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Lesson 112 University Advancement Takes Center Stage

May 9, 2012 by larrylauer

In preparing for a speech I will be giving in June about the future of university advancement I have become  acutely aware once again of the degree to which those of us in marketing, communication, alumni relations, fund-raising, and government affairs will find ourselves facing incredible challenges. But that said, these challenges will also present once-in-a-career amazing opportunities.

With state governments cutting back in the U.S. and  governments around the world changing their roles, it’s more and more clear everyday that increased responsibility for helping to chart the future success of educational institutions everywhere will be placed squarely at the feet of advancement officers. The good news is that we will have better paid, predominately placed executive positions. The scary news, however, is that we will have to be far more sophisticated in everything we do.

So far, the rough draft of my speech argues that marketing as “a way of thinking” will have to influence and possibly change all areas of advancement. Brand clarification, multi-platform interactive communication, and internal support mobilization must be a part of what everyone does everyday.  Alumni relations will need to provide a “portal” to lifetime  educational and social connections for entire families, and fundraisers will have to find interactive, creative ways to maintain key donor loyalty for the long-term. And all of this must work effectively in an industry that is rapidly becoming global, with changing student migration patterns and fundraisers roaming all over the world with new and imaginative cases for support. 

The fact is that donors with formerly local only interests are now becoming global in their businesses and outlook. And foundations and corporations that have also been largely local or regional operations are now thinking differently about their world and influence.

For many of us in advancement it has been challenging enough to deal with internal silos and traditional academic attitudes about our work.  Getting everyone on board and accepting an active role in telling a unified identity clarifying story has been difficult enough.  But now the game is changing again!  Developing a total culture of philanthropy, and an appreciation of marketing as a legitimate and respectable way of thinking, will simply be essential to institutional global success. 

Make no mistake, there is clear evidence that forward-thinking institutions are already gearing up all over the world to meet these challenges.  Past superiority is certainly no guarantee of future success in this new world.  So the basic message of my speech in June will be:  Don’t let your short-term problems (or even successes!) cause you to miss the simple fact that everything is changing right before your eyes!

Posted in Branding, International, Leadership, Lessons Learned, Planning | 1 Comment »

Lesson 111 Is a College Education Worth It?

May 2, 2012 by larrylauer

Since I spent much of my career communicating and marketing universities I think its time I weigh in on this current topic of polarizing political discourse: Is college worth the cost?  What is its value to individuals, and to society? 

My basic answer: For anyone who has even a slight inclination toward wanting a college education it is more than worth the cost.  That may mean it’s not literally for everyone.  But it does mean it should be accessible to anyone.

So what about its cost?  The hallmark of American higher education is our diversity of institutions.  We have private, public, large and small.  We have research, professional, liberal arts, technical and career based. We have church related and secular. We have high, medium and low-cost, with financial aid available for those with need, and scholarships for those with talent.  

The challenge is for people everywhere, both rich and poor, to have the information and help they need to find the right place for them.

The problem arrises when people assume that if they can’t afford any university they choose then all of higher education costs too much.  Higher education, like everything else, is priced relative to its cost of delivery. But also like everything else, if one shops around there is always one at acceptable quality within affordable reach.

This polarized political environment we have today tends to over simplify the situation. You are asked to either see a college education as an investment in the future, the economy, and the development of future taxpayers; or as something that just costs too much, may not be worth your time and money, and is the fault of greedy educators.

Its true too many people accept high dollar loans to attend high tuition schools. But there is no need to do that if the payoff cannot be seen upfront. Based on my 45 years in higher education I say “choose college,” but go forward only with a sensible financial plan, and attend one that suits your realistic academic abilities and interests. 

And don’t listen to today’s extreme rhetoric. If you do you could end up missing the joy of a life time… the joy of making the world of ideas a permanent part of your life.  And you could also be giving up your best opportunity to change that world that now seems so dysfunctional.

How in the world can anyone see that drastic budget cuts, teacher layoffs, and demonizing criticism can solve anything facing a society that desperately needs to grow new leadership, and, yes, expand its taxpayer base?  It simply isn’t true that most universities are poorly managed.  Like any other enterprise, of course, some are wasteful. But I can tell you as a longtime insider, and as a fairly experienced outside consultant, most institutions have recently gone through exhaustive internal assessments, and as a result they are now better managed than many businesses.

It’s really a “no brainer!” For an individual, a college education is the best path to a richer, fuller life… and a much better chance at financial success. And as for society, universities expand their local economies; produce future leaders who grow the larger economy; cultivate wealthier taxpayers; facilitate the discoveries that result in new products, services and a better quality of life; and ensure American competitiveness around the world.  

We already have the best higher education system in the world. Do we really want to cut it apart and demean it at the very time we need it the most?

Posted in Branding, Public Affairs | Leave a Comment »

Lesson 110 Maintaining the “WOW”

April 27, 2012 by larrylauer

The longer I am in the strategic communication field the more I come to believe in the power of the brand. In fact, I have often come to the conclusion that for many institutions the brand is actually the product that is purchased by the consumer.

Taking on an institution’s identity actually helps to complete the individual’s identity. I am reminded of the classic commercial for Marlboro cigarettes:  The Marlboro man was depicted as a rugged cowboy who always looked confident and in command of the total environment around him.  And this image was always associated with smoking, and with holding the little red and white package in his hand. The theory, which apparently worked, was that when the male consumer held that red and white package in his hand he also felt more confident and masculine.  Holding that  package and smoking the cigarettes it contained completed the consumer’s self-image. This was so effective that feminine looking packages for cigarettes quickly appeared copying the Marlboro strategy.

But when an institution finds itself “on a roll” like this, appearing to be the brand of choice and the current “go to” place in its category, everyone associated with this success begins to worry about when it will all come to an end. The question then becomes: How do we maintain, even accelerate, the “WOW?”

Most brands today can behave like fads.  For a time everyone wants your shoe. But then, the “go to” brand can very quickly shift to another emerging one.  New media immediacy, and its constantly consuming audiences, can change brand preference on a dime. This can happen to institutions too. One day your museum is the go to place in town, but the next day a new show elsewhere steals your limelight.

Your continuing challenge is to find ways to keep adding value.  You can do this by adding new features to the product, developing new support services, streamlining distribution, offering carefully focused price incentives, and even enhanced  creative marketing. And yes all of this applies to nonprofits.

But the reality is that sometimes the ride comes to an end, or at least to a plateau. Some economists and other observers are actually saying this about the United States today.  Once the super power in the world, America’s market  conditions have now changed so that it’s not likely that the top position it once enjoyed can be maintained. Now the challenge will be to adjust to new circumstances and ask:  What are the new marketplace realities?  And how can we define our position so that we remain strong, exciting, and highly competitive?

We will still claim we are the best there is at what we do. But now we must see our market realities differently, and adjust our targets, tactics, and special initiatives accordingly.  Adding value never stops. It just must happen now within in a new set of circumstances.

Posted in Branding, Lessons Learned | Leave a Comment »

Lesson 109 Win-Win is Best Approach

April 20, 2012 by larrylauer

Debating can teach you to argue your views and strive to out think your adversaries. But in the practical world of advancing institutions, nations, and causes I have learned that you can only move ideas forward by orchestrating win-win conclusions.

In the rare situation where you actually win the whole day, your adversary will inevitably and  immediately look for opportunities to reverse the situation, or at least just ignore the outcome. When it comes to countries, and even some aggressive organizations, the loser might actually go to the extreme of looking for revenge. The new communication landscape for all practical purposes then becomes more confusing and cluttered than ever.

Experience teaches that you are best advised to negotiate disagreements with a combination of persistence, patience and flexibility. As you proceed, your key objective should be to determine how you can improve your situation while agreeing to some improvements in your adversary’s situation as well.  The most stable outcome always will be one  where there is a clear “win-win.” 

At a later time, and on a new and different day, you might then consider new strategies for altering your previous agreement. Once the competitive moment passes, the climate is often much more conducive to  making additional incremental gains.

Today we tend to push positions to the extreme, and then fight for “my way or the highway.” But even when we win situations like this the loser is immediately plotting a complete reversal.  Your win then becomes no real win at all, and the lesson learned becomes “there must be a better way!”

So I suggest that you make sure you have a clear idea of your ultimate goal, but then be both patient and persistent as you go forward. Move your ideas ahead, but all the time look for what you can give up in order to make at least some progress. Structure a win-win proposal as you go, realizing that fully implementing big ideas must always be an ongoing process.

Posted in Lessons Learned, Public Affairs, Strategic Communication | Leave a Comment »

Lesson 108 The Religion Factor

April 13, 2012 by larrylauer

The Easter weekend produced much discussion in the news media about the increasing role of religion in American discourse. Political candidates have certainly been testing its viability as a winning political theme. All this recent religion talk has stimulated me to think about the  role it often plays in institutional communication.   

So when developing a strategic communication plan today it seems more wise than ever to take into account the role religion may be playing. There are at least two kinds of religious affiliations that will influence the content and tone of all an institution’s communications. And just as importantly, the beliefs associated with these affiliations will also define the context and tone essential for communicating effectively with them.

The first perspective is where institutional religious beliefs or affiliations are firm and the intent is to convert non-believers to them, or at least to affirm those beliefs very aggressively. A second perspective is where institutional religious beliefs are clear and reinforced in the culture, but are not imposed on others. Tolerance for the beliefs of others is also often in this culture.  

But what both of these perspectives will have in common is that their beliefs are clearly embedded in all their  communications, and that successful communication with them will require a sincere respect for those beliefs. If progress is to be made on any issue or program you simply must approach them by respecting the values that they can accept. You don’t have to give up your own beliefs, but you will have to show respect for theirs. Otherwise, you will fail at every turn.

History is filled with stories where intolerance has destroyed relationships, and even entire civilizations. The “lesson learned” simply is that progress requires tolerance and respect. If you cannot do this, your best choice is to work only for organizations and causes that believe as you do. And even then you are likely to fail with many audiences. 

Bottom line: If you want to be successful communicating with a religious organization or individual, pay close attention to their beliefs and affirm them if you can. Or, at the very least make sure you avoid treading on them in any way!

Posted in Lessons Learned, Strategic Communication | Leave a Comment »

Lesson 107 Achieving Happiness

April 6, 2012 by larrylauer

On an airplane to Washington this week I found myself reading an article on happiness. The author was discussing the work of several scholars who are spending their careers researching the topic.  Obviously,  this got me thinking: What have I learned about happiness?

Is happiness reaching that moment when you can say: “I have done what I set out to do. My work is finished.”  Or, is that not what it is at all?  And if not, just what is it?

The thing about teaching and writing is that you learn early on that you only clarify your thinking about something when you have to explain it to someone else. 

How do I go about analyzing this topic?  Do I merely list my life goals and how I will know when I achieve them?  Or is it more a matter of listing those times I felt really pleased about my day and trying to understand why? 

Quickly I was able to say I felt happy when I was leading an important project that I thought was making a difference. But I  also quickly had to admit that perfect conclusions never really happen. There always has been a kind of  “incompleteness” about completing anything. 

And so is it the completion of something important, or is it something in the process itself, that produces this state of “being happy?” 

Ultimately I decided that finding my best talents, engaging in activities that use them, and  putting myself around other people who share and appreciate them, is the  key to my achieving personal bliss. For me it therefore is a condition of “the process” more than the completion of a job, or even a career.

Family and best friends factor into this equation in very essential ways. It is being around compelling people professionally and socially who we find stimulating that in the final analysis brings us the greatest joy. Right relationships matter. Who we put ourselves around determines much of how happy we feel.  

I finally concluded that when we identify the professional colleagues, best friends, and family members who make us feel good and surround ourselves with them; and conversely, when we remove the  activities and people we don’t like from our lives; happiness magically appears.

Happiness therefore is a state of being that we can arrange, and not the grand ovation we get at the end of the road!

Posted in Lessons Learned, Planning | Leave a Comment »

Lesson 106 TV News, New Media, and Books!

March 30, 2012 by larrylauer

This week I had the honor of interviewing Jim and Kate Lehrer as a part of the Alan K. Simpson-Norman Y. Mineta Leaders Series at The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars. Over 425 students from universities across the nation and abroad, their academic advisors, corporate supporters, and special guests, were in attendance.

Noted presidential historian, Michael Beschloss, has called Jim Lehrer a “national monument” for his contribution to TV News, and Kate is an award-winning writer of fiction. And so our conversation moved from the story behind the PBS News Hour, to the dramatic impact of new media on the journalism profession, to the role and future of books.

For Jim and Kate, life and work has been an active partnership. It all began when they met in Dallas, Texas. Jim was a newspaper man soon to move to noncommercial  television as the executive producer and host of a whole new concept in TV news. Kate was an English literature graduate from TCU in Fort Worth, Texas, and was instantly attracted by Jim’s intelligence and his surprising interest in literature.

The new concept in TV news was actually a simple one: Bring newspaper journalists together at the end of the day to sit around a table and report on what they found covering their beats… which included city hall, the public schools, higher education, neighborhood associations, the arts, and more. And it was this idea that would later form the foundation of a long running national broadcast. It would be an ongoing collaboration of Jim and colleague Robert McNeil. And from the very beginning it would be committed to balanced reporting, respect for the integrity of each guest, and dedicated to reporting stories in-depth. All of this has never changed.

As for the impact of new media, the Lehrer’s find it generally positive. Jim is a first amendment advocate, and  aggressively defends free speech.  In answer to a question from the floor he said he believes “candidates have the right to label a portion of health legislation as “death panels,” if they wish,” because he is confident that other points of view on the issue will follow. As for social and new media, the News Hour is working hard to utilize all the tools, so long as the original culture and integrity of the program can be maintained.

We agreed that our collective challenge will be to make sure that each person in today’s media world realizes he or she must become an active editor. Each one of us can choose only the media we agree with if we wish. Or, we can challenge ourselves with all points of view and sources of information.  In the end, we agreed that “media literacy” courses on the topic in public schools and universities are a good idea.

Both Jim and Kate write fiction, and they also talked about how important it was in their lives.  Both agreed that writing fiction allows “getting at the truth” in a way that day-to-day journalism does not. However, Jim’s latest book, Tension City, is a nonfiction “inside look” at the presidential debates.  Jim has moderated eleven of the debates, far more than any other journalist. He believes debates are a very important opportunity to see candidates perform under pressure, which the job of the presidency will require of them every day.  The title came from the senior George Bush, who used those words to describe his entire experience!

Our time together went by far too quickly.  There was so much to talk about, and so little time.  But it was seventy-five minutes I will never forget.  I was in the presence of one of the giants of broadcast journalism, and an award-winning author. And together they demonstrated the power of life partnerships when setting out to do great things.

Posted in Lessons Learned, Media Literacy, Strategic Communication | Leave a Comment »

Lesson 105 Achieving Media Literacy

March 22, 2012 by larrylauer

When television became the dominant medium it changed everything.  It changed how we arranged our furniture. It changed how families interacted, how politics are conducted, how religious denominations communicated, and even how we think and what we know.  Now the “new media” revolution is changing everything again!

Today there is no way to tell facts from fiction. And it’s all too easy to select only the channels or websites or blogs that reinforce our preconceived biases. Whatever’s easy and satisfying. There is so much information out there that it’s easy to become helplessly confused.  What is really going on in Afghanistan anyway?  I get news reports everyday and I still don’t know! 

I need to be my own editor but I don’t know what that means, or how. And what’s more, no one has yet shown me the need… convincingly.  Well, the need is now, and it’s getting serious! 

We are becoming a polarized society, and it’s too easy to fall into the trap of feeding our own narrow beliefs.  Solving real problems requires knowing and respecting all sides of all issues.  It requires being able to represent our cause, but then when the time comes to cooperate  in taking steps to move the society forward. The concept of “compromise now and eventually win the day” has been lost.

Early in my academic career I launched an initiative called “The Media Project,” which sought to show the public just how television was changing everything.  I spoke to teacher in-service conferences urging them to add units of study on media literacy in their humanities and social studies courses.  I spoke to parent-teacher organizations urging them to teach intelligent uses of television at home. Turn it on, but also turn it off! I asked school systems to consider adding whole courses on the topic.  All of this was aimed to simply get people to understand the power of media, and how to manage its use in their own lives.

Since then my life moved off in the direction of helping organizations make themselves better understood.  This route required accepting the realities of how media revolutions change everything, and then figuring out how to cut through all this information clutter with a unified message. It’s not easy. And only partial success is ever possible, and even that takes intensive interactive communication over time.

When I put my academic hat back on today I find myself once again thinking we still need a nationwide media literacy eduction program. In fact, we need it more than ever. We need it in our public and private schools, as a part of the core curricula in universities, and maybe even offered and promoted by the media itself.

Only a better educated public can make democracy work. And it is becoming more and more clear to me every day that understanding how media influences and changes everything should be a vital part of  everyone’s education.  And it’s not just the programming content, it’s the constant use of the technology itself that changes how everything works around it.

Posted in Integrated Marketing, Leadership, Lessons Learned, Media Literacy | Leave a Comment »

Lesson 104 A Seminar on Internal Politics

March 14, 2012 by larrylauer

The Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) is offering one of the first (and maybe the first and only) opportunities for advancement professionals in higher education to engage with colleagues about the internal  barriers that prevent all of us from doing what we know how to do.

Some have cautioned me that enrolling for such a seminar could actually have its own political issues. For example, they assert that attending such a seminar could have negative consequences when you openly signal that you have political issues with the institution. Or, possibly the person who needs to sign off on your attendance is your political problem. If either of these apply to you, let CASE know. You might even ask for the invoice to read “Seminar on Becoming a More Efficient Manager!”  Truthfully, that is what it will be about.

Terry Flannery, Vice President for Communication at American University, will share her experiences expanding her overall influence at an institution that has been dealing with past leadership issues; B.J. Davison, Vice President for Advancement at Frostburg State University, will show you how to survive being the primary change agent at your institution; and I will share all my “lessons learned” in the “100 years” I have been working at advancing our work in many different institutions.

People in all types of organizations tell me over and over again that addressing political issues is the major problem they face. Politics determine who gets ahead, and who doesn’t. Politics determine who gets support for their ideas and projects, and who doesn’t.

The more I hear about these situations the more I realize that we have not addressed this topic as a course of study  in any of our academic programs. We have also not addressed it in staff development sessions at professional  conferences. And so now, CASE is taking the initiative. 

We hope to have enough of you join us for this inaugural problem-solving experience. Please let us know how to frame the topic so you can attend. Contact our CASE conference manager, Ed Groves, at  groves@case.org , for more information, or to give us your suggestions on how to meet your needs on this topic.

There is no doubt about it. It is a key topic on the top of all our minds. We simply must determine how to work with each other to address it.

Posted in Internal Politics, Lessons Learned | 1 Comment »

Lesson 103 To Name Change or Not?

March 8, 2012 by larrylauer

It is not unusual for volunteers on the board of an organization to suggest that it might be time to change its name or identity.  They can often  think that the name is too long or that it does not say what the organization does clearly enough. Or, it might be that they just don’t like it. To the inexperienced, it seems like changing a name is a relatively simple and easy decision to make. A new and upbeat name will certainly bring new life to an old institution. Experience teaches, however, that it is probably the last action that should be considered.

There are many reasons not to change a name: First of all it is much like starting a whole new organization from scratch.  A new name has no identity until it is developed over time. It therefore is very expensive to do.  It costs a lot of money, takes a lot of staff time, and requires enormous amounts of communication and advertising to get the word out to everyone. All the history of your institution goes out the window with your name, and now you face what amounts to a new start-up.

Another reason is that all donors and supporters relate to the old name and know what it stands for well enough to be engaged. Many of them are tied to its traditions, operational style, mission, and vision. With a name change they can now feel disenfranchised and uncertain about the future. Foundations, government agencies, and even some individuals that support mostly established and proven organizations  may now feel that this one has become insecure and unstable. It certainly is now communicating that it is no longer comfortable with its long-established identity.

This is not to say that many organizations would not benefit from an uplift.  But rather than a name change, consider abbreviating it.  For example, will it work to use the letters in large type as the main name, and retain the traditional name under it in smaller type?  For some organizations its letters can become it’s name. Or, if possible, just shorten the name. Edit some of the words, but keep most of it.   

Another approach might be to slightly update the logo and brand design.  Changing these too dramatically, however, can have the same negative “start over” repercussion of a name change.  And many old timers might not like it. But a slight update in design can take the familiar and give it a bit of a contemporary or forward-looking twist. Small adjustments can indeed signal a new day and establish a new spirit for most organizations, especially when accompanied with exciting and newly inspired leadership.

Usually, if you do a pro and con discussion exercise with your group you will list more cons than pros. But sometimes a new start with a new name might be the best answer. It’s very rare, but it could happen when an organization has been allowed to fail too long, or when a consolidation requires that a new name be found.

In general, however, changing the name is the last thing you should consider. Simply put, it will usually end up meaning that you, your colleagues, and your volunteers, will be starting up a whole new organization.

Posted in Branding, Integrated Marketing, Lessons Learned, Planning | Leave a Comment »

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