Is Your Brand Experience a Pomegranate?

[Paul Zastrow]

The latest viral link going around the Stamats office this morning is for the revolutionary Pomegranate Phone: Not only a phone, GPS device, and on-the-fly-translator into 50 languages, but also a...well, I'll let you see for yourself.

[SPOILER ALERT] If you rode it out to its conclusion, you'll see that the whole effort leads to...a pitch for Nova Scotia, as a place that brings many experiences together right now. Out-of-the box? Sure. A new way to angle the province? I'll give you that. But was I the only one among us who was a bit disappointed by the payoff? It's a nice interface, and while I've never been, I'm sure Nova Scotia is a wonderful area. But on the level of whimsey of the pomegranate phone? It just doesn't quite mesh.

Another in the same realm is an ad for Louis Vuitton luggage that has been running in theatres lately.

I was struck by the message as a wonderful one for a college or university, but the spot has been met by guffaws in theatres when it turns out to be an ad for a luggage manufacturer.

In higher ed, we often encounter the same; a wacky, edgy pitch, particularly in a microsite or seach mailing, designed with the goal of gaining hits and responses. They may be successful in the short term, but once the prospective student has made it through to the end, are they impressed? Are they let down?

The key to brand isn't the quick fix, it's the alignment of messages and expectations to create a consistent experience from brand marketing through direct marketing through experience--cradle to grave. That certainly doesn't mean you have to be boring. Mount Royal College's brand launch--with a tagline of "Face to Face"--included more than 1,400 photos that had been taken in the weeks prior through a photobooth stationed in a central place on campus. Whitman College recently released an interactive brand site that does a nice job of capturing the breadth of experiences a prospective student might discover at the College in a breezy way.

When students experience your institution, does it surpass their expectations? Are they underwhelmed? How have you sought to dance at the cutting edge while still making sure the message matches the experience?

[jen jones]

That Kaplan ad is a hot topic on our floor. Faculty, mostly, are the ones that thought it had an imact. Wondering if students thought about it differently. I thought it was a big let down, like the Nova Scotia thing. There was something about the expectation that felt mismanaged.

[Sabra Fiala]

The Kaplan ad capitalizes on "emotion" - WOW....who didn't want to start taking some kind of class after seeing that one? The concept of "emotional" triggers - fascinating...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e50YBu14j3U

[Paul Zastrow]

I saw it at about the same time as the new Kaplan ad talking about how higher education had failed its audiences, and I thought the spots made a nice 1-2 punch for how far we might be able to go when talking about our institutions and their transformative journey.

[Barbara Randazzo]

I agree with you that the idea used in the Louis Vitton ad about life's journey is excellent for higher ed. It hits both the 18-22 group and the adult learners/nontraditionals nicely. Loved the pomegranate too!

[jen jones]

That Mount Royal thing sounds cool...you should share.

[Eric Sickler]

All true!

But...we can't deny the fact that everyone at Stamats HQ is using the phrase "Nova Scotia" decidedly more today than yesterday. The most important measure of mROI for this effort will be whether or not any of us plan our next vacation there, right?

[Kati Davis]

ah, if only you could really brew coffee with your cell phone - starbucks would have a run for its money for sure!