Because Ideas Matter...
The faculty and staff of Butler University's College of Liberal
Arts and Sciences presents
Recommended Readings
University Marketing Mistakes: 50 Pitfalls to
Avoid
by Thomas Hayes and Roy Adler, Council for the Advancement and
Support of Education 2008
Reviewed by Ed Kanis
For anyone seeking practical and proven
marketing insights and perspectives, University Marketing Mistakes:
50 Pitfalls to Avoid is a must read.
The authors, whose leadership in the ever-evolving specialty of
higher education marketing is well documented, take readers on a
journey through 50 plus 2 (their grasp of the basic principle of
underpromising and overdelivering is clear) university marketing
scenarios, pointing out the missteps made along the way. The faux
pas run the gamut from the simplest (failing to properly employ
research at the outset of a major campaign) to the more complex
(neglecting to secure internal buy-in for branding initiatives
prior to launching them externally).
Aside from pinpointing errors, Hayes and Adler add on-target
commentary regarding strategies and tactics that should have been
employed, effectively giving reading a series of 50 (plus 2)
learning lessons.
Strunk and White and their timeless classic Elements of Style
have long been hailed for helping create more effective writers.
The work of Hayes and Adler holds the same promise for individuals
charged with leading their institution's marketing efforts,
especially as the current economic downtown further intensifies
competition for students and support.
-Ed Kannis is a lecturer in the Eugene S. Pulliam School of
Journalism at Butler University.