University begins work on campus marketing plan

UVic is about to launch a campus-wide, strategic communications planning process that will culminate next spring in the university's first-ever institutional marketing plan.

Educational Marketing Group (EMG), a firm specializing in strategic brand positioning and integrated marketing for higher education, has been appointed to assist the university with the project. Data collection and a scan of the university's internal and external marketing environment have already begun.

The planning process is intended to: create broad agreement about the university's highest priority audiences; increase knowledge about their perceptions and experiences of UVic; and create an integrated marketing plan that will clearly articulate how UVic wants to position itself so that the university can serve its audiences effectively and increase the impact of its interactions with them.
The plan that emerges will be governed by the vision expressed in UVic's strategic plan, A Vision for the Future.

UVic President David Turpin has appointed a 17-member task force to guide the process. It includes members of the board of governors, deans, and senior representatives from a variety of key areas: administrative registrar, student services, alumni services, co-op, research, development, communications, institutional analysis and community relations. The group is chaired by Faye Wightman, UVic's vice president external relations.

"A Vision for the Future sets ambitious goals for UVic around the recruitment of outstanding students, faculty and staff, relationship and reputation- building, and fundraising. An integrated, institutional strategic communications or marketing plan will be critical to our ability to achieve these," says Wightman.

"To reach our institutional objectives in an increasingly competitive world, we must be able to explain succinctly to our audiences what makes UVic distinct from the nearly 50 other universities in the country, and therefore worthy of the investment of their time, careers, or money. Strong positioning is one of the keys. And this positioning must be realistic, well-understood and supported by faculty and staff, and reflected in all aspects of UVic operations," she says.

The project involves two major steps: first, an extensive situational analysis identifying UVic's major challenges and opportunities; and then market positioning and planning to produce an integrated marketing plan with measurable goals, action plans, and identified budgets and responsibilities. Both steps will include significant participation opportunities for the campus community.

EMG was selected for the task through a competitive process because of the depth of experience principals Bob and Marlene Brock have gained on similar initiatives at a wide variety of universities and colleges throughout North America, including a just-completed 20-month project for Dalhousie University in Halifax.