One of the biggest challenges that university's face today is the general public's perception that that higher education is too expensive and out of reach. Currently, financial aid information is confusing and intimidating — especially for first-generation students and their families. The office of the vice president for communications used faculty research and insights from the Wolverine Scholars pilot project to inform messaging approach and worked closely with the office of enrollment management and the provost’s office to rebrand and reposition U-M as an affordable choice for in-state students.
From the Judges
The judges awarded the Go Blue Guarantee campaign a Bronze for its public outreach components and targeted messaging related to an important topic: college affordability. The campaign did a great job of facilitating conversations by way of inbound marketing. Assets were well-branded and presented with high quality. The entry had a cohesive, multi-channel strategy and “got the word out” that higher education is a possibility for high school students (and parents) who thought it wasn’t an option based on their financial circumstances. The judges felt that very clear audience segmentation and messaging (prospects vs. parents) was incredibly effective.
