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*AGENDA

Key Issues

Communication Industry

Competitive Landscape

Target Audience

Strategy

Brand Key Insight

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KEY BRAND IS

SUES

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EXTERNAL COMPETITION

Local competitor programs These are programs that students commonly ask about, in terms of

how UTA differs and why they should come to UTA Dept. of Comm. instead of going to these larger, “well known” schools.

Students are drawn to older programs at universities with established brands in both public and private venues

The differentiating factors need to be clarified and communicated to target audiences.

Faculty consider UNT and

TCU as our main

competitors based on

programs

Students consider UT

and Baylor main

competitors based on

reputation

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INTERNAL COMPETITION

Local competitor programs Dept. of Comm. as “backup” major After trying other majors Communication considered common and easy because of broad

nature University primarily focuses on hard sciences in branding and

reputation-related communications We need to promote the department in a way that shows our “great”

factors to the target audience.

UTA’s new “Yes”

campaign does not mention

Communication or have

visuals including

communication

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TARGET AUDIENCE CONFUSION

What is communication?

• In terms of definitions

• In terms of and what job prospects, careers, and salary are available

• “What is communication? What do I do with it? What can UTA offer compared to other programs?”

• Communication messages must be developed to address this confusion.

Several schools have information describing

Communication and the career possibilities in the

field. Alumni pages also help define career possibilities.

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GOAL• Recruit quality students into the department

• Declare Communication as intended major as freshmen• Enter high schools to recruit high quality students

• Brand: • Key story (message): Convince students to be a Communication major from the

very start of their time in college• This should include the department’s differentiating factors• Brand identification (logo/slogan development)• Target audience profiles

• Measures: • increased freshman “intended” communication majors• increased high school student inquiries into the department• increased inquires from Preview Day and other recruiting events• increased brand identification of the department• increased quality academic background of students

Many communication

departments have a brand

identity outside of the

university’s main branding

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INDUSTR

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COMMUNICATION

Changing industry

• Trend for convergence in the the field and communication departments

• Communication is presented as a burgeoning field for social students

• Enrollment is down across the country, especially at a freshman level1

• The majority of administrators say they have made curricular changes in the past two years in response to changes in the Comm. Landscape1

• Faculty must have skills in the digital arena1

• Ethnic diversity is increasing 1

~80% of programs have made major curriculum changes in the

last 2 years due to changes in the Comm. Industry. This includes changes in track

names to reflect changes in the media landscape such as those

to the left.

Ad/PR AD&PR Strat. Comm.

Broadcast/Digital Media

Broadcast and Tech

Media Technolog

y

1. 2011 Annual Survey of Journalism and Mass Communication Enrollments. Journalism and Mass Communication Educator

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UTA

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UTA DEPT. OF COMMUNICATION

• Founded in 1972

• ~950 majors

• 6 sequences: AD, BC, CS, CT, JR, PR

• Students gain a liberal arts background

• Top five media market

• Knowledgeable and dedicated faculty

• Student commonly earn internships

• Students gain hands-on client experience by working with community clients

• Students win awards in their fields, such as the Radio Mercury Awards (see notes)

UTA’s Communication Program is quite a few years younger

then many competing programs11

COMPETI

TIVE A

NALYSIS

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EXTERNAL COMPETITORS

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SEQUENCES• Most programs:

• Journalism • Advertising• Public Relations• Communication Studies

• Other names:• Multimedia • Broadcast• Electronic Media• Health Communication• Organizational Communication• Media Film• Radio TV Film• Media Strategy• Strategic Communication • Emerging Media and

Communication• Communication Design and

TechnologyTexas Tech’s new multi-media lab

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COMMUNICATION PROGRAM MESSAGES

• Creative Community (SMU)

• Leadership (Texas Tech)

• Academic & Professional (UNT)

• Knowledge & Skill (A&M)

• 5 Units. One Direction (Texas State)

• Effective Communicators (University of Houston)

• Convergence (TCU)

• Theory + Practice (UT Austin Adv.)

• Skills and Theory (Baylor)

UT Ad Dept. home page is branded “Theory + Practice”

and lists current places people are interning with scrolling text plus current job openings. This

emphasizes “practice.”

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ADVERTISING COMPETITORS

• SMU-Temerlin Advertising Institute

• Texas State-School of Journalism and Mass Communication

• Texas Tech-College of Media and Communication

• University of Houston-Jack J. Valenti School of Communication

• UNT-Mayborn School of Journalism

• UT-College of Communication

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BROADCAST COMPETITORS

• Baylor-College of Arts and Sciences

• UNT-Radio, Television and Film, Mayborn School of Journalism

• TCU-College of Communication

• UT-College of Communication

TCU Radio

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COMMUNICATION STUDIES COMPETITORS • Baylor-College of Communication

• SMU-Meadows School of the Arts

• TCU-College of Communication

• Texas State-Department of Communication

• UNT-Department of Communication Studies

• UT-College of Communication

Texas Tech Comm. Studies Program has clearly distinct

tracks. While UTA has similar tracks, differences are

unclear in the communication online

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COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

• SMU – Creative Computation

• UT Dallas – Emerging Media and Communication

• Texas A&M-Department of Communication (Telecommunication Media Studies)

• UNT-College of Visual Arts and Design (Communication Design)

• Texas State-School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Electronic Media)

• Texas Tech –College of Media and Communication (Electronic Media Communications)

UTD Logo for “Comm. Tech”

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JOURNALISM COMPETITORS

• Baylor-Department of Communication

• SMU-Meadows School of the Arts

• TCU-Schieffer School of Journalism

• Texas State-School of Journalism and Mass Communication

• Texas Tech-College of Media & Communication

• University of Houston-Jack J. Valenti School of Communication

• UNT-Mayborn School of Journalism

• UT-College of Communication

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PUBLIC RELATIONS COMPETITORS

• Baylor-Department of Communication

• Texas State-School of Journalism and Mass Communication

• Texas Tech-College of Media and Communication

• University of Houston-Jack J. Valenti School of Communication

• UNT-Mayborn School of Journalism

• UT-College of Communication

UH PR

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DIFFERENTIATING FACTORSIn our favor:

• Student point of view:• Advisors • Lower Cost (living)• Location• Accessible instructors• Hands on opportunity• Internship possibilities • If you want to learn more, you can submerse yourself in any field • Courses prepare students for industry jobs• Important to have broad base of knowledge in liberal arts, given

magnitude of Comm.• Faculty are involved and there, but not necessarily known before

entering department

• Faculty point of view• Service Learning• Active student organizations• Integrated nature exposes students to other faculty and students in

other disciplines• Spanish language media• Ability to work at Radio, Newspaper, Online News• Internship possibilities• Pages of awards that go unpublicized for faculty

and students

Many schools emphasize their differences above the fold. Our

dept. has many merits to do the same.

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*DIFFERENTIATING FACTORS

Not in our favor:

• Student point of view:• Reputation of the department is not well-known or large• Classes have limited availability• No summer courses• Too many unmotivated students• Some courses are poorly structured

• Faculty point of view:• Smaller than other programs• Inability to offer as much variety• Not as many dedicated faculty for a particular sequence• Not as integrated between sequences• Specializations within sequences not possible• Not as prestigious a reputation at university level

We have the material to dispel several of these notions 23

*INTERNAL COMPETITORS

• UTA does not advertise the social sciences as much as the hard sciences

• When UTA does cover Liberal Arts, Arts, Theatre, and Music tend to take the spotlight

• Other departments have specific branding that increases reputation as well

• Other programs compete from a student perspective:• Art: Web and Film vs. Comm. Tech and Broadcast • Business: Marketing vs. Advertising• Business: UTA Management vs. Comm Studies • English: Creative Writing vs. Journalism • However, these programs are very different

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PERCEPTIONS: UNDERGRADUATES

• Reputation

• Worried about reputation of UTA and our Communication program in the communication industry not being as well known as other larger universities, such as UT Austin

• Schools with better funding are considered to have more valuable degrees

• Prestige of older programs translates to better education and greater opportunity after graduation

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PERCEPTIONS: MATRICULATED GRADUATESLocation• Close enough for commuters• Far enough for those who want to

leave home

Education• Graduates are confident in ability to

perform industry jobs• Graduates feel equally if not better

equipped than students from other universities

• Curriculum builds skills in teamwork and fosters individual growth

Many schools emphasize their alumni to enhance their

reputation and attract donations

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PERCEPTIONS: STUDENTS VS FACULTYCourses• Students appreciate sequence-specific classes• Faculty thinks programs can be more integrated• Faculty want to offer more variety

Instructors Students regard professors as knowledgeable and accessible Faculty want dedicated instructors for each sequence

Facilities Students want more hours of access Faculty would like an overall improvement

Reputation and Size Students think a large amount of their peers are unmotivated Faculty consider the program small Students are more concerned with university reputation

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*TARGET AUDIENCE CONFUSION

“UT Almost”• UTA is a small school, commuter school• UTA has a small program in comparison to

others

Other misconceptions• Sequences are the equivalent of degrees

in the chosen field of study• Marketing and business degrees are of

greater value/higher demand• Students do not know what

communication is before entering as freshmen. They figure it out after trying other majors

• Students do not know the sheer magnitude or influence of communication

• Students are unaware of what they can do with communication

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*UTA COMPETITIVE POSITIONING

• Niche• Given the number of schools in the area • Given overlapping programs• Given differences in size of programs.

• We need to focus on our positive differences and specialties • Accessible instructors• Hands on opportunity (radio, news, digital media)• If you want to learn more, you can: environment allows students to submerse

themselves in their desired field, e.g., central location between two contrasting markets

• Courses prepare students for industry jobs (faculty experience)• “Newer” than competitor programs

• Panoramic Thinkers• Department for panoramic thinkers, visionaries, pioneers, mavericks, seekers,

trailblazers, detectives/investigators, innovators, revolutionaries, renaissance men and women (see target audience descriptions)

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POSITIONING MODEL

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Flexible

Rigid

ContemporaryClassic

TARGET

AUDIENCE

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DEMOGRAPHICS FOR THE QUALITY STUDENT• 15-19

• males, females

• High school graduates, transfer students

• All ethnicities

• English and Spanish speakers

• HH income variable

• Mainly from TX and surrounding region

• GPA: A or B average – 2.7 minimum

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PSYCHOGRAPHICS FOR THE QUALITY STUDENT• Interested in a dynamic,

changing field

• Not interested in the typical 9-5 job

• Self-starters, leaders

• Our students want it more

• Go getters

• Set yourself apart

• Excels at left and right brain thinking

• Students have worked on unconventional projects

• Diversity – not just ethnic diversity, but diversity in thinking

We are looking for “Panoramic Thinkers” who are able to develop ideas from a wider perspective; communication practitioners must have this same perspective. This allows their thoughts to adapt to unique circumstances. Their strengths include problem-solving, brainstorming, critical analysis, and pattern recognition.

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*GEOGRAPHICS

Cities with constant media exposure, sub and counter culture influences• Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio• Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Portland,

Seattle

Rural areas in Texas and the region• East/West Texas• Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi

International scope• Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Mexico, Sweden, UK, China,

India

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TARGET ARCHETYPE

Herman Courier is a high school student. He has a large circle of friends and constantly finds himself interacting with people from all circles. Accordingly, he has learned how to conduct himself in any social situation. He is friendly and adaptive. He knows how to tell a good story to his friends as well.

In school, he does pretty well. He gets A’s and B’s, possibly a C here and there, but he blames that on the outside projects and hobbies he enjoys, such as developing a Facebook page for his mom’s local business. These projects have allowed Herman to begin to understand the importance of problem solving. His ultimate goal is to draw upon his experiences to do unconventional things in whatever career he chooses; maybe computer engineering or website development. What he does not know is that a career in communication could do just that for him.

Herman is not conventional. He is not the straight A or C student. He is somewhere in-between, because he thinks differently.

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STRAT

EGY

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MODEL: LEARN DO FEELLearn

- Definition, magnitude, and potential for communication- UTA Comm.

Department’s role in developing

communication practitioners

Do- Inquire with the

department- Visit department, attend

tours and open houses- Research sequences

- Soul search

Feel- Exclusive- Esoteric- Inspired

- Contemporary

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BRAND MESSAGE/KEY INSIGHT

“Submerse yourself in the unconventional.”

Communication as a degree is unconventional. Unlike any other major on campus, communication is the only field of study that will touch every single industry and field out there. No matter what field someone is in, they will need communication. You can submerse yourself through communication in any field you want, and the magnitude of influence you can have is as big as you can think; a perfect degree for a panoramic thinker.

UTA’s Department of Communication is a congenial entity with a desire to share its knowledge and experience. It is younger than its competitors, therefore, it is newer as well. And as we know, younger brands have the ability to do unconventional things. We offer a program that is less rigid and more accommodating than the competition. Students of the Communication Department are immersed in a college filled with diverse minds and possibilities. The structure and flexibility of the program enables an unconventional approach toward higher learning. The possibilities are endless as faculty continually encourage pupils to go deeper.

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*BRAND PERSONALITY• The contemporary Hermes, the bike

messenger, is known for • Their unconventional behavior• There are no straight lines anymore in

sending messages. Therefore, they see different perspectives on the routes to achieve a desired communication goal.

• Protector of storytellers, one of the most important skills for communication practitioners.

• Always changing to meet a new challenge

• They ultimately • serve to educate and improve

society. • When they speak to possible

apprentices, they tell them to be panoramic thinkers so they can submerse themselves in such an unconventional field.

From

to

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CREATIV

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*CREATIVE BRIEF SUMMARY

1. Problem/Results:1. Internal/External Competition & Target Audience Confusion. 2. Brand should encourage quality students to come to UTA to major in Communication

2. Tgt. Aud.: Herman Courier is not conventional. He is not the straight A or C student. He is somewhere in-between, because he thinks differently. He is in high school and at the age where he is trying to decide what to do in college as he is applying. He is a go-getter who does not want the typical 9-5 job. He is both left and right brained, a panoramic thinker.

3. Brand Results: Increased visits to web, tours/PD, inquiries, freshmen intended majors

4. Information Needed: Clear definition of communication: importance of it, what it is, omnipresence/magnitude, influence on every aspect of life, possible careers in the field, incentives, connection to other fields, differences that UTA Comm. Dept. provides to enter the industry

5. Brand Personality: unconventional, sees different perspectives, a good storyteller, always changing , serves to educate and improve society

6. Key Insight: Submerse yourself in the unconventional.

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CONTENT

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WEB COMMUNICATION

About Us• Mission Statement• Message from the Dean• Department History• Faculty/Staff• Advisors

Prospective Students• Admissions• Sequences• Scholarships & Financial

Aid• Upcoming Orientations &

Tours

Current Students• Advising• Course Schedules• Degree Requirements• Study Abroad• Internship & Employment

Info• Student Organizations• Service Learning

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WEB COMMUNICATION

Research• Student Spotlight• Faculty Spotlight

Alumni• Profile Pages•Awards/Achievements• Support Page

News and Events• Events Calendar• Department News

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MEDIA KIT

• Letter from the Department Chair

• Information on visiting and contacting the department

• Latest editions of Shorthorn Newspaper and/or COLA

• Handouts for each sequence

• UTA Communication promotional items (pens, pencils, stickers, etc.)

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Texas Tech Media Kit