Viterbo gives more than just an education

The price of a cup of coffee at many coffee shops is around two dollars, but a patron gets more than just a cup of coffee; the patron gets a unique experience.

That is the analogy Patrick Kerrigan, vice president of communications and marketing, used to explain Viterbo's marketing policies. Attending Viterbo University gives more than just an education, it gives a unique experience, he told Lumen.

"Viterbo offers a unique opportunity to grow," Kerrigan said.

The Communications and Marketing department's primary goals are to support recruitment, fundraise, and promote overall university advancement in a creative and ethical way, Kerrigan said.

In order to articulate the concept of education in a powerful and exciting way, the Communications and Marketing department focuses on stories and experiences, not the degree, Kerrigan said. This is why the commercials for Viterbo feature actual students and not actors and the slogan "Viterbo is my . . . school."

Paul Wilhelmson, the marketing director for the Communication and Marketing department, handles some script writing for radio commercials and storyboarding for TV commercials, and he worked on the "Viterbo is my. . . school" campaign.

Wilhelmson started his career at Viterbo in 2007 when Viterbo was using the "It's my... life" campaign. "It's my . . . life" was deemed "unclear" by Kerrigan, and so his department was asked to update it Wilhelmson said. Kerrigan wanted a campaign that focused on the theme that Viterbo was versatile, and "It's my . . . school" was created.

The new campaign targets the Generation Y students who want to be engaged, in control, and involved, but on their own time Wilhelmson said. "It's my . . . school" allows Viterbo to be whatever the student wants, and it gives them a "sense of ownership."

To keep the commercials authentic and focused around personal experiences, the TV commercials use actual students Wilhelmson said. No scripts are used; instead, each student in the "It's my... school" campaign was interviewed for 40 or more minutes and pieces of the interviews were put together for the commercial.

Viterbo focuses on the individual, and what appeals to him or her Kerrigan said. Financial aid, a small school, the area, and specific programs are all factors that appeal to both returning and new students. Marketing is all about "the right message to the right person," and the school size and location are the two biggest selling points of Viterbo, Wilhelmson said.

The "It's my . . . school" campaign was marketed in a 100 mile radius using a variety of marketing techniques. Wilhelmson uses Neilsen Books, books that display surveyed data of what age groups watch certain channels at certain times, to pick the times and channels the Viterbo commercials should air.

Viterbo uses the radio to market to adults as younger students rarely listen to the radio Wilhelmson said. Because of this, Viterbo commercials are played in the morning and at night to catch adults on their way to and from work, when they are "most vulnerable to advertisements." The two primary radio stations used by Viterbo are Z-93 and 94.7.

There is more to just marketing to groups interested in Viterbo. Communications and Marketing also has to handle "bad press" events and problems that negatively affect Viterbo, Kerrigan said. Viterbo is upfront when talking to the media about bad press and Viterbo prioritizes the truth.

"The press respect you when you communicate with them" and so all questions are answered as best as possible from the institutions' perspective, and then put into context, Kerrigan said.

A rise in tuition, for example, would be discussed in a constructive and upfront manner, and all aspects of the tuition increase would be put into perspective, Kerrigan said. How much did tuition increase? How does that compare with other institutions in the area? What do students get with their increase in payments? With the new nursing building, for example, students and faculty will be getting new technology which shows that Viterbo is growing as a university.

Kerrigan is looking forward to promoting the new nursing building. The new building will be the best facility for nursing students in the region, and Viterbo will be one of the largest nursing schools in the state Kerrigan said. Viterbo plans to advertise the new building with a webcam offering videos of the buildings construction, student stories, and pictures. All the advertisements will feature actual students and focus on new opportunities

Viterbo stays in contact with alumni through Strides, a magazine that gets sent out to all Viterbo alumni. Strides offer more opportunities to tell stories and it keeps alumni informed about the school. Strides also "offers opportunity to support Viterbo" through monetary gifts because "alumni support is critical," Kerrigan said. There have been a few examples of alumni that left donations to Viterbo in their wills.

 "Relationships with colleges stick," Kerrigan said.