No rest for the wicked

Some of you would think that now most of the students have finished for the summer our work might start to wind down...well let me assure you, you are very, very wrong! We seem to have entered a very busy (but very exciting) time in the Marketing Department!

This week I've been out of the office for a couple of days helping with the photo shoot for our annual campaign. It's something that I'd never done previously so it was great to meet the photographers, get an idea of how it all works and, most importantly, meet some of the students and graduates that were taking part in the campaign. As cliche as it may sound it was a really great experience for me to meet our students, past and current, and hear their thoughts and find out about some of the amazing things they've been getting up too! I also managed to get a sneak peek at some of the shots we'd taken and they looked great (even if I do say so myself!) so make sure you keep an eye out for them later on in the year!

Graduations have been taking place this week so there's been a lot of smartly dressed students and their families around campus the last few days! On Friday I'll be filming one of the graduations at St. Mary's so I'll have another chance to talk to some of our students and find out about their plans now they've graduated.

We're also sending the final proof of our PG prospectus to the designers this week. I couldn't tell you how many times I've read it but it's really great to see it all come together! I can't believe it's nearly over but there's already talk of the UG 2017 prospectus so I'm sure that'll keep me going!

You may have seen that our Clearing campaign has already started (if you haven't check out our micro-site) so I've been working on a few bits here and there to help Krystle. It's been really good for me as I'm getting to see all the different sections of the annual cycle!

I also helped out with the UCAS convention (I can't believe that was a whole month ago!) at the Bedford campus. This was a really fun day for me as I got to go over to Bedford and see the new Gateway building and speak to members of staff that I wouldn't normally come into contact with regularly. There was a really great atmosphere at the convention and it was nice to meet some potential students. It did however bring back a few memories of when I attended a UCAS convention which made me feel quite old!

I've also been keeping busy outside of work too (I told you there was no rest for the wicked), and a couple of weeks ago I took park in the 10k Race for Life in Stevenage. I only walked it but, as I'm not the fittest of people, it was a big achievement for me! I love doing the Race for Life as there's always a fantastic atmosphere in the air! One of the local radio stations was there to support the event and after crossing the finishing line we asked if they could play Taylor's shake it off so we could celebrate in style (no pun intended...it really did just happen)!

Like a student before the approaching deadline

Time flies!.. I have just over two weeks until my contract with the MARC team ends. And as always, there are so many things I want to finish before I leave. I feel like a student before an approaching deadline, but I don't want to leave everything for the last minute!

With clearing coming up, I want to make sure that there is all relevant content on the course pages to help prospective students make the right decision. That involves filming and editing more interviews, adding accreditation logos and NSS stats, quotes, blogs, photo galleries and articles.

There are a number of other web updates for the Business School, and Health and Social Sciences faculties that I need to do. We are creating a new page clearly outlining the capacity of the simulation centre at Butterfield Park. I am also going to film some interviews there - can't wait to see the facility!

Speaking of interviews, I have started a project called Knowledge Sharing where students speak about the topic of their choice - something they have learned or researched as part of their study. So far we have an MBA student talking about the use of Big Data, and a nursing student talking about recovery in mental health. There will be more, so keep an eye on our Youtube channel!

We are also preparing a corporate video for the Business School, to show how we work and what we have achieved so far. The storyboard is there and now I am looking through all the footage and photos to pick the relevant ones for the final production.

And great news on the publication side - new edition of BedsBiz is almost ready! We're on final stages of proofreading and approval. There will be some great insights on various subjects in this issue.

So, it will be intensive couple of weeks for me, but coming back from the dance camp in Czech Republic, I am ready to dive back to work before I set off for more traveling, dance, teaching and performance!

The Way It Is

One of the great things about working with children is that they ask the best (but often hard to answer) questions. I was on a hike with the Brownies and one of them asked ‘where do you go to school?’ I sheepishly replied that I had, in fact, finished school, and university, and now have a job. The obvious next question was ‘what’s your job?’ The conversation then went along these lines:

Me:                  I work in marketing.

Brownie 1:      What’s marketing?

Me:                 It’s… erm… when you try to get someone to think about something in a certain way, to get them to buy it.

[Google says “the action or business of promoting and selling products or services, including market research and advertising.” But try explaining that to a bunch of 7 year olds!]

Brownie 2:     You can’t make me think anything!

The little group of girls around me all said that they couldn’t be marketed at, as they held water bottles with One Direction plastered on them and flashed with every step in trainers that can only be described as not the most sensible option but, quite literally, the flashiest.

But it did get me thinking.

Get out of my head! Or don't, I actually like your stuff.

My Internet browser is now bombarding me with banners trying to get me to apply to Staffordshire University (don’t worry - I haven’t). I have not one, but three lip balms dotted about my desk and person at all times because they all claim to be the best. But the place I have noticed it most is on Spotify (incidentally also where Staffordshire University are vying for my attention through their radio station). I have the premium account on my phone, but as I had the free version on my laptop for so long, I couldn’t be bothered with making all my playlists again when I got a new account, so…ads.

I don’t listen to the radio, and I skip ads on TV, so why am I suddenly completely obsessed with James Bay? I thought when I saw the music video at a friend’s house that I’d just discovered this great artist. Then I realised I knew the words. How was that possible if this was the first time I was hearing it? Then a few days later I realised, when I didn’t completely zone out when listening to the ads. Spotify have been plugging his album and I've been sucked in by subconsciously listening to snippets of it in between Drowners and classic 80s numbers like The Way It Is (The Bruce Hornsby song, not to be confused with another classic of the same name by The Strokes - an all time favourite that they didn’t play when I saw them at BST a few weeks ago, why Julian, why?). They have been doing this for months and I - a marketing assistant - hadn’t even noticed. Maybe I’m not that different from the Brownies.

It's not our fault that we buy into things.

I guess that brings me conveniently to the end of this post. Marketing works - that’s just the way it is. It’s a great career to work in and I’ve had a lot of fun over the last few weeks making more videos and spending a lot of time editing the webpages, getting them ready for clearing. The university market is competitive and marketing is a vital part of the process. It just may take a bit of time for the Brownies to figure it out and for me to get Hold Back the River out of my head.

Extremely tenuous links - Kanye West and Clearing

Most of you will know, or have an idea of what Clearing is. If you read Krystle's previous entry, you'll cetainly appreciate how busy we are. Most of you will also know who Kanye West is. I asked round the office and was advised "stick to Bob Dylan, grandad". Here's a gratuitous Bob Dylan clip. Good, eh?

For anyone who doesn't know, UCAS define Clearing as "how universities and colleges fill any places they still have on their courses" and describe it as "an ideal way.... to find another course". In the past, Clearing was a way for unis to fill emplty places and for applicants who may not have received the grades they'd hope for to scramble for what was left. In recent years, and for a number of reasons, things have changed.

Here are a few things you may or may not have known about Clearing across the UK last year:

• Three quarters of the ‘elite’ Russell Group universities entered into Clearing;
• Well over one in ten students in the Clearing process held ABB+ A level grades
• In 2014, more students came to university through Clearing than through taking their UCAS insurance choice
• Clearing is a big operation; around 61,300 applicants were placed in 2014.

To put this figure in context, 61,300 beats the 60,000 who signed the "we don't want Kanye West at Glastonbury" petition. Or it's more than the total capacity at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge stadium and the home of football (Luton Town's Kenilworth Road).... and there'd still be around 8,000 applicants left over.

It was either these pictures, or an excruciating attempt for Market Research
to try and look "hip" with a picture of Kanye West. Whoever he is.

Clearing, then, is increasingly used by potential applicants, not as a mad panic, but as a way of sounding out their best options and opportunities. Last year, unprecedented numbers of A level appeals were lodged and more savvy applicant behaviour stretched Clearing activities - which used to be a whirlwind - last well in to September. Having more options longer is good for applicants; it also indirectly helps universities too, as those who join through Clearing have the opportunity to carry out some real research before making informed decisions.

Bedfordshire, in common with most UK institutions across the country, is gearing up for another round of Clearing. The process is led by our fabulous colleagues in Home Admissions, though it's a busy, exciting time for Marketing, Recruitment and Communications, who get stuck in with teams across the University. Student ambassadors and academics also give invaluable support in helping encourage and inform would-be joiners and providing them with the information they need to make the right choice about which uni to apply to, or whether they want to go to university at all. 

So, if you're a fellow member of the University reading this, keep your eyes on the metrics, the social media feeds and news from recruitment briefings. If you're a prospective student and not sure about your next step, why not talk to us? We'd love to hear from you.