23. D+ Backlash
Drake “asked for edgy
and out of the box”
Ridiculed on advertising
blogs The Awl and
AdWeek
Students and Alumni
complaints
Apology and
explanation emails to
faculty and staff
“D+ Student” T-Shirts
for sale
By the 2nd week of
“D+gate” Drake removed
the symbol from the
website
“We are an educational
institution and we learn
from our experiences”
- Drake president
David Maxwell
Eric Gorski, “Will Edgier College Marketing Get a Failing Grade?”
for Associated Press. Oct 2010.
Academica’s Top Ten | Sep 2010
24. Drake D+ Campaign
Campus visits +23%
Inquiries +66%
Is it a strategy to
launch a controversial
campaign and then
quietly yank it two
weeks later?
Does it matter if it
generates results?
Eric Gorski, “Will Edgier College Marketing Get a Failing Grade?”
for Associated Press. Oct 2010.
Academica’s Top Ten | Sep 2010
59. Positioning Challenges
Universities are reluctant to stand for
something concrete, focused, specific
They all stand for:
• “academic excellence”
• “student-centred”
• “premier student experience”
• “world-class research”
63. Positioning Challenges
If you try to stand for everything,
you in fact stand for nothing
Successful positioning:
“own a word in the prospect’s mind”