Current work done by Young Isaac with our beloved client, The College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) at The Ohio State University is the cover story of the national trade journal, Admissions Marketing Report. While this national recognition has sparked telephone calls to Young Isaac from other colleges and universities (and that’s always nice), the actual work has been the greatest delight. The faculty is smart and nurturing, the students are wisely choosing their way in the world, and matching the two is an honor.
Now that the campaign has been implemented, the College is enjoying a record number of visits and the highest ever measured response from direct mail. Our Clarity process for brand message strategy focused our communciations and revealed these motivating aspects:
The College’s mission couldn’t be more important. As one student put it during our initial Clarity (brand message strategy) session, “We are the minority that feeds the majority.” When you hear that, from a student, wise beyond her years, you know you have entered into The Realm Of The Important.
Other colleges at Ohio State — traditional sciences, business, etc. — attract traditionally gifted high school seniors. But what of the student who wants to pursue the study of our natural world in the most practical of ways: how to feed and clothe people, how to help humanity survive and thrive on the planet? These candidates come from the broadest pool: from rural to suburban. And they have the broadest range of interests and ambitions: from engineering food production to designing a golf course (which has its roots in turf management, an agricultural science). The marketing challenge requires that we connect emotionally and practically with the candidate and his or her family.For the entire article and a full description of how the campaign works, contact Artie Isaac.
Speaking of Food Sciences, here’s a fun story. Do you know the Drumstick ice cream novelty? That’s the ready-to-eat vanilla ice cream sugar cone with chocolate and nuts on it. Just remove the paper and go at it. Do you know why the inside of the cone is coated with chocolate? The Drumstick was developed by a Columbus entrepreneur who was vexed by a basic challenge: how to prevent the cone from becoming soggy when it’s in direct contact with ice cream throughout the shipping process? So the entrepreneur, Thomas L. Parker, went to CFAES and asked for help. In the end, the scientists and Mr. Parker agreed to coat the inside of the cone with chocolate, not simply as a taste treat, but also as a vapor barrier! (And, in the end, Mr. Parker ended up with a giant house here in Columbus and made a multi-million dollar gift to Ohio State’s CFAES.)
