Over the last decade, Color & Culture catalyst PPO&S has worked closely with West Chester University’s (WCU) marketing team placing media, celebrating major milestones and navigating the pandemic. In 2021, WCU finalized a new branding campaign with a refreshed undergraduate brand message. While WCU is very well-known in the Philadelphia area, the team was tasked to help remind the rest of the mid-Atlantic region that West Chester University is a jewel, and not only in the PASSHE system. Their job was to reintroduce WCU by using new television spots in select markets including the New York and Washington D.C. metropolitan areas.
With a limited budget, our media team recommended a streaming video/connected TV strategy. This allowed WCU to hone in on the audience by age and geography, a feat not as easily accomplished with broadcast television. By purchasing on a cost-per-thousand basis rather than by program or network, the team could reach all of the required DMAs (designated market areas) much more affordably than traditional broadcast television.
Throughout the years, our team has also placed selective advertising for the President’s Speaker Series, an event where nationally recognized speakers engage in educational discussions with WCU’s president. Each speaker has a unique audience so media recommendations varied accordingly. Christopher Jackson’s March 2022 visit provided an opportunity to geo-fence the Academy of Music and entice Hamilton theatergoers to attend the performance, all while they sat in their seats or waited in line at the bar. Something very different was needed for Linda Ronstadt’s — think classic rock—and for Nina Totenberg’s — on NPR visits.
At every turn, and no matter what degree of response was needed, the University has had our full attention.