MARC 2.0

Krystle Hall, Campaign Officer

The burning question on everyones lips is surely ‘what have you been up to?,’ well …For UCMK and Pre-Clearing campaigns I have been updating the copy to keep our adverts fresh, tracking activity and adjusting targeting to optimise return; I have also obtained media quotes and put together a plan for additional advertising throughout May to boost applications.

I have just finished budgeting and planning the Clearing plan options and written my proposal. Once a verdict has been reached I can begin scheduling. In the meantime I have been working with our design agency to progress the artwork, organising students, location etc. for the photo shoot and arranging 3 methods of testing to ensure that the final design reflects our student body. I try to get as much student input as possible, with a student centric approach.

Having been at the University for a year now I have been reflecting on the campaigns cycle, having come back around to Clearing again, my very first campaign at the University. We are a busy, hardworking team and if you read this blog regularly you’ll know that we turnover an unbelievable amount of work; the Marketing Team is small but mighty. What makes us successful is the passion that we have for our field; our eyes and ears are always open to competitor and wider advertising trends. It is also the pride that we take in our work and a willingness to go above and beyond to get the job done. We are always looking to develop our work, improve and excel.

The delivery of our corporate campaigns has come a long way in a mere year. With each campaign we have assessed the impact, the damage and rewired, reinforced; recalibrated. Questioning, how did we perform in the field? How did we stand up against the competition? Where is there further potential for growth? Investigating, tearing apart those answers, drilling down to each individual coil and spring. Gauging, welding, carving, pummelling.  The result…Let me introduce you to MARC 2.0.

• Featuring streamlined processes - Plans and schedules that span wider and deliver the optimum advertising platforms
• Enhanced targeting - Each individual platform delivered is based on location, interest, demographics, behavioural targeting to start.  We know where our audience is and how to reach them
• Improved tracking - With each campaign lessons have been learnt and we have been able to devise new tracking strategies. Google analytics has always provided a wealth of data but we have become smarter in the way that we use it; we’ve got the special tricks down. We are able to track a user’s journey across multiple platforms, as well as, tracking their onward journey online. This will provide greater insight into consumer behaviour allowing for more efficient advertising models. We have come up with new methods of tracking offline activity and are about to roll out a new and improved strategy for Clearing to enhance data capture.
• The latest marketing technology - We are using new, exciting platforms to reach and communicate with our audience in a new way
• Synergy - The channels that we use complement each other and are fully integrated to enhance the user experience and strengthen brand power
• Competitor intelligence - With more knowledge and insight into competitor campaign scope and delivery
• Added shine - Our campaign artwork is slick, it’s polished with commercial finesse

 Slicker. Faster. Stronger. Smarter. MARC 2.0. Raising the bar!

 Krystle

Allow me to introduce myself...

My name’s Sara and I’m the new Marketing Assistant. I’ve been here for just over two weeks now and I’d like to think I’m settling in nicely, finding my feet and starting to remember all of the names I need to learn!

A bit about me I hear you ask? Well, I graduated in Advertising and Marketing Communications from Bournemouth University and although I loved being by the beach there’s no place quite like home is there? So I returned to Luton to find out what adventures were waiting for me there!

Since leaving university I have worked in the International Office here and for Campus Living Villages (the student accommodation for UoB) so I’m hoping I’ve already got a bit of insider knowledge about the university to help me with this role! I’ve also had the opportunity to travel a bit (there’s the adventures I was talking about!) including volunteering in an Elephant Sanctuary in Thailand for a couple of weeks last year. It was an absolutely amazing experience where I got to see these fantastic animals up close, meet lots of new people and try some traditional Thai (vegan) food!

Right back to business - the last couple of weeks have been spent getting to know some of the different departments that I’ll be working with and learning some of the programmes I’ll be using  (luckily, because of the Easter break, I’ve had two short weeks so my head’s not too frazzled). It’s been really interesting sitting with all of the various teams within the MARC department and learning what each team is responsible for and how we can work together.

I’m now in my third week and raring to go! I’ve been given a couple of projects to call my own and I’m very excited to get my teeth stuck in! Over the next couple of weeks I’m going to be writing some e-zines, editing some video footage and helping Sarah and Kylie with the PG Prospectus. I’m also going to be helping Kylie with some filming so if you see me out and about the campus, please give me a wave (and a big smile if the camera’s rolling).

Sara

Faculty Marketing Assistant: Take Two!

Hi!

Faculty Marketing Assistant: Take Two!

I guess I should introduce myself, I’m Claudia though my friends call me Clud (long story – one I am willing to share, my ext. is 9018). It’s a nickname I would prefer not to have and am still investigating how it managed to follow me exactly 156 miles to University. If I had to describe myself in three words I’d have to choose; music, pandas, and Instagram. Friends of mine may say something else though (hopefully good).

After graduating from the University of Leeds in 2013, I freelanced for a year doing video production before deciding that I would like something more permanent. One interview, a few training workshops and lots of coffee later (common theme between Inga and myself), here I am. Some of the first advice I received from my manager, Sarah, was to “embrace this calm before the storm”. I naively thought how busy can it really get? but took it on board amongst all the other information in my first week whilst also learning lots of new skills.

After meeting some department heads from my faculties (I will be looking after CATS and EdS), I soon learnt what she meant.

 This is my fifth week here and I have started a fair few projects. My main task so far has been to see what existing content can be added to the University’s course pages to make them more, what I call, ‘sparkly’. After watching hours of videos and browsing thousands of images, I think I can finally say that they are up to date and as full of pre-existing content as they can be with my newly gained web-editing skills. I’m also looking into how we can improve the University’s profile on What Uni, Hotcourses and The Complete University Guide.

Part of my role is to provide marketing support for events. The Communications team asked if I could help with an event that was held by the BCS Society that focused on Google’s self-driving  cars and I was more than willing to help out – I mean, it’s Google! Though I don’t think I will be buying into having absolutely NO CONTROL in a car whatsoever and let the robots take over anytime soon, I managed to interview some students from the computing courses which brings me on to my next task which is to help promote the Computing and Technology courses. I’m refreshing a flyer than is currently being used and sourcing some students for quotes for the webpages to jazz them up a bit to appeal to the future Data Scientists of the world.

Finally, I met the English Language and Communication Department and could not have been welcomed with open-er arms! I will be making a few videos for them as well as some flyers to promote their courses.

Hopefully that explains me and my role in a nutshell. I look forward to blogging again! :)

Hello from the new FMA!

My name is Ingrida, although most people call me Inga. I am one of the two new Faculty Marketing Assistants that Sarah mentioned in her blog post in February. I have worked for the university before, but last year I left my job to go traveling. It’s my fourth week on the job and I cannot complain about the lack of activities here!

I look after the faculties of the Business School, and Health and Social Sciences. My work closely relates to the Digital and the Press teams within MARC department, and of course the majority of activities within the faculties.

For example, at the moment I am working on the new issue of BedsBiz, the Business School’s quarterly magazine showcasing student, alumni and staff stories, achievements, and collaboration with businesses and the community. Whenever I visit the Business School, I always find out something new that is happening or about to happen! In April-May we will have the Digital Marketing Manager of Bugatti evaluating student suggestions on the brief provided by the company earlier this year, and a visit from the remarkable Colonel Emmanuel Kotia.  

Health and Social sciences also have a lot going on. We have been allocated 20 more spaces for our Nursing degree at our Aylesbury campus for a May start (accepting applications now). We have hosted the annual Sports Therapy Conference in Luton where apart from learning and networking opportunities students could present their dissertation posters showcasing their projects: I went along to capture some of that on video.

I have been updating faculty and course pages with additional information, having meetings with staff about publications, interviewing students about their experience, getting trained to work with different software, and drinking lots of coffee!

I will be delighted to share more of faculty developments and more of what I do in the next post.