Marketers respond to System chancellor’s remarks on university ads

[Skipper]

Adalberto Toledo | Senior Staff

@Aldot29

Advertisements from the university often use words like “superb,” “leading” and “top” to solidify its brand image, but in a recent review, UNT System chancellor Lee Jackson advised a change in the language UNT uses.

Having recently received the Carnegie Classification, Jackson advised UNT that as the university or any organization grows, the rhetoric associated with it must also change, to cast UNT in a more prestigious light.

With the “Green Light to Greatness” campaign ending in 2017, UNT will change the university’s voice to reflect that of a university comparable in standing to other Carnegie classified universities.

“Cities, companies, and universities,” Jackson said, “make broader and more aggressive claims laced with superlatives and ambitious expectations when they are weak than when they become more successful and respected.”

UNT’s Identity Guide suggests all advertisements be “written in a way that expresses the university’s creativity and innovation.” The website says to use of words like “confident,” “friendly,” “bold,” and “inspiring” to describe the university.

The online version of the “viewbook” every prospective student receives from UNT have words like “one-of-a-kind” and “incredible,” to showcase the university’s diversity and viability as a freshman’s new home.

Deborah Leliaert, vice president for university relations and planning, said UNT always tries to give an accurate representation of itself.

“Our practice is to provide information accurately and on a timely basis,” Leliaert said. “We routinely freshen the appearance of our marketing and communication materials – print and digital.”

As with all brands, UNT’s image is an evolution. Leliaert said the university must look to the best practices of communication throughout various fields, not just higher education, to establish its brand.

Biology senior Brittney Anderson said the university just wants students to enroll, and mentioned that the language describing the university is often “very cliché.”

“If you express and talk a lot about your accomplishments, it makes you want to look into what they’re saying,” Anderson said. “They should be more specific with the things they advertise.”

Her friend, biology senior Allen Thongrivong, said that while he agrees with many of the things UNT says about itself, the university should focus in on the accomplishments of specific programs and not on the overall “awesomeness” of the university.

“They need to prove [what they say],” Thongrivong said. “You have to live up to what you say, and I personally think they do.”

In the performance evaluation, Jackson said he receives many newsletters and messages from universities that contain their language.

“I am struck by how many of them are more restrained in speaking of their own campus accomplishments,” Jackson said. “The universities with the strongest reputations whose faculty or student achievements are perhaps expected [in particular].”

A look into peer university’s messages to their student body shows this restrained language.

When UT Dallas became a part of universities in “highest research” category of the Carnegie Classification, the announcement did not come with elevated language or even the use of the words “tier-one,” something UNT did.

The announcement’s headline “UNT ranked among nation’s Tier One research universities.” That stands in contrast to UT Dallas, which led with, “Carnegie Classification of Institutions Elevates UT Dallas to Highest Research Category.” In the language of the announcement itself, no mention of “tier-one” exists, though in a sidebar UT Dallas explains the term as “inexact.”

The sidebar also said “Texas currently has three universities that by common consent would be termed as “Tier One”: The University of Texas at Austin, Rice University and Texas A&M University.”

UT Dallas said the announcement comes as “merely a milepost” in its pursuance of their greater strategic plan. UNT, however, marked it as a “significant step” and did not distance itself from language like “top-tier,” and “among the state’s top universities.”

Journalism junior Rand Gowan agreed with Jackson’s criticisms of UNT’s voice.

“Overtalking your brand can be construed as insecurity,” Gowan said. “Rather than say that UNT is great, say what specifically makes it great.”

The Carnegie ranking, Jackson said, gives reason for UNT to adapt its voice and “speak more modestly now.”

“Leaders [at other institutions] are able to speak about their institutions with pride in an understated voice,” Jackson said, adding he would like Smatresk to review the best examples of communications from other respected universities.

Featured Image: Courtesy | UNT

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[Harry]

5 hours ago, Skipper said:

“Cities, companies, and universities,” Jackson said, “make broader and more aggressive claims laced with superlatives and ambitious expectations when they are weak than when they become more successful and respected.”

I agree with Jackson 100% on this.   I hope we will start to specifically state what makes us great versus the broad sweeping generalities.  I would like to see us do the same thing in sports marketing.  No we haven't been winning, but the style of Littrell's offense, the Littrell hire, the tailgating and stadium experience and cost/value proposition for entertainment are things you can sell.

[Ben Gooding]

16 minutes ago, Harry said:

I agree with Jackson 100% on this.   I hope we will start to specifically state what makes us great versus the broad sweeping generalities.  I would like to see us do the same thing in sports marketing.  No we haven't been winning, but the style of Littrell's offense, the Littrell hire, the tailgating and stadium experience and cost/value proposition for entertainment are things you can sell.

Sure as shit isn't sports. 

[EagleMBA]

2 minutes ago, Ben Gooding said:

Sure as shit isn't sports. 

Agree. At this time, hyping sports is inviting public ridicule (as if we don't receive enough already). JMO.

[Aldo]

Damn, Deborah just got thrown under the bus.

[untjim1995]

1 hour ago, Ben Gooding said:

Sure as shit isn't sports. 

And never will be...ever

[Greenrex]

3 hours ago, Harry said:

I agree with Jackson 100% on this.   I hope we will start to specifically state what makes us great versus the broad sweeping generalities.  I would like to see us do the same thing in sports marketing.  No we haven't been winning, but the style of Littrell's offense, the Littrell hire, the tailgating and stadium experience and cost/value proposition for entertainment are things you can sell.

I also agree with Jackson 

[Censored by Laurie]

3 hours ago, Ben Gooding said:

Sure as shit isn't sports. 

there are more important things. 

[Ben Gooding]

40 minutes ago, Censored by Laurie said:

there are more important things. 

I absolutely agree. 

But when establishing a window to the university for increased donorship, funding, applicants, enrollment, etc. There is not a better or more important avenue to take than sports. 

[Censored by Laurie]

33 minutes ago, Ben Gooding said:

I absolutely agree. 

But when establishing a window to the university for increased donorship, funding, applicants, enrollment, etc. There is not a better or more important avenue to take than sports. 

is that a universal statement? 

[Aldo]

6 minutes ago, Censored by Laurie said:

is that a universal statement? 

UNT ain't no Stanford or Northwestern.

[Censored by Laurie]

30 minutes ago, Aldo said:

UNT ain't no Stanford or Northwestern.

on the whole...no. 

put we do have a number of programs on par with or exceeding those at Stanford or Northwestern and other "elite" institutions

[Aldo]

Just now, Censored by Laurie said:

on the whole...no. 

put we do have a number of programs on par with or exceeding those at Stanford or Northwestern and other "elite" institutions

Not trying to knock UNT here, but we just aren't securing the academic/research funding a school of our size should.

Those few programs that excel can't carry the rest of the university. The rest of the university needs to step up, but that requires good leadership from the top.

How else do we attract attention and money in the short-term?

*Most Rhyner of voices*. Sports

But I hope in the long-term, the university is able to do a better job to reinforce the great programs, and improve the mediocre ones (and also, in this hypothetical, keep football funding up).

[keith]

I get it, so Jackson is saying that all we need to do now is refer to ourselves as THE University of North Texas.  Easy peazy. 

Edited March 31, 2016 by keith

[Harry]

18 minutes ago, Censored by Laurie said:

on the whole...no. 

put we do have a number of programs on par with or exceeding those at Stanford or Northwestern and other "elite" institutions

That's my point, let's highlight those programs that we excel at.  Let's play to our strengths versus making broad brush claims which don't hold water to many.  For instance, cost of tuition can be a positive if you spin it the right way (NOT best for less)...location and proximity to internships, the full college experience you will not get at UTA or UTD.  The real life experience you won't get at SMU or TCU.  Whoever came up with the "Leading" should be shot.  that just sounds like you couldn't come up with anything.  I am sure someone made 100's of thousands of dollars for that gem.

[letsgiveacheer]

In contract to the article's title, I didn't see any "marketeers" responding, just two biology majors and a journalism major but Jackson's point is valid. I don't know of any top university that even has a slogan and have always felt ours were demeaning.  The worse one was "UNT, the Metroplex's best kept secret". Someone please explain that to me. "A Green Light to Greatness" also sound cheap and was a rip-off of Southern Railways, "A Green Light to Innovation"

But if we are going to have a slogan, how about...

North Texas.. we're pretty good for the money

 

[Aldo]

If we're doing any more broad brush billboards, I'd like to see "Now Entering Mean Green Country"

[Censored by Laurie]

27 minutes ago, Aldo said:

If we're doing any more broad brush billboards, I'd like to see "Now Entering Mean Green Country"

god no. the whole "this is _____ country" thing needs to die a quick yet painful death

[drex]

We've been so timid for so long...by the way, when the university's name changed in 1988 we were not allowed to use The University of North Texas--only University of North Texas.  We also were not allowed to use Mean Green some of the time, not even Mean Green Eagles...have to love the irony.

 

[Ben Gooding]

14 minutes ago, Aldo said:

If we're doing any more broad brush billboards, I'd like to see "Now Entering Mean Green Country"

Yes, Please. 

 

Edit: Not as our slogan though. 

Edited March 31, 2016 by Ben Gooding

[untjim1995]

56 minutes ago, Harry said:

That's my point, let's highlight those programs that we excel at.  Let's play to our strengths versus making broad brush claims which don't hold water to many.  For instance, cost of tuition can be a positive if you spin it the right way (NOT best for less)...location and proximity to internships, the full college experience you will not get at UTA or UTD.  The real life experience you won't get at SMU or TCU.  Whoever came up with the "Leading" should be shot.  that just sounds like you couldn't come up with anything.  I am sure someone made 100's of thousands of dollars for that gem.

OK, well we are incredibly awesome and highly ranked at music and arts. And I agree our location as a truer college town is very attractive, as is our history of starting off as a teacher's college, meaning we have always valued academia.

Not sure how you use those in a way that really helps athletics, but that isn't the priority here anyway, so I think that you can use all of those to show that we do excel at something, that are alumni are proud of those areas, and that prospective students can take advantage of being in a great college town to get that college degree and experience instead of settling for Arlington, Richardson, or the other UNT satellite locations in Duncanville or Frisco...

 

 

7 minutes ago, Censored by Laurie said:

god no. the whole "this is _____ country" thing needs to die a quick yet painful death

That's as bad as the "Welcome ______ Nation!!"...

[Aldo]

11 minutes ago, Censored by Laurie said:

god no. the whole "this is _____ country" thing needs to die a quick yet painful death

Best I could come up over "Do university billboards work? Just did!"

[Ben Gooding]

I don't really care too much about any of this. Consistently win in a revenue sport and allllllll of this will take care of itself. We have shown under this administration that consistently fielding a winner is nothing but a pipe dream. So, until changes are made we are all just dumb-A wishful thinking optimists hoping what seems to be the impossible at North Texas happens. Brought to you by our athletic director, RV. 

 

By the way, where has Fly and KRAM been? 

[MeanGreen_MBA]

6 minutes ago, untjim1995 said:

OK, well we are incredibly awesome and highly ranked at music and arts. And I agree our location as a truer college town is very attractive, as is our history of starting off as a teacher's college, meaning we have always valued academia.

Not sure how you use those in a way that really helps athletics, but that isn't the priority here anyway, so I think that you can use all of those to show that we do excel at something, that are alumni are proud of those areas, and that prospective students can take advantage of being in a great college town to get that college degree and experience instead of settling for Arlington, Richardson, or the other UNT satellite locations in Duncanville or Frisco...

 

 

That's as bad as the "Welcome ______ Nation!!"...

How about our Logistics Program is ranked 5th in the Nation.  Our finance program has won the National Championship 5 yrs in a row for investment competition, beating Harvard, Stanford and everybody else.  We have a top flight Business professional building that I would stack-up against any college in the nation.  Our Accounting and Business schools are rising fast in status nation-wide.  We just opened an accredited Law School, and are opening a medical school in a few years....already approved.  UNT is an excellent University....we just have to get the word out!!!!

[untjim1995]

1 minute ago, Ben Gooding said:

I don't really care too much about any of this. Consistently win in a revenue sport and allllllll of this will take care of itself. We have shown under this administration that consistently fielding a winner is nothing but a pipe dream. So, until changes are made we are all just dumb-A wishful thinking optimists hoping what seems to be the impossible at North Texas happens. Brought to you by our athletic director, RV. 

 

By the way, where has Fly and KRAM been? 

That's the whole problem, though. We don't care about winning in revenue sports, institutionally. We care about enrollment and music and arts. Those are the primary windows of the university. I'm not even saying that they are wrong in the way they have chosen to go--we have a gigantic enrollment and a world-renown music school. Its just that no other school in the Southwest does it this way.