Real ROI: How UC claimed its rightful place in the public’s heart.

Fresh positioning and buzz-generating campaigns have made all the difference for the University of Cincinnati. Our initial work was two-pronged: a holistic brand campaign and an intensive enrollment marketing campaign—an effort that paid for itself five-fold with tuition revenue generated. Since our engagement began, student enrollment and satisfaction continue to rise: total UC enrollment has grown 20.3 percent (6,692 students) and campus enthusiasm is at an all-time high. In 2009, UC made its debut on the U.S.News and World Report’s list of “Up-and-Coming” universities.

 
 

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By any measure—number of students, research grants, programs with a national reputation, faculty and alumni accomplishments—the University of Cincinnati is an impressive institution of higher learning. But research confirmed what the UC community long suspected: the university’s enormous impact on the social, economic, and cultural life of the region was under-appreciated—a reality that was reflected in a four-year decline in enrollment.

Lipman Hearne’s work began with an intensive enrollment intervention—an integrated marketing campaign designed to turn around the decline at the Uptown Campus quickly and efficiently. Lipman Hearne specializes in these Accelerated Integrated Marketing (AIM) enrollment projects, with the objective being growth and a substantial, immediate return on investment. UC’s “Every Student Counts” campaign, targeted at 21 distinct prospective and enrolled student retention segments was no exception. The results:

  • Fall 2003: +1901 students
  • Fall 2004: +605 students
  • Fall 2005: +15 percent new students: largest class ever
  • Fall 2006: Best-quality class ever
  • Fall 2007: First-ever waitlist; +8 percent freshmen
  • Fall 2008: Optimal size
  • Fall 2003–08: Retention + 8 percent
  • Fall 2009: +1,600 students, largest class in 39 years

At the same time, Lipman Hearne created a comprehensive strategic marketing plan informed by extensive research, including focus groups, phone surveys, and other investigation of UC’s many constituents. The new positioning—“it’s all UC”—expressed the University of Cincinnati’s collective impact through personal stories of students and faculty. The integrated marketing campaign received the Grand Gold CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education) Award, recognizing it as one of the best in the country.

 
With images far outside the higher ed norm, these billboards heralded UC’s new brand campaign. As one professor noted, “Everyone from my neighbors to my nine-year-old has noticed these billboards. This campaign makes me proud to work here.”
Six years later, a bold new iteration of the campaign was built on the concept “it’s all UC.”
This playful and arresting viewbook mirrored the University of Cincinnati billboards. The 2009 freshman class was the largest in 39 years.