Rutgers University: Integrated Marketing and Communications Plan

Background : Second Melody was engaged by Rutgers University's Office of Undergraduate Admissions to develop a three to five year enrollment marketing plan that would include a messaging, communication, off campus recruitment and advertising strategy based around quantitative and qualitative research conducted by Second Melody.

Objective : Rutgers University's goal in the next three to five years is to increase enrollments, with a specific focus on out-of-state students, while boosting the caliber of their applicant pool.

How : Second Melody conducted both online and in-person surveys, held focus groups and combined them with market intelligence to specifically define the "ideal" Rutgers applicant. The research also focused on the University's communications with high school students, their marketing delivery methods as well as the efficacy of these methods and how they resonated with high school sophomores, juniors and seniors.

Results : Second Melody has provided the Office of University Undergraduate Admissions with the necessary tools to develop effective websites, emails, brochures and overall campaigns as well as define their audience and work towards meeting their long term goals. A specific year long marketing strategy was also developed that identified target audiences, material delivery method, messaging, next steps and tracking methodology for every brochure, postcard, email and live event that the Office of Undergraduate Admissions will conduct in 2008.

As a result, these campaigns have already begun to increase the yield of higher-quality applicants especially as it pertains to out-of-state and international prospective students. The first communication sent out was the January search initiative, designed and launched by Second Melody and following best practices from the reports. The campaign used postcards, emails and the web, working together in unison to deliver a targeted and fully trackable message, gathering market research, tracking user behavior and promoting the attributes of Rutgers University.

The January search campaign beat the previous year's campaign by 13.9% and beat industry averages by 46%. The click-though rate for the email portion of the campaign was an astounding 10.35% (compared to an industry average of 2.5%) and of those students that got to the landing page, they spent almost 2 minutes (1 minute, 58 seconds) reading the material. Each and every click was tracked on both the email and the website to determine the most appealing aspect of those presented; thus determining specific topics for follow-up correspondences.