Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/111663
In 2008, when the school wanted to improve its positioning in the community, it hired Perich Advertising + Design of Ann Arbor, Michigan, to create an integrated ad campaign. First, the agency conducted perceptual studies, calling Detroit residents and asking them to name the top business schools in the area. ���We wanted to evaluate the market in general as well as Walsh���s position in the market,��� says Brenda Meller, director of marketing for the college. Unsurprisingly, the University of Michigan came up ���rst. Walsh College was in the ���fth slot. At the same time, the school and the agency conducted interviews with faculty, alumni, prospective students, and existing students to discover what they thought were the school���s strengths. It was soon clear that Walsh���s stakeholders were passionate about the school���s focus on educating working professionals who were looking for better jobs. ���Walsh students aren���t thinking about football games,��� says Ernie Perich, CEO and creative director of Perich Advertising + Design. ���They���re thinking, ���Where can I get a great degree and advance my career to the next level?������ But outside of Walsh���s faculty, students, and alumni, says Meller, not many people knew about the school���s real-world focus and practical education programs, bolstered by faculty who work in their ���elds by day and teach at Walsh by night. ���Going through this exercise highlighted the things we knew about ourselves, but it also highlighted the fact that we had a great opportunity to generate more awareness about what we offer,��� she says. These print and billboard ads feature the hallmarks of Walsh College���s ongoing ���Live. Breathe. Business.��� campaign: a background of yellow legal paper; drastically simple stick figures; and hand-written messages tightly focused on business, but laced with humor. To see more ads in the campaign, including television commercials, visit www.walshcollege. edu/marketingcampaign#. ULfTqI7T3ao. All Business Perich wanted to design a campaign that would mimic Walsh���s ���erce focus on business���and look nothing like a typical b-school ad. The agency ���rst audited the types of campaigns other business schools used and found many similarities. ���There were a lot of diverse students smiling and standing in front of a landmark building on campus,��� says Perich. ���But those kinds of ads don���t differentiate a school.��� Perich designed a campaign��� ���Live. Breathe. Business.������that���s spare, direct, memorable, and easily translated to a variety of media. All the ads feature yellow legal paper as background for hand-written blocks of type and unornamented stick ���gures, which come to life in television and online commercials. The blunt, simple messages include sentiments such as ���Friends don���t let friends study French��� and ���Honk if you love briefcases.��� And they���ve been wildly success- ful. An annual brand tracking study ���nds that, since the ads started running, the school has consistently enjoyed strong brand awareness, says Meller. In fact, shortly after the campaign launched, Walsh had moved up to the No. 2 slot for top schools in the area, according to perceptual studies. Additionally, the school tripled brand awareness, quadrupled direct and Web inquiries, and experienced its highest levels of enrollment. Secrets to Success Even apart from its effectiveness, the ���Live. Breathe. Business.��� campaign offers many advantages to Walsh College, Perich believes. First, it���s so different from the photo of smiling students that it instantly catches the attention of the audience. Second, it���s so simple that new ads can be created almost instantly. ���I get a Sharpie and a piece of paper, I write a new ad, we scan it, and the next thing you know, it���s BizEd March/April 2013 53