February 24, 2009

Lessons from CASE, part 1

Posted by Kathleen Turaski

This month’s CASE District III conference was an eye-opener for two reasons.

First, it provided a more complete view of the world in which our higher education clients work and live – a view that could only be experienced in sessions outside the marketing track.

Second, it allowed us to witness first-hand how one higher ed audience perceives some of the communications aimed at them.

This happened in a session featuring high school students evaluating three college viewbooks. Watching and listening to an intended audience dig deep into how institutions spoke to them – and what they took away – was fascinating. Much of what the students said confirmed some suspicions; but other comments underscored the nuance of how we communicate.

For instance, students read very little of the copy – they mostly keyed in on pull quotes and student testimonials. (Re: the latter – they’re looking to learn what their peers think, and they’re less interested in what the institution wants to tell them). They also instantly recognize (and are repelled by) "staged" diversity. And they study the photos and the non-verbal language of the people in those photos to determine whether they can relate to the students and environment.

Granted, this feedback came from a single audience – high school students. But the candid opinions of “end users” are a reminder of the reality in which audiences interact with communication.

For us, it was time well spent.