Use the research to help address - Ohio State University · Ohio State’s Research Prowess # #11 Ohio State s Research Prowess Highlight the breadth and depth of Ohio State’s research

Use the research to help addressOhio State’s major goals:

1 Capital CampaignCapital Campaign

2 National AwarenessNational Awareness

3 Strengthen RelationshipsStrengthen Relationships

4 h kh k4 BenchmarksBenchmarks

5 Message TestingMessage Testing

3OSU Research Summary – March, 2010

5 Message TestingMessage Testing

To help meet these goals the research was designed to:

1 Measure awareness of, and attitudes toward, Ohio State University among key audiences and stakeholders.Measure awareness of, and attitudes toward, Ohio State University among key audiences and stakeholders.

g

2Explore the potential tension between Ohio State’s land grant mission, and its goal to strive for more rigorous academic standards

Explore the potential tension between Ohio State’s land grant mission, and its goal to strive for more rigorous academic standardsacademic standards.academic standards.

3 Understand expectations of the University and its perceived role in the communityUnderstand expectations of the University and its perceived role in the community3 perceived role in the community.perceived role in the community.

4 Test messaging to identify the key themes and language Test messaging to identify the key themes and language


4 g g y y g gthat resonate across the target groups.

g g y y g gthat resonate across the target groups.

Methodology & Target Audience

Research components completed between January 2009-January 2010:

Eleven Focus Groups• Nine in-person; Two online

• Seven Alumni Groups• Two Voter Groups• Two Community Leader Groups

Twenty-eight in-depth, one-on-one interviews• Eighteen Ohio Leaders• Ten Funders/PartnersTen Funders/Partners

Three surveys• Alumni Survey (N=1,009 Online & Telephone)


• Voter Survey (N=600 Telephone)• National Leaders Survey (N=303 Telephone)

Alumni: Undergraduate and graduate; donors and non-donors.

Columbus community leaders.

Ohio business, government, and civic leaders.

University funders and partners in Ohio andUniversity funders and partners in Ohio and beyond.

National corporate non profit media andNational corporate, non-profit, media, and government leaders.

hi


Ohio voters.

Awareness & Perceptions of Ohio State

Ohio voters and alumni donors have very f bl i i f th U i it

Image Among Voters Satisfaction Among Alumni Donors

favorable impressions of the University.Ohio State University

Image Among Voters Satisfaction Among Alumni Donors

61%Very

Fav Unfav Very Satisfied Very Satisfied


However, there is room for improvement among non donor alumni and a broaderamong non-donor alumni, and a broader

national audience. Ohio State University

Satisfaction Non-Donor Alumni Image Among National Leaders

Ohio State University

National LeadersNational LeadersAwareness of OSU

Great Deal/Fair Amount 38%Some 29%Very Little/Nothing at all 33% y / g

Ve Satisfied Fa o able Ne t alUnfa o able


Very Satisfied Favorable NeutralUnfavorable

Knowledge, geography and personal connection are key drivers of opinionconnection are key drivers of opinion.

Very Fav Image of OSU Among Voters by

A ea & Connection

Strong Bond with OSUAmong Alumni

Fav Image of OSUAmong National Leaders

B OSU Kno ledgeArea & ConnectionVery Fav

Columbus 66%

By OSU Knowledge

Columbus Media Market 66%Cleveland Media Market 61%Cincinnati Media Market 52%DaytonMedia Market 63%

39%VeryFav 13%

VeryMedia Market

Franklin Cty 70%Donated Time/M 76%

yFav


Money 76%

Football and size are top-of-mind, but b h li i d i h i ff iboth are limited in their effectiveness.

Initial favorable impressions tend to be driven by football/athletics and the broad range ofby football/athletics and the broad range of opportunities offered by the university.

Even among alumni who have theEven among alumni who have the most in-depth knowledge of the University, the football team is almost always the first thing audiences y gmention when asked to tell us about Ohio State.

While football/athletics may provideWhile football/athletics may provide an excellent communications vehicle, using athletic imagery in academic/research messages about


academic/research messages about the University is not effective.

Be careful about size. F i d di i f iFocus instead on diversity of opportunity.

Most audiences are intimidated by or concerned about the size of Ohio State They worry thatabout the size of Ohio State. They worry that students get “lost in the shuffle,” or they may have a very impersonal experience.

When alumni discuss Ohio State’s size in a favorable light, it is because they are extolling the enormous opportunity and diversity afforded toenormous opportunity and diversity afforded to them – not the literal size of the institution.

Communicating about the depth and breadth of opportunities offered resonates much better than highlighting actual size, number of students or

il bl


courses available.

In their own words…

“It’s size. It’s way too big. I hear it’s like a factory. I don’t know how you would have a quality education at that size of a school ”quality education at that size of a school.”

-National Opinion Leader

“Academic diversity as well as social. It is a buffet. You can

select your major but then y jdabble in these other things.”

-Alumni“OSU gave me a great opportunity to explore,OSU gave me a great opportunity to explore, explore, explore. Not only academically, but

also culturally. The number of classes offered was broad and diverse.”


-Alumni

To know Ohio State is to be impressed.Those who profess a high degree of familiarity with Ohio State tend to rank it

th b t bli i iti i thamong the best public universities in the nation, often citing specific programs or schools as sources of excellence.

Those who learn about Ohio State during our research process come away surprisedour research process come away surprised and impressed at the University’s many accomplishments.


Take a victory lap: Tell people what’s h i Ohi Shappening at Ohio State.

There is great opportunity for raising awareness and favorable impressions of Ohio State simply byand favorable impressions of Ohio State simply by communicating the University’s achievements.

With the exception of heavily involved alumni, p y ,most audiences are not aware of Ohio State’s accomplishments.

Learning about these achievements can produce a “wow, I had no idea” effect – even among Columbus residents.


Communicating About Ohio State: What Works

It’s about being relevant and focusing bl h ffon problems that affect everyone.

Across all audiences there are practical, “real world” expectations of Ohio State and its role inworld expectations of Ohio State and its role in the community/state.

Key expectations include:

Providing an affordable, accessible, high quality education;

1

2 Graduating highly trained and skilled2

3

Graduating highly trained and skilled workers; and,

Producing research that impacts everyone.

Additionally, alumni, Ohio’s voters, and community/business leaders expect the University to sustain and expand its role as an economic


to sustain and expand its role as an economic engine for the state.

There are four key themes that resonate t t t Th t kacross most target groups. These track

directly with the expectation that Ohio State be a great university that is wellState be a great university that is well

aligned to the real world and the challenges we face today.g y

1 Research Research 3 Economic t ib ti

Economic t ib ti1 prowess.prowess. 3 contribution.contribution.

2Value for money/return on investment.

Value for money/return on investment.

4Accessibility and diversity of opportunity.

Accessibility and diversity of opportunity.


on investment.on investment. opportunity.opportunity.

Ohio State’s Research Prowess#1#1#1#1

Ohio State s Research Prowess

Highlight the breadth and depth of Ohio State’s research capabilities AND what that translates into in the real world.

Ohi S d di f h l dOhio State dedicates one of the largest and most experienced research teams in the country to pioneering medical breakthroughs.

Experts are focused on curing cancer and heart disease opening new fields such as medicaldisease, opening new fields such as medical imaging, and creating whole new systems for world-class, affordable health care.




Be explicit about Ohio State’s top-rung status. A comparison to Duke raises Ohio State’s profile,comparison to Duke raises Ohio State s profile, increases its credibility, and helps impress the level at which the University’s bench-to-bedside research is operating and competingresearch is operating and competing.

Ohio State is second only to Duke among all universities in the country in the number of

i t t fi i ti i it hprivate sector firms investing in its research.

It boasts one of the largest and most comprehensive research teams in the nationcomprehensive research teams in the nation, and has assembled experts from a variety of disciplines to increase innovation and solve complex issues such as cancer or new energy


complex issues such as cancer or new energy.



Communicating about Ohio State’s research prowess, its accomplishments, and what it is working on now that can help people (health care, new energy) resonates with all audiences:

Alumni. University funders and partners in Ohio and beyond

Columbus community leaders.

Ohio and beyond.

National corporate, non-profit, media,

Ohio business, government, and i i l d

p , ,and government leaders.

Ohio voters


civic leaders. Ohio voters.

Ohio State’s value for money/ #1#1#2#2 return on investment.

Remind audiences of Ohio State’s affordability and the quality of education received SmartMoney’sthe quality of education received. SmartMoney s ranking is helpful in making this point.

Ohio State offers one of the best value-for-money hi h d i i i hhigher education experiences in the country.

SmartMoney magazine recently ranked it 11th best for return on tuition among all universities inbest for return on tuition among all universities in the nation, including ahead of all Ivy League universities.

One of the first universities in the country to develop an initiative that makes sure every student can afford his or her education during


student can afford his or her education during these uncertain economic times.

Ohio State’s value for money/ #1#1#2#2 return on investment.

Communicating about Ohio State’s value for gmoney resonates most with:

Ohio voters.Ohio voters.

National corporate, non-profit media andnon profit, media, and government leaders.

AlumniAlumni.

Columbus community yleaders.

Ohio State’si ib i#1#1#3#3 economic contribution.

There are different parts to the economic message for Ohio State:message for Ohio State:

Ohio State as an employer, a brand and a reason for fans, students and scholars to visit/move to C l bColumbus:

Ohio State generates more than $4 billion in annual economic impact.p

Ohio State as a quality higher education institute that contributes to the workforce:

It adds 10,000 skilled employees to the workforce every year, and works with hundreds of private and public partners to


p p pcreate new jobs.


As might be expected, the messaging about economic impact resonates most with Ohioeconomic impact resonates most with Ohio voters. They clearly understand that more graduates means a better economy.

“Graduating highly trained and skilled

workers”

“Increasing the number of people who graduate from the state’s higherworkers from the state s higher education institutions will help improve the

state’s economy ”state s economy.



Columbus community leaders, Ohio’s business leaders and some Ohio State funders andleaders, and some Ohio State funders and partners also respond well to the economic messaging.

h b li h i i h hHowever, they believe the University has the potential to have an even greater economic impact by strengthening its bench-to-bedside efforts.

“It [Ohio State] has a huge impact on the state’s economy... but it could be even more... yes it is [an economic engine for the state] but it’s[an economic engine for the state] but it s running on less cylinders than it could... I think their cylinder is yet to be completely fired up.”


-Ohio Business Leader


The economic message has slightly less resonance among alumni though they stillresonance among alumni – though they still acknowledge and recognize the economic importance of Ohio State.

Ohio State’s accessibility d di i f i#1#1#4#4 and diversity of opportunity.

Although not a leading message, it helps to provide reassurance about the accessibility ofprovide reassurance about the accessibility of Ohio State, and the diversity of opportunity afforded by the University.

I k i ith it i i l i i Ohi St tIn keeping with its original mission, Ohio State ensures access to higher education and makes it affordable.

Ohio State guarantees admission for any student with a degree from an accredited Ohio high school to its regional campusesto its regional campuses.

Ohio State is truly unique as students experience a wide breadth and depth of academics, athletics,


wide breadth and depth of academics, athletics, arts, and service learning opportunities.

Ohio State’s accessibility d di i f i#1#1#4#4

Communicating about Ohio State’s accessibility and diversity is most important to:

and diversity of opportunity.

and diversity is most important to:

Ohio voters.

C l b itColumbus community leaders.

National corporate, non-profit, media, and government leaders


government leaders.

The Ohio State Medical Center & Project OneProject One

In keeping with attitudes toward the University, to know the Medical Center

is to be impressed.Wi hi h C l b i h iWithin the Columbus community, there is unanimously high regard for the Medical Center, with The James Cancer Center top-of-mind.p

However, alumni and other audiences outside

Among National Leadersother audiences outside of Columbus and national leaders have relatively low awareness of the

Heard ofOSMC:

low awareness of the Medical Center or the University health care

Have not heard of OSMC


system. OSMC:

Similarly, support for Project One is strong among the Columbus community but itsamong the Columbus community, but its

benefits are viewed as localized to those living further afield.

For local audiences, there are three key themes when talking about OSMC/Project One.

Cutting edge research advancingCutting edge research advancing discoveries in health care;

Contributing to the local economy; and,

Serving the health care needs of the local community.

For broader audiences, include the Ohio State Medical Center and its achievements as evidence of Ohio State’s research prowess


evidence of Ohio State s research prowess.

Effective messaging about Project One taps di l i k idirectly into two key expectations voters

have about Ohio State University.Producing research that impacts everyone

This significantly advances the university's education and research capabilities, and improves patient care It is creating space for teams of

Producing research that impacts everyone. #1#1#1#1

patient care. It is creating space for teams of researchers from diverse disciplines to collaborate and find solutions to complex health problems like cancer and heart disease.

Sustaining and expanding the University’s role as an economic engine:#1#1#2#2This is one of the largest job-generating initiatives in Ohio history, projected to create as many as sixteen thousand, eight hundred full-time jobs, including

i t l fift fi h d d t ti j b


approximately fifty-five hundred construction jobs.

Communicating About Ohio State: What Doesn’tWhat Doesn’t Work So Well

Be aware of the line between striving for academic excellence and making the admissions process more competitive.

Most audiences we spoke with favor striving for academic excellence and raising standards sinceacademic excellence and raising standards since it translates to stronger graduates and better opportunities.

However, when forced to choose, both alumni and voters view the University admissions process as “competitive enough.”p ocess as co pe e e oug


l i

Ohio State should strive to be more competitive with universities

Alumni Voters

more competitive with universities around the country, even if that

means making its undergraduate admissions process moreadmissions process more

competitive.

or

Ohio State is already competitive with universities around the

…or…

with universities around the country and it should not make its undergraduate admissions process

more competitive


more competitive.

The University’s U.S. News and World Report ranking does little to

garner support.Messaging that boasts Ohio State’s progress in the U.S. News & World Report public university rankings is not particularly compelling.

Most audiences view the fact as not that impressive andthat impressive and having limited relevance; while others tend to view the publication’s ranking as somewhat

t i l


controversial.

The goal of becoming a top 10 public university has limited appeal

for different reasons.Many audiences – including those who have fairly extensive knowledge of the university –believe Ohio State is already in the top 10-15 universities. (Why tell them it’s not?)

Others simply fail to be impressed by the p y p ygoal and it has the potential to stir up the tension between raising academic standards and making the admission process more

i icompetitive.


Go back to what we know works: Talking about Ohio State as a great

University that is aligned with the real world and the challenges we face todayworld and the challenges we face today.

Focus on what it takes for Ohio State to move up in ranking (research prowess, producing highlyin ranking (research prowess, producing highly skilled/trained graduates), rather than the ranking itself.

Rather than describing it asRather than describing it as harder to get into, frame the University as more attractive to students –attractive to students because of the breadth/ depth of opportunities offered and the high quality


g q yof education.

Communicating About Ohio State: Do’s and Don’tsDo’s and Don’ts

Finding the right frame and language is key to successful communications.

Don’t:Assume a national leader audience is really familiar ywith Ohio State...

DDo:Work on raising the

i i ’ fil dUniversity’s profile and favorability rating beyond Ohio.


beyond Ohio.


Don’t:Don’t:Talk about how large Ohio St t iState is...

DDo:Talk about the breadth and d th f t itidepth of opportunities afforded by the University.



Don’t:Don’t:Be shy about taking a i t lvictory lap...

DDo:Tell people FACTS about Ohi St t ’ hi tOhio State’s achievements and accomplishments.



Don’t:Don t:Make the message/goal too “academic ” “lofty” ortoo academic, lofty or complicated...

Do:Make the message relevant gto solving real world problems and challenges we face today


we face today.

Finding the right frame and language is key to successful communications.Don’t:Stray too far from what we know works...

Do:Talk about Ohio State’sTalk about Ohio State’s research prowess, its economic contribution, its ,value for money, and reassure audiences about its accessibilit


its accessibility.

Finding the right frame and language is key to successful communications.Don’t:Shy away from emphasizing the economic role of the University...

Do:Do:Embrace your role in the economic health of theeconomic health of the state and highlight how much Ohio State


contributes to it.

Finding the right frame and language is key to successful communications.Don’t:Talk about making admissions standards harder/more competitive...

Do:Do:Talk about the University as being more attractive to as be g o e att act e tostudents because of the range of opportunities and hi h lit d ti


high quality education.

Finding the right frame and language is key to successful communications.Don’t:Talk explicitly about the goal of moving up in rankings...

DDo:Focus on what it takes to

i th kimove up in the rankings and communicate these achievements instead.


achievements instead.


Don’t:Don’t:Reference football/athletic p o ess in these imageprowess in these image messages...

Do:U f tb ll/ thl tiUse football/athletics as a vehicle to communicate about Ohio State’s other strengths.


Ohio State s other strengths.

The Bottom Line

The Bottom LineTo know Ohio State is to be impressed by it.

The University is not that well-known outside the state of Ohio.And, though brand loyalists know the University well, even they do not know about its achievements.

Take a victory lap: Tell people in Ohio and nationally about the great things that are happening at Ohio State University.happening at Ohio State University.Make the connection that Ohio State is focusing on the problems that affectthe problems that affect all of us: It’s a University that’s committed to being relevant and making a


relevant and making a real difference.

The Bottom LineRemember…. what matters internally, may not always matter externally.

K th l fKeep your eyes on the goal of becoming a top 10 public university.

Communicate about what it takes to get there but don’t talk about theget there, but don t talk about the goal itself.


The Bottom LineTell the Ohio State story using the four key themes that resonate among most target groups.

Research prowess;Research prowess;Value for money/return on investment;Economic contribution; and,Accessibility and diversityAccessibility and diversity.

Always use context and facts to communicate the story.Dial these themes and stories up and down depending on your audience.


Documents

Use the research to help address - Ohio State University · Ohio State’s Research Prowess # #11 Ohio State s Research Prowess Highlight the breadth and depth of Ohio State’s research