Southeast to get marketing support from Ohio firm

Southeast Missouri State University has chosen Ologie, a Columbus, Ohio, firm to perform market research and brand analysis.

Jeff Harmon, executive director of University Communications and Marketing, wrote in an email to the Southeast Missourian that the work, meant to offer a more focused approach to attracting students, will be done between July and December at an estimated cost of $193,000.

A rollout date has not been determined, Harmon wrote.

Ologie will conduct focus groups and other methodologies involving current and prospective students, alumni, staff, faculty, community members and leaders and high school guidance counselors. On-campus focus groups will take place during the fall semester, Harmon said.

"They truly excel at synthesizing large amounts of information and data down into easily understandable, powerful positioning statements and brand attributes. We are very excited to be working with them," Harmon wrote.

The market research and brand analysis stemmed from a visit to Southeast last year by Penson Associates, a Palm Desert, California-based research and consultation firm. Penson was brought in as part of a strategic planning process to examine Southeast's communications and marketing organization and practices. It was concluded the university should move forward with a branding analysis.

The objective of the new message will be to help Southeast "speak in a unified voice about where we are going," Harmon said in a previous Southeast Missourian article.

"It's not just about discovering our current brand, but positioning the university for the future and its goals," he added.

Bill Faust, managing partner of Ologie, said in an email his firm works with dozens of colleges and universities nationwide.

"And while many may appear similar on the surface, each is unique in its own way," Faust wrote. "Our job is not only to create uniqueness, but to help the university identify and prioritize its unique and relevant attributes and create a plan to communicate those in a compelling way. The communications campaign can be unique versus peer schools, but it also must be authentic to the school.

"Branding and marketing that is not authentic and grounded in what an institution really stands for is not effective nor sustainable in the long run."

Faust said he has not visited Southeast, but other members of his firm have and a core team of professionals will visit several times.

Faust said it's important to create a clear brand.

"We believe a strong brand will help any organization outperform its peers and competitors over time," Faust wrote. "But it must be grounded in an authentic value proposition that appeals to the target student population. A value proposition is simply the 'give' and 'get' exchanged between the school and the student over time. We help the university to prioritize its attributes (the give), align them with benefits (the get) and translate that into a compelling story."

rcampbell@semissourian.com

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