“For some the sky in not the limit”
The Mercury 13 Integrated Marketing & Communications Case Study
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Integrated Marketing and Communications:
PRSA: Madison Chapter (February 21, 2008)
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Background
Deployment of “best practices”
Outcomes
Take-aways
Q&A
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So how the heck did we get here?
http://www.cbsnews.com/secti
ons/i_video/main500251.shtml
?id=2794995n
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Background
• “Odyssey” – UW Oshkosh’s
first-year student experience offers
students a common intellectual
experience to explore social justice issues
• Relationship cultivated with Martha
Ackmann, author and historian, and Wally
Funk, pilot
• Story inspired entire campus community
• Idea: recognize the group with honorary
doctorates (germinated during two-year
period)
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Challenges
• Working on a tight deadline
– 8 weeks to commencement
• Building a new team – limited experience
• Creating promotional package
– Messaging
– Piggy back/Bolt on
– Tie-ins
• Fighting against media “Bermuda Triangle”
• Balancing resources
– Funding
– Staff
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Integrated campaign
What are we talking about?
Advertising
Relationships
(external
& internal)
Internet
communications
Marketing/
promotions
Public/media
relations
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Turn the logic around
Traditional “4 Ps” vs. IMC’s “4 Cs”
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Not product, but consumer
Not price, but cost
Not place, but convenience
Not promotion, but communication
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UW Oshkosh’s challenge
To create a strategy
that is comprehensive,
complementary, synergistic
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Audience
REGIONAL
– Graduates
– Campus
– Community (special emphasis on young students)
NATIONAL
– Media
– Aviation enthusiasts
– Alumni
– Women/History
– Government
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Message alignment
• Innovative curriculum and outreach opportunities
• Core values: “engaging people and ideas for the
common good”
• UW Oshkosh’s pioneering spirit for women to
become teachers
• University is home to the UW System’s Women
and Science program
• City of Oshkosh home to the Experimental
Aircraft Association – internationally renowned
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Resources
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Budget very limited for media campaign
Two-day event included honorarium and travel
Creative team: all internal resources
Deliverables
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Poster series
T-Shirt
Brochure
Online pr & website
Invites
Speeches
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How did we do it?
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Established media team
Develop messaging
Connect with the “story tellers”
Designed package
– Opportunities to hear “the story” from the “storymakers”
– Ensure access to “the story-makers”
– Develop the media plan
– Schedule timeline and scenarios for “pitching”
– Revisit relationships
– Assign resources for media pitching
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The media plan
In short: get AP and NPR
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Rocket science?*
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*Timothy M. Smith, Srinath Gopalakrishna, and Rabikar Chatterjee*
A Three-stage Response Model of Integrated Marketing Communications with Dynamic Effects: Investigations at the Marketing-Sales Interface
The media plan
• Messaging
– National
– Regional
• Phone calls (call in a few favors)
• Targeted emails (know who to “leverage”)
– If there’s a compelling story – media will listen
– Be succinct, cogent and polite
– Refer back website
• Follow-up phone calls
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Plan in action
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Targeted media messaging
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National
Aviation
Women’s publication
Higher Education
Community (regional and state)
Tie-ins with honorees
– hometowners, alma maters
• Legislators
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Media: regional
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Media: national
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Online resources
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Results: speak for themselves
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In short
Mercury 13 media strategy resulted in:
• 13 unique bylined stories in local and
national publications
• Associated Press picked up by
– At least 43 of 50 states
– 8 countries
– 5 continents
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Online summary
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Total visits: 2,073
Highest number of hits: 1,244 (May 11)
All content received at least one hit
Most visitors (75 percent) came to the site via
a direct URL
• Google generated about 13 percent traffic
• Average time spent on site per visitor: 2:35
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Snapshots
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Stay tuned … more to come
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Not without controversy
• Ad hoc group to address opposing viewpoint
• Spearheading grassroots efforts for first
federal recognition
– Honored in U.S. House of Representatives
– Congressional Gold Medal
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Recognition
Gold Award: best poster series design
Mercury 13: The Sky is not the limit
Gold Award: best event on a “shoestring budget”
National integrated media and pr strategy
Bronze ADDY® Award Special Event- Campaign
UW Oshkosh Mercury 13
Bronze ADDY® Award Single Poster:
UW Oshkosh Mercury 13
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Take-aways
• Raised profile of the university
• Impacted alignment of university’s messaging
and re-branding (“put UW Oshkosh on the map”)
• Sense of satisfaction for campus and community
• Opportunity to impact history’s telling of the story
• … the story continues
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Underestimated shelf life of deliverables
Web site continues to be resourced
Opportunities to spearhead further recognition
Inquiries continue
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Questions?
Jeanette De Diemar, Ph.D.
David Williams
Executive Director
Integrated Marketing &
Communications
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
Dempsey Hall, 800 Algoma Blvd.
Oshkosh, WI 54904
920.424.3358
dediemarj@uwosh.edu
Writer-editor (interim)
Integrated Marketing &
Communications
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
williamd@uwosh.edu
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