THE REYNOLDS SCHOOL OF

JOURNALISM GRADUATE

PROGRAM

- Media Innovation -

An Integrated Marketing Communications Campaign by:

Caroline Boorman, Steven Brooks, and Gabrielle Congdon

TABLE OF CONTENTS

● Introduction Pg. 1 - 2

● Situation Pg. 3 - 5

● Research Pg. 7 - 11

● Audience Pg. 13 - 14

● Goals & Objectives Pg. 15 - 16

● Strategy Pg. 17 - 19

● Tactics Pg. 21 - 39

● Calendar Pg. 41 - 44

● Budget Pg. 45 - 46

● Evaluation Pg. 47 - 48

● Conclusion Pg. 49 - 50

INTRODUCTION1

The Reynolds School of Journalism offers an 18

month Master’s Degree program that can be

tailored to student’s specific academic and

professional needs while providing them with the

skills necessary to advance in a dynamic media

industry. There are four different tracks of study

for students to choose from: News, Media

Entrepreneurship, Strategic Communications,

and Media Studies. Currently there are 16

graduate students enrolled in the Reynolds

School of Journalism (RSJ) Master’s Degree

Program.

2

Introduction

SITUATION3

Accelerated Program

The Graduate Program is a fast tracked program that requires students to complete a

professional project, a summer internship, and 33 credits within their selected track.

Class Size

The Graduate Program prides itself on its “cohort” style classrooms. With an average of 7

students per cohort, one on one guidance from a professor is a common occurrence.

4

Slow Response to Inquiries

The Graduate program lacks the necessary response time required for email

confirmations to keep prospective students interested and engaged.

Lack of organization

Adequate response times and personality are missing from the graduate program. A

problem which is reflected in the emails and website.

RSJ Graduate Program: Strengths

RSJ Graduate Program: Weaknesses

RSJ Graduate Program: Opportunities

5

Budget

The Reynolds School has the necessary resources available to create and implement

tactics that will appeal to the recommended audience.

Undergraduate Program

The Reynolds School has a successful Undergraduate program which creates an

opportunity to increase applicants for the program.

RSJ Graduate Program: Threats

Competing Schools

The Graduate Program is not seen as a top contender for graduate schools due to its

lack of awareness among the targeted audience.

6

RESEARCH7

Research

Primary: Interviews & Focus Groups

Our team conducted five focus groups, including both current graduate and

undergraduate students. The focus groups consisted of students from five different

journalism classes including: JOUR 305, JOUR 401, JOUR 442 (2 sections) and JOUR

490. Our team also completed in-depth interviews with ten out of sixteen current

Reynolds School graduate students.

From our research we concluded that the current graduate students were unhappy

with their experience in the program. The graduate students felt confused and

apprehensive about their futures in their field of study from their experiences. The

graduate students were also dissatisfied with the lack of direction they received upon

registering for classes.

secondary : shopping the competition

primary : discuss our focus groups data

8

Research cont.

Secondary: Shopping the Competition

Our competitor schools were determined by seeking out master’s degree programs

that had program qualities similar to the Graduate Program.. We were looking for

programs that were: professionally focused, had similar curriculum, and similar tracks

of study for the Master's Degrees. Based on this research, our competition schools are :

9

● Ball State University

● University of Southern California

● Arizona State University

● Johns Hopkins University

● Columbia University

● Georgetown University

● UC Berkeley

● Emerson College

Research cont.

Upon requesting information from six of

our competitor school's, we found that the

average response time from our initial

inquiry was 5.6 minutes. Additionally, no

school took more than 10 minutes to

initiate contact with us.

The RSJ Graduate Program took 4 hours to

initiate contact.

Response Times from Initial Inquiries

10

11

Types of Responses

Research cont.

Of the responses, we received two

generic automated response

emails.

The remaining six programs sent a

personalized follow up email

asking for further information

regarding our specific interests.

Two of these programs also

followed up with a phone call.

12

AUDIENCE13

Primary

Based on our research, our recommended primary audience consists of individuals

who have taken the GRE or GMAT and who are interested in looking to advance their

academic and/or professional careers in Journalism. The determined demographics

are male or female professionals ages 26-35.

14

Audience

Secondary

Our recommended secondary audience consists of individuals who have an interest in

one of the tracks offered by the Graduate Program, and have completed their

Undergraduate degree at the University of Nevada, Reno. The determined

demographics are male or female ages 18-25.

GOALS & OBJECTIVES

15

Goals

The biggest problem the graduate program is facing is the lack of applicants.

The main goal is to increase the graduate program size by 30 students by the

September 2017.

16

Objectives

● Increasing the number of application submissions by 60 by March 2017.

● Receiving 400+ clicks on Google AdWords by December 2016.

● Receiving 600+ clicks on paid Facebook ads by December 2016.

● Gain 100+ likes on Facebook page by December 2016.

STRATEGY17

Strategy

Our strategy is to carry out the key messages of the RSJ Graduate Program throughout

various mediums. Based on our understanding of the program and programs alike, we

have determined that the personable atmosphere and tailored curriculum are attractive

and relevant to the target audience. This is what sets us apart from the competition.

The tactics proposed were chosen based both on how the target audience responds to

information, as well as their demographics and psychographics.

One thing to keep in mind is that recruitment needs to be an ongoing process. In order

for the program to continue to grow, recruitment efforts must continue 24 hours per

day, 365 days per year.

18

Strategy cont.

To achieve these goals, we propose a two part Tactic plan.

Part One will be to generate awareness and inquiries about the Graduate Program. This will be

achieved through the use of paid social media advertisements, Google AdWord campaigns,

boosted Facebook posts, and the creation of a RSJ Graduate Program Facebook page.

Part Two will be to respond to these inquiries in personable way. This will be achieved in 3 stages.

Stage 1: Confirmation email, phone call, direct mail pieces.

Stage 2: Email Newsletter

Stage 3: Branded giveaway items.

This cost effective strategy will help the RSJ Graduate Program maintain a more personalized

experience for their students.

19

20

TACTICS21

Facebook Page

We recommend creating a Facebook

page specifically for the RSJ Graduate

Program.

Example posts will include important

reminders, current student and

professor spotlights, and alumni

success stories.

22

Boosted Posts

We recommend boosting

Facebook posts in order to

effectively target the

recommended audience.

With the ability to choose

demographics and

psychographics, this will

increase awareness for the

RSJ Graduate Program, as

well as increase potential

inquiries about the program.

23

Facebook Advertisements

We created paid Facebook advertisements

that target prospective students from each

of the four tracks offered in the Master’s

Degree programs, as well as ads that are

aimed to increase awareness about the

graduate program as a whole.

These targeted ads will run beginning on

January 1st, 2016 and continue to run until

the application deadline of the following

year, March 15th, 2017. Each ad will target

prospective students by the recommended

demographics and psychographics.

We recommend beginning with general

posts regarding the program as a whole.

24

25

General Graduate Program Posts

Paid Facebook Advertisements: Cost Breakdown

26

Daily Impressions Lifetime Budget Daily Budget Total Budget

Jan.1 - Dec.31, 2016 6,900 - 18,000 $100/month N/A $1,200

Nov.15 - Dec.15, 2016 1,400 - 3,600 N/A $10 $300

Dec.16 - Jan.15, 2016/17 2,100 - 5,500 N/A $15 $450

Jan.16 - Feb.15, 2017 2,800 - 5,500 N/A $20 $600

Feb.16 - Mar.15, 2017 2,100 - 5,500 N/A $15 $405

Total Spending: $2,955Total Potential Reach: 2,764,200 - 7,210,500

Through the use of Facebook Ad campaigns, we have found that we could reach a potential audience of up to

7.2 million potential graduate students over the course of one year. Below is a breakdown of the daily budget

for each cycle of the Facebook Ad campaigns, the total budget for each cycle, as well as the number of estimated

impressions we will receive using these ads. The estimations are made by Facebook using data they have

collected regarding the success of other campaigns with our target audience. The ad campaign will begin on

January 1, 2016 and continue through March 15, 2017, using the first three months of this time as a trial period

to test the effectiveness of each specific ad.

Facebook Posts

27

Google AdWord Campaign: Cost Breakdown

We have chosen to use Google AdWords to strategically target and advertise to our primary audience. Through

the use of keywords that we feel best describe our program, we will be able to reach roughly 2.7 million

impressions over the course of one year. Using the Google AdWords daily potential reach feature, we can

expect our impressions to result in 26 clicks per day on average to the Graduate Program Application page of

the RSJ website. The AdWord campaign will begin on January 1, 2016 and continue through March 15, 2017,

using the first three months of this time as a trial period to test the effectiveness of each specific ad.

For a cost, impressions, clicks, and dates breakdown, refer to the table below.

28

Daily Impressions Daily Clicks Daily Budget Total Budget

Jan.1 - Mar.31 2016 4,000 13+ $5 $450

Apr.1 - Nov. 2016 5,000 22+ $10 $2,290

Nov.15 - Dec.31 2016 5,000 23+ $11 $506

Jan.1 - Feb.15 2017 11,000 39+ $33 $1,518

Feb.16 - Mar.15 2017 9,000 34+ $20 $540

Total Clicks: 10,981+ Total Spending: $4,584Total Impressions: 2,713,000

Google AdWord: Audience & Keywords

29

Google AdWord Example

30

Information Request Form

31

We redesigned the

Information Request

Form by adding an

address field for the direct

mail piece, and giving the

applicant the ability to

check what tracks they

are interested in. This

gives students a quick, yet

personalized response

regarding the track they

selected.

Stage 1

Welcome Video

This “Welcome Video” will feature

an important figure from the

Reynolds School, and will be

shown immediately after a student

submits the Information Request

Form.

The key message of this video is to

give a personal feeling from the

program to the prospective

student, reinforcing the idea that

the Reynolds School personally

cares about their students.

32

Stage 1

Inquiry Response

This email will be sent within five minutes of a

student requesting information using an

autoresponder email system. It will include

specific information about the selected track,

“quick links” to important information as well as

a link to the RSJ Graduate Program Facebook

page.

The purpose of this email is to give the students

confirmation that we received their inquiry

requesting more information about the graduate

program.

33

Stage 1

Phone Call

34

One day after submitting

the request form a

personalized phone call

will be made by Howard

Goldbaum, or Donica

Mensing expressing

their interest in the

applicant.

“Hello _____ this is Howard Goldbaum calling

from the Reynolds School of Journalism graduate

program at the University of Nevada, Reno. I am

reaching out to you in regards to your interest in

our master’s of (track of interest) program. I saw

you requested some information and I just wanted

to go over some details with you to see if our

program would be a good match for you. Please

give me a call back at your earliest convenience,

my phone number is (775) 784-4434. I look

forward to hearing from you.”

Stage 1

Direct Mailer

A redesigned direct mail piece is necessary to relay the information about the RSJ

Graduate Program using photos that directly pertain to the curriculum offered.

This mail piece will be sent to students two weeks after they submit the

information request form.

The purpose of the two week waiting period is to remind students that they

requested information about the Graduate Program, to present them with

additional information regarding the program.

There will be a specific link on the direct mailer that students will use and that

the Graduate Program will then be able to track in order to measure the

effectiveness of the direct mail piece.

35

Stage 1

Direct Mailer: Side 1

36

Direct Mailer: Side 2

37

Newsletter

The Newsletter will be sent out twice a month

and will include information about current

graduate students, professors, and success stories

of alumni. The newsletter will include a section

for important dates to remember such as

application deadlines.

This will be sent to all students who have

inquired about the RSJ Graduate Program using

the email they have provided on the Information

Request From.

The strategy for the Newsletter campaign will be

to keep the students informed and updated on

information about the Reynolds School.

38

Stage 2

Branded Giveaway Items

39

A branded pen and notebook will be sent to

students who have been accepted into the

Graduate Program.

This is a way to to leave a lasting impression and

to thank the student for their interest in the

Graduate Program.

Stage 3

40

TACTIC CALENDAR41

Tactic Calendar: Facebook Posts/Ads

42

Beginning on January 1st, 2016 we recommend the activation of the RSJ Graduate

Program Facebook page. With the goal in mind of building program awareness,

we recommend posting between two and three posts per week to keep our

audience engaged. These posts should continue at this rate moving forward. We

also recommend boosting these posts as you see fit to further increase awareness.

Also starting on January 1st, 2016 and continuing throughout the year, we

recommend posting between two and three paid Facebook ads per month, set

with a “lifetime budget” of $50.

Beginning on November 15th, 2016 we recommend implementing additional

weekly targeted ads, alternating between tracks of focus in a continuous cycle. As

outlined on pg. 30, the daily budget will slowly increase over time, peaking

between the months of January and February, and slightly decreasing as the

application deadline arrives on March 15th, 2017.

Schedule/ Tactic Calendar: Facebook Ads

43

November 2016:

November 15th, 2016 - Media Entrepreneurship Post

November 22nd, 2016 - News Track Post

December 2016:

December 2nd, 2016 - Media Studies Post

December 9th, 2016 - Strategic Communication Post

December 16th, 2016 - Media Entrepreneurship Post

December 20th, 2016 - News Track Post

December 24th, 2016 - Media Studies Post

December 29th, 2016 - Strategic Communications Post

January 2017:

January 2nd, 2017 - Media Entrepreneurship Post

January 6th, 2017 - General Graduate School Post

January 17th, 2017 - News Track Post

January 24th, 2017 - Media Studies Post

January 31st, 2017 - Strategic Communications Post

February 2017:

February 7th, 2017 - Media Entrepreneurship Post

February 14th, 2017 - News Track Post

February 19th, 2017 - Media Studies Post

March 2017:

March 1st, 2017 - Media Entrepreneurial Post

March 1st, 2017 - Reminder of Application Deadline

Schedule/ Tactic Calendar: Google AdWords

44

Phase 1: January 1st, 2016 - March 31st, 2016

- Budget: $5 per day ($450 total)

- Selecting new keywords each month

Phase 2: April 1st, 2016 - November 14th, 2016

- Budget: $10 per day ($2,290 total)

Phase 3: November 15th, 2016 - December 31st, 2016

- Budget: $506 total

- 1 Ad for 6 Weeks

Phase 4: January 1st, 2017 - February 15th, 2017

- Budget: $1,518 total

- New Ad Runs for 6 Weeks

Phase 5: February 16th, 2017 - March 15th, 2017

- Budget: $540 total

- Most Successful Ad runs for Final Month

Beginning with Phase 1, we recommend starting a year

round Google AdWord campaign. This campaign will

have slight variations to be applied periodically as

outlined (see right).

The initial 3 months of the AdWord campaign should

be used to test the success keywords and determine

which words earn the most clicks. The words and ads

that earn the most attention should be used as

guidelines for the remaining campaigns.

For Phase 2 we suggest increasing the budget of the

monthly campaigns and continue to monitor the

successful keywords. Make changes as necessary.

The final stage of the AdWord campaign will begin

during Phase 3 and continue through Phase 5. During

this time, we suggest increasing the budget in a similar

pattern to our Facebook Advertisements, in order to

target our potential applicants during the last window

of time before the application deadline.

BUDGET 45

46

Budget

Total Budget: $13,728

EVALUATION47

Evaluation

Through the activation of the RSJ Graduate Program Facebook page and the

implementation of boosted posts, we expect to gain 100+ page “likes” by December

2016.

Through the Google AdWords campaign and paid Facebook advertisements, we

expect to gain 100+ program inquiries by December 2016 and obtain 400+ and 600+

clicks respectively.

Using the specific link on the Direct Mailer, we will be able to measure the success of

the mailer through December 2016.

48

CONCLUSION

49

Conclusion

By implementing these tactics, the Reynolds School of Journalism Graduate Program can

carry out their key messages by maintaining a personable and tailored atmosphere

throughout the student’s entire time in the program, from their first inquiry all the way

through graduation.

By completing these tasks we believe the program will accomplish their proposed goal of

obtaining a total of 30 graduate students enrolled in the program by September 2017.

50

*All photos provided by the Reynold’s School of Journalism