KU Talking Points - March 2014
Report.ku.edu is the centerpiece of a multi-platform approach to the 2014 Chancellor's Report, which included everything from promoted social media posts to placement of a print piece in the Kansas edition of the February 23 New York Times.
KU Marketing Communications designed this campaign to highlight the wide range of accomplishments that took place at KU over the past year, and to reach several audiences, including the university community, prospective students and their parents, Kansas opinion leaders and national academic leaders.
Many students, faculty, staff, and programs are featured in the report, and communicators from the relevant units were provided with custom URLs to use on social media. That opportunity is available for other units wishing to link to the report.
The 2014 Chancellor's Report campaign also serves as an example of the sort of enhancement that can be applied to projects, as the campaign was an evolution of the university's annual report and the state of the university address/video.
If you are interested in utilizing Marketing Communications to enhance your communications efforts, contact David Duncil or Lauren Erickson, or submit a project request form.
Communicators are encouraged to become part of The Loop, a new panel that will help craft a better experience for users interacting with KU’s websites and digital products. We’re looking for a representative group from the KU community to provide small studies related to digital usability and design.
Please visit publicaffairs.ku.edu/loop to learn more about the project and join the panel.
We are wrapping up the "Why Choose KU" message theme, which tied in to the March 1 FAFSA priority date. The next major recruiting date is the May 1 deadline for incoming freshmen to pay the New Student Fee.
From March 9 through 29 we will highlight the many different ways KU helps build healthy communities, from providing health care to sharing the arts and humanities with people throughout Kansas and around the world. This connects with our efforts in the Kansas Legislature to secure support for the Health Education Initiative, which would enable KU to train more doctors for Kansas.
Starting March 30 and continuing through April 19, we will focus on how KU Works for Kansas. This theme will feature the many ways KU directly serves the people of the state through outreach and service projects.
Finally, starting April 20 and continuing through May 10, we will emphasize KU's first mission, which is educating leaders. This theme aligns with the May 1 New Student Fee deadline and with the lead-up to Commencement on May 18.
These message themes will be promoted in KU Today, on the KU home page, on social media, through paid advertising, and in other venues. Units are encouraged to use these themes in planning their own communications efforts.
- Find out which public affairs officer in the KU News Service covers your field with this list of PAO beats.
- Branding firm Brandoctor has identified key branding trends for 2014, including transparency and personalization.
- Ragan.com offers five ways to avoid public speaking and presentation disasters.
- Commencement is approaching. Details are at commencement.ku.edu, with reminders being sent out on Twitter @KUgrads and with the #KUgrads hashtag.
- Hosting a youth camp? Make sure to check out the new guidelines and procedures for youth camps to ensure an enjoyable and safe experience for participants.
- Fact sheets on key issues and weekly updates from the Statehouse are available atpublicaffairs.ku.edu/stateupdates.
David Martin, communication manager at the School of Medicine in Kansas City, will serve as interim director of the KU News Service starting March 22, as Jill Jess has accepted the position of senior director of marketing and communications at The Ohio State University College of Nursing.
If you have changes to the roster of communicators, please e-mail Emma Cornish, who maintains the communicators directory.
