Have Fun!

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AuthenticityThe new consumer demand

“We are searching to get agrip on what counts for

people in their personal and business lives.”

Pine and Gilmore’s website

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AvailabilityCost

QualityAuthenticity

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1980’s1990’s2000’s

Marketing

Branding

Authenticity

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I’m an OK lover, but afterwards I like to snuggle and talk.

Me too!

AUTHENTICITY

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Brands are Mirrors.

Branding only works when it’s authentic. We purchase on the basis of conforming to self-image.

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“I visited and it felt right!”

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AuthenticityThe new consumer demand

“America has toxic levelsof inauthenticity.

Time Magazine Report

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InauthenticityThat is the fundamental problem with advertising: it’s a phoniness

generating machine.

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InauthenticityThe easiest way to be perceived as phony is to advertise things

you are not.

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InauthenticityMost campus visits render

inauthenticity!

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RenderingAuthenticity

“Stop saying what your offerings are through advertising and start creating places--permanent or temporary, physical or virtual,

fee-based or free--where people can experience what those offerings, as well as your enterprise, actually are.”

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10Ten Steps towardsrendering authenticity

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1. Know who you areDon’t try to be all things to all people

The Ohio State University

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2. Say who you areDraw a line in the sand

Baylor University

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3. Keep it real

SACAC 2008 Survey of 200+ high school seniors

“I believe that imperfections show character. That's what I was looking for

in a college. A school that seemingly has no flaws during a one hour

information session not only stands out negatively, but it comes off

as bland and ordinary.”

Read the complete survey results Password: sacac

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3. Reroute beyond amenitiesDon’t just show the showcase

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5. If you’re afraid to show it, show itShow those things specific to your student experience:

-commuter school? show parking!

-graduate school? show community!

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6. Hop on the Cluetrain (talk with, not at)"Markets are conversations.

Markets consist of human beings, not demographic sectors.Conversations among human beings sound human.

They are conducted in a human voice.

University of Texas American University

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7. Champion stories (not statistics)

St. Edward’s University

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8. If visitors help create it, it’s more authentic to them

Hendrix College

University of Louisville

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9. Learn to say, “No”More visitors doesn’t increase yield

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10. Connect with best fit students

Hendrix College

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Jeff’s Bookshelf

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