About the Oatmeal

This month, our expert joins us from the world of marketing, advertising and media writing. With over 10 years of experience in both the business world and academia, Derek Burritt brings a wealth of information to this month’s topic. You'll see his comments in the article (the green font there in the middle), so just click on the blue conversation bubble next to the article to add your own thoughts!

Academic Oatmeal is made up of a group of people who know we need a new generation of academic marketing professionals. People who thrive on new ideas know how to use them. People who know that traditional marketing methods may still work, but not the way they used to.

Why is now the right time?
-62% of marketers intend to decrease spending on traditional marketing*
-most marketers expect that marketing will be the first costs to be cut*
-65.3% of institutions cite ‘preventing decline in student enrollment’ as a great concern in this harsh economic time**
-marketing (AKA you!) has to be more strategic and provide value to your institution***

The Millennial culture is changing how we think about undergrads. Economic factors are changing the pool of adult students. Higher-ed marketing needs a new generation of people who understand broad trends and yet can focus that knowledge on specific challenges of their university.

Our members know that photos of "smiling multi-cultural groups sitting under a tree with a laptop" don't work anymore. Our members crave what's new but are savvy enough to use it only if it's right for their program or college. Our members have to defend the choices they make and the dollars they spend.

Academic Oatmeal is that group. A group that will give you knowledge while it's hot and start your day off right with a hearty helping of ideas.

So join this group and share your opinion (we know you have one or two, right?). Be ready to get honest, real opinions based on the lessons learned from others in your field. Be open to new ideas, but demand proof of their effectiveness before you think of spending any of your marketing budget.

Here at Second Melody, we've had the good fortune to work with a number of academic clients. We also have people who have worked in the academic field before joining Second Melody. True, we are a marketing firm. What is also true is that we honestly feel this is the right time to provide a platform for academic marketing professionals to connect, share and learn.

Experts

Each month, we ask experts to give us their comments on the topic. Their comments appear in the article itself (you'll see them in the green font there in the middle). The experts come from all areas of Academia — marketing, recruitment, administration, faculty or students — each month we recruit the experts who are most experienced with the topic. If you'd like to possibly contribute as an expert, just sign up and we'll be in touch!

James has worked in the marketing field for a variety of industries including academia, pharmaceutical, hospitality and real estate. Marketing to international and US-based audiences requires the science of marketing best-practices combined with the art of creating a connection with the customer.

Now, as part of an agency focused on academic recruiting and marketing, James loves it when he gets to bring his cross-industry experience to blow the dust off old academic marketing methods.

James will introduce a fresh topic and give his opinions (based on research, experience and the good ol' trial-and-error method). That's when the fun begins. Participants from schools around the country will comment and give their opinions about how, why, when and where the idea could be effective.

Also, since everyone has someone they report to, this group will give real-world examples of how to translate the cool new marketing idea into words that the senior administration will understand.