Bishop State Community College

Why they came to us:
Bishop State Community College in Mobile, Alabama, experienced a drastic decline in enrollment in 2006-2008 due to allegations of academic improprieties and theft. Those allegations and investigations of key personnel also led to the school being put on probation by its accrediting organization, the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The turmoil created by these investigations, subsequent firings of key staff, and the accreditation issues had a direct affect on Bishop State’s ability to recruit students. As the situation began to turn around, Bishop State embarked on a year-long marketing campaign that primarily co-branded the school with the economic development in Mobile. This was a high profile, high-quality campaign. At the end of this campaign, the administration and faculty turned to J Thomas Inc. to develop a multi-media marketing campaign geared specifically toward recruiting students and increasing enrollment.

How we responded:
Our first goal at J Thomas Inc. was to provide the high-quality production to which Bishop State had become accustomed in its previous marketing campaign, while closely managing expenses. Our second goal was to create a campaign that would directly impact enrollment—a call to action that would clearly and tangibly communicate to potential students the notion that they could expect to be successful with a two-year degree from Bishop State.

After establishing our target market—18-34 year olds—we developed a marketing strategy that would reach potential students through several different media, and address them at their level. We determined that one of the chief motivators behind a student seeking a two-year degree is to increase his chance of getting a better job. Our strategy, therefore, was to get the student to see himself in a dead-end job situation, and to suggest that a degree from Bishop State would be the solution to this problem. We also highlighted the low cost of a two-year degree versus a four-year, and touted the excellent faculty and staff at Bishop State. The first television spot has an edgy, cool and high-energy look and feel to appeal to that segment of the population that has a great deal of experience with YouTube and social networks like MySpace and Facebook. The spot is less about the school and more about the student. The second spot uses some of the same elements (music, voiceover, visual effects) to create continuity, while showing more campus-life experiences and settings. Radio, outdoor and print advertising were created to support both TV spots.

In the previous campaign, Bishop State unveiled a new positioning statement—Bishop State, Your Time Has Come. This was effective and appropriate considering where Bishop State had been. Our method, however, was to go a step further and speak directly to the potential student with the tagline, Success Starts Here.

Results:
The following article appeared in the Press Register on August 28, 2009:
Bishop State's enrollment numbers on the increase

Friday, August 28, 2009
By RENEE BUSBY
Staff Reporter
Bishop State Community College's fall enrollment has increased by almost 500 students since the fall semester of 2008, reflecting the two-year school's increasingly good reputation, said its president, James Lowe.

"The economy certainly is a factor, but also we have regained the confidence of the community," Lowe said of the enrollment, which rose 15 percent to 3,706 students.

The Mobile-based school had a series of financial and academic scandals that began in 2006, before Lowe became the school's president. But in December, the school regained its good standing with its accrediting agency, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools based in Decatur, Ga., following a two-year probation.

In addition to the school's turnaround, Lowe said a troubled economy has people returning to school.
"We cannot overlook the fact that people are out of work, and that has an impact on people coming back for retraining," said Lowe. Also, he said, the school has been "recruiting vigorously" and has stepped up its advertising.

J Thomas Inc. has been retained for the 2009-2010 fiscal year to provide a marketing plan that includes traditional media advertising to promote specific Bishop State programs, as well as a strong emphasis on social networking. J Thomas Inc. is proposing to set up and manage Bishop State’s social networking strategy to include Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Blogs, and incorporate those into a more focused Internet marketing strategy.