Marketing
learning
communities
Part 4
Marketing materials that work
By
Jacque Mott
with Jean Henscheid
& Barbara Leigh Smith
Promotions to students
Courses students actually take
AT THE
INSTITUTION
H.S., direct mail,
community
outreach events
Segment the market by:
Age
Ethnicity
Interest group, major, sport
Resident or commuter status
Gender
Geographic location
Post graduation goals
Nationality
OUTSIDE THE
INSTITUTION
Promotions to students
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For first-year students, focus on promoting
connections to others, the institution, the
community.
For commuter students, focus on promoting
flexible scheduling
For pre-majors, focus on promoting a course
package relevant to their major.
Developing promotional materials
First, zero in on the age group you intend to
reach with each piece. Several different
promotional pieces may be necessary to
reach more than one audience. Determine
each age group’s interest and what attracts
them.
Promoting to 18 to 22 year olds
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Materials that capture their interest
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No hype. The real thing.
Making friends and meeting new people
Convenient schedule
Friendly and approachable faculty and institution
Materials considered attractive
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“Hip” or flashy color
Forward thinking (the future)
The concept of a caring program, institution, faculty
Headlines that grab and followed by straight talk
Visual over copy
Material that conveys approachability, non-mysterious
experience
Promoting to 18 to 22 year olds

Students relate to airbrush use

Currently popular color scheme
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Asymmetry adds dynamic feel
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Movement is felt in the youthful
logo
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Unusual size (5-1/2” x 8”) attracts
(may cost more to mail).

Multifunctional. Inside holds
individual cards of LC classes
which can change each semester

Negative: Missing pictures for
students to identify with. May seem
cold.
Promoting to 18 to 22 year olds
Bright colors - Complementary colors enhance
the brightness of each color
Space indicates futuristic or “out of this world”
Intriguing
3-D draws viewer in
Curvilinear shapes are friendly
Text easy to read, even vertical
Use of black as a sophisticated color attractive to
this age group.
Reaching for the Stars/ the
Future
18 to 22
year olds
Identifies problems
and offers solutions
Ties in Circles of
Learning
Introduces UTEP as
caring and innovative
institution
Effective logo
introduced
18
to 22
22 year
year olds
olds
18 to
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Young people having fun
(inviting)
Michigan “M” ties
students to institution’s
logo
Good contrasting colors
although could be more
bold (maybe these are
school colors?)
Pictures they can relate
to (many different ethnic
groups)
Font is friendly - not too
stiff.
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Fun, youthful pictures
Fun typeface
Bulleted, easy to read
Detachable mail-in flap-request for information. Under flap
gives general program information.
Cards in pocket
detail each
learning
community
class offered
each semester
Traditional
PromotingAge
to 18
- Images
to 22
to Consider
year olds
Utilizing
Images to
consider
Provides a
connection to
a pleasant
place
Learning can
be fun
Gives a sense of
whimsy with some
intellect
Provides a
photo of youth
and attraction
18 to 22 year olds
Two great slogans:
“Two Classes That Feel Like One”
“Imagine What You Can Do.”
Picture of a group of students working
together
Blue is color of respect
Arch leads us inside the brochure
Youthful pictures (people who look
like them)
Unusual size pieces are appealing – postage may be extra
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Fun theme
Bold colors
Text appeals to returning adults
(Educational, invaluable, personalized,
enriching are not generally attractive terms to
18 to 22 year olds.)
Promoting to students 23 and older
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Of interest to them
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Quality education and good faculty
Efficient, time-effective approach to education
Convenient schedule accommodating work
Getting the best bang for the buck
Ties to the larger society
Materials that attract them
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Class and style
More serious images of their age group
More text than materials for younger age group
23 and up
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Normal size
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Bright color
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Stylish
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Maturity –
selfrealization
Self growth
23 and up
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Growth
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Black and white is
classy and detailed
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Images are
stimulating
Classy
image
Image with single word, while text ties
them to meaning. Adults will read text.
23 and up
Connects student to larger society
23 and up
Promoting to students 23 and older
University of Denver
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Simple and sophisticated
Excellent word choices
Each word has a written page opposite it
Promoting to students 23 and older
University of
Denver
Promoting to diverse students
A key difference exists between
promoting your LC program to the
“typical” American student and students
with strong ties to various ethnic groups.
American values stress individuality and
independence while many other cultures
place emphasis on family and
collaboration or cooperation (in many
cases the “we” vs. the “I”). These
differences must be reflected in your
promotion materials.
Promoting to diverse students
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Of interest to them
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Welcoming environment
Students like to see themselves collaborating or
working together
Convenient schedule accommodating work
Getting the best bang for the buck
Ties to their heritage - student clubs
Materials that attract
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Recruiting the entire family
Stronger colors (bold)
Photos that look like them (include majority students
also)
Promoting to diverse students

Gives a sense of place (this
location may seem too old
and “white”)
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Pictures of diverse students
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Students having fun
together
Promoting to diverse students
“Small
College” is a
term that
markets to
parents as
well.
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Shows diverse students collaborating
Diverse students
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Bold colors
Diverse, academically
serious students
Brochure specifically
targeted to students
Students doing something together
Bold colors
Disabled student image also included
Inviting atmosphere
Consider
multi-ethnic
images
Diverse students
Issues to address in a brochure

Definition of LC
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Key contact person, phone number, e-mail
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Benefits of joining an LC
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Registration procedures
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Student and faculty testimonials
Language that targets audience concerns
Images of people who look like your target
group
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What were we thinking?
This was Harper College’s first logo when we didn’t have a clue what we were
doing. Our audience seems to be Tiny Tots. The logo is unreadable. The
design is youthful and fun but for what purpose? It is hard to understand and
there appears to be no purpose to the objects used.
Confused target audience?
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Great logo
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“Extreme” is a youthful word
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Difficult to figure out the mouse and wire
connection
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Sophisticated look and feel
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Lots of movement which attracts 18 to 22
year old student
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“California” colors are used. However,
using the word “Extreme” may demand
the use of more severe colors
Using basic design elements
Color
Colors which advance toward you
Dark colors
Bright colors
Red, yellow ,yellow-green, orange
Red-purple
Black
Colors which recede from you
Light colors
Dull colors
Green, blue-green, blue,
Blue-purple
White
(unless surrounded by dark)
Note: The above is relative. When two colors are placed side by side they often react
to each other. For example: When colors opposite each other on the color wheel (red
& green, blue & orange, yellow & purple, red-orange & blue-green, yellow-green &
red-purple, yellow-orange & blue-purple) are placed side by side, they increase the
intensity of each color. Bright red surrounded by bright orange will look duller than
bright red surrounded by dull blue.
Using basic design elements
Color psychology
The following summary from “The Wagner Color
Response Report” by Carlton Wagner, 1985, provides
basic information on how people respond to color.
Responses to colors vary with:
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Geography
Regions
Climate
Income levels
Sophistication levels
Using basic design elements
Red
 Dark reds (burgundy, maroon) appeal to upper socioeconomic groups
 Red causes pituitary gland to respond which causes
excitement, eating more and more interest in sex
 Men are attracted to yellow-based reds (tomato) but
women are attracted to blue based red (raspberry).
 Has fairly good visibility
Using basic design elements
Orange
 Is a declassifier, causing other colors to have an appeal to a
greater number of people
 Attracts people who want affordability
 Associations with autumn and Thanksgiving (favorable)
Yellow
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Is the color you see fastest and first
As people age, they have less tolerance for yellow
It usually declassifies (brighter)
Indicates temporariness (i.e. yellow-green trees in spring)
 Draws attention in displays
Using basic design elements
Blue
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Stated color preference by majority of Americans
Causes the brain to secrete tranquilizing chemicals
Pale Blue encourages fantasy
Is calming and expansive (ocean, sky)
Blue is not generally eaten
Dark blue = trust, responsibility
Using basic design elements
Green
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Enhances food
Associated with money, wealth
Not good for soliciting donations
Dark greens appeal to upper socio-economic groups
Can reflect nausea in people’s skin tones
Brown
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Excellent color around food
People usually trust brown
New York region avoids brown
Encourages discussion
Using basic design elements
White
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Indicates delicacy, refinement and sophistication
Can suggest competency when wearing it
White is good around food
Encourages precision work
Using basic design elements
Black
 Ultimate Power color
 Accepted equally by all socio-economic groups
 Symbol for dignity and sophistication
Gray
 Spurs creativity
 Great Classifier – makes things seem more exclusive
 Has great regional prejudice because of climate
Using basic design elements
Designs
Static, routine, expected,
status quo designs
Dynamic, unexpected,
innovative feeling designs
Symmetry
Based on square, straight lines
Fat lines
Asymmetry
Triangles, angled lines
Dashed lines