Amazing Facts Ad Campaign
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Nursing ad from Amazing Facts II series
Overview
The Amazing Facts marketing campaign was designed in 2004 and 2005 to strengthen public understanding of how the system's 32 state colleges and universities dramatically improve the quality of life for individuals, communities and the state as a whole. The two Amazing Facts ad series complemented the system's "Degrees of Success: Making Minnesota Work" budget requests and were focused on creating public demand for stronger state support, in particular from the state's business leaders.
View samples from "Amazing Facts I" ad series
View samples from "Amazing Facts II" ad series
Objectives
- To raise awareness and appreciation of the system's contributions to graduates, communities and the state
- To enhance the political clout of the system among state lawmakers
- To strengthen bonds with system faculty, student groups and alumni
Program Planning and Implementation
A communications team that included representatives of all the divisions in the Office of the Chancellor met regularly to create key messages, develop tactics and ensure consistent systemwide use. The team also solicited ideas from faculty and student associations.
Audience
The target audiences for this campaign are the general public, business leaders and state legislators, particularly lawmakers who set higher education funding priorities. Secondary audiences include the 340,000 Minnesota State Colleges and Universities students, 500,000 graduates of the system and the system's 16,500 employees.
Key messages
Armed with data and facts that quantified the positive impact the system has on the State of Minnesota, the communications team developed key messages for the campaign. The team decided on the following key message for the campaign: "We educate Minnesota. We make it work."
Selected advertisements used in campaign
Media and mediums
The first Amazing Facts series featured black-and-white ads ran that over six months in two magazines (Finance and Commerce and Twin Cities Business Monthly) and eight newspapers in greater Minnesota. These ads illustrated and documented the system's economic contributions to the state. They were designed to show specifically how the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system is a powerful economic engine for the state. Scripted ads additionally ran for over six months on two radio stations.
The second series of print ads tapped alumni to bring the system's "Amazing Facts" to life and to reinforce the key message, "We educate Minnesota. We make it work." The ads ran in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Twin Cities Business Monthly and various papers in greater Minnesota. Ads also appeared in home newspapers of key lawmakers during Easter break to reinforce messages when the state's legislators would be in their home communities. Sponsorship ads reinforcing the system's amazing facts ran on Minnesota Public Radio and Twin Cities Public Television.
These ads also provided an opportunity to show the wide-ranging diversity of students who attend the system's colleges and universities. After seeing graduates of different races and ethnic backgrounds, potential students may be more apt to see these institutions as places that would welcome them.
Other versions of the ads and key messages were posted on the system's revamped Web site (www.mnscu.edu), which was relaunched in November 2004. The Web site rotates various amazing facts and key messages on the home page.
Results
- Minnesota State Colleges and Universities secured a $107.5 million increase for the biennium, or about an 8.5 percent increase, from the Minnesota State Legislature. This allowed for dramatically smaller tuition increases.
- The system successfully lobbied for a record level of capital bonding funds in the 2005 legislative session. The final bill, totaling $213.6 million for the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, supported repairs, improvements and expansions at all 53 campuses.
Related Awards
21st Annual Admissions Advertising Awards, national award, Admissions Marketing Report, the National Newspaper of Admissions Marketing
- Gold: Newspaper Advertising, single ad, Amazing Facts law enforcement
- Gold: Newspaper Advertising, series, Amazing Facts campaign
- Gold: Magazine Advertising, single ad, Amazing Facts nursing
2005 Pride of CASE V Awards
- Gold Medal: Teresa Du Bois Exline Award for Best Practices in Communications & Marketing, Degrees of Success: Making Minnesota Work campaign
- Gold Medal: Best Institutional Web site, www.mnscu.edu
- Silver Medal: Excellence in Print Advertising, Amazing Facts campaign
2005 Medallion Awards, Region V, National Council on Marketing and Public Relations
- Gold: Brochure/flyer single, two colors or less, Degrees of Success: Making Minnesota Work
- Gold: Print Ad - series, Amazing Facts alumni campaign
- Gold: Web site, www.mnscu.edu
- Silver: Brochure/flyer single, two colors or less, Amazing Facts
- Silver: Print ad, single, Amazing Facts alumni campaign, nursing
2004 Paragon Award
- Bronze: Print advertisement series, "Amazing facts" campaign
