Seize Marketing Moments… Quickly!

My wife and I attended a big Illinois State University alumni event this evening – a private showing of the King Tut exhibit at The Field Museum. Soon after arriving, we found ourselves in a conversation circle that included the ISU president and first lady, the ISU director of media relations and his wife, and a local TV news anchor/reporter (who emceed the event and is also my brother-in-law). The opportunity was ripe for me to share my favorite ISU marketing story.

Just a few months ago, the prestigious University of Illinois (BIG 10) announced it was going to decrease its percentage of in-state admissions in favor of more and smarter out-of-staters. Almost immediately after making the announcement, disgusted parents, alum, politicians and Illinois high schoolers let their voices be heard. No one liked that news… except my alma mater, Illinois State University. Just like pork is the other white meat, ISU is the other great downstate school.

ISU’s director of media relations, Jay Groves, seized the marketing moment and, within days, developed an advertising and direct mail campaign targeting high school students and their parents to let them know that another university wants them. Brilliant!

So, this evening at the Field Museum I seized my moment to tell Jay and ISU president, Al Bowman, that such a speedy and clever marketing response made me even more proud to be an ISU alum. Jay and President Bowman pointed out that many people were equally impressed that such a large public educational institution was able to scramble so quickly and capitalize on what was still a very timely issue.

At the event, I also learned that ISU was ranked as having the No. 1 physics program in the country and the students in its accounting program have the second highest CPA exam first-pass rate in the country (No. 1 in Illinois). Impressive!

NOTE: U of I ultimately learned it made a mistake and decided NOT to decrease in-state admissions – likely because of several thousand phone calls and letters, including one that quite possibly came from the Governor’s office. And I’m sure ISU’s quick wit helped.

Go Redbirds!