Techlife Magazine S. Krastel, K. Vernon, D. Lue, D. Begin, A. Yury, D. Bachman Smith, T. Koscielnuk and S. Riener NAIT Edmonton, Alberta

Transcription

1 Techlife Magazine S. Krastel, K. Vernon, D. Lue, D. Begin, A. Yury, D. Bachman Smith, T. Koscielnuk and S. Riener NAIT Edmonton, Alberta NEED/OPPORTUNITY / The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) is one of the preeminent institutes of technology in Canada, with approximately 148,000 alumni worldwide. With more accredited programs than any other similar institute in Canada, NAIT provides realworld education in business, advanced technologies and skilled trades to more than 84,400 customers annually at 15 locations in Alberta and in 23 countries around the world. In 2006, in response to a provincial and national skills shortage, declining government funding and a brand positioning study that revealed a lack of understanding among the public about who NAIT is and what NAIT does, NAIT identified the opportunity to evolve its 20-year-old alumni magazine Alumnait into a flagship publication that would introduce and embody a new brand and make a case for increased investment in NAIT. Responsibility for the magazine was moved from the alumni office to the corporate communications department, which was given a mandate to produce a publication that went beyond the typical self-indulgent alumni magazine in order to speak to and engage with a broader audience. The revamped publication would have a special emphasis on meeting the needs of donors and friends in addition to alumni. The team had to create a unique publication that would resonate not only with readers who have a strong relationship with NAIT, but also with stakeholders in business, industry, and government with whom NAIT must lobby for continued and increased financial support and funding. INTENDED AUDIENCES / Total circulation: 108,000 25,000 potential investors/influencers, including: Donors (including near-term and prospective donors). Friends (volunteers, program advisory committee members, business incubator tenants). Government officials decision makers and influencers at all levels of government. Visitors to NAIT campuses. Many don t understand the value of technical education and often view NAIT as a blue-collar school. 83,000 alumni, including: Seventy percent men, 30 percent women (of which 29 percent are in their 20s, 28 percent are in their 30s, followed by readers in their 40s at 22 percent). Ninety-one percent live in Alberta (of which 86 percent live in the Edmonton area, and 8 percent live in Calgary). They had positive views of their NAIT education, were proud of NAIT and liked Alumnait magazine just as it was. AUDIENCE ANALYSIS 1

2 Although alumni make up the largest group of readers, historically, their level of investment in the institute is low, while the proportionately small group of donors and friends represent a highly engaged and invested group of stakeholders who have been largely ignored. More than 85 percent of the institute s leadership donors (CDN$1 million or greater) are corporations that turn to NAIT for skilled employees. Therefore, the donors and friends group is very significant. The opportunity to advocate NAIT s role with government, which provides close to half the institute s funding, is also important. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES / NAIT s vision is to be globally valued for student success, applied research and innovation. NAIT s business goals, outlined in the to four-year business plan, were as follows: Advocate NAIT s key role in government, business, industry and the surrounding communities. Pursue development of NAIT s campuses in accordance with the 10-year campus development plan. PUBLICATION GOAL The goal of the magazine was to increase recognition of NAIT s new brand and increase the value of a NAIT education. The team wanted to produce a magazine that would make its readers feel more connected to NAIT, more informed about NAIT activities and priorities, more proud of their NAIT education, and more motivated to invest time, energy and money into NAIT. Communication Objectives: 1. Generate additional financial investment in NAIT. 2. Increase magazine readership and reader engagement. SOLUTION OVERVIEW / The team undertook a comprehensive 10-month process to determine reader needs and set a new direction for the magazine driven by research and consultation including focus groups, a demographic study of alumni, an survey, student consultation, professional development, an intensive review of consumer magazines and a brand exercise. They identified four main subject areas that appealed to readers: technology, successful alumni, applied research and innovation, and NAIT s global reach all of which aligned well with the Institute s vision. IMPLEMENTATION AND CHALLENGES / The team decided to produce a technology lifestyle magazine by putting a face on technology and NAIT s more than 200 diverse programs. They would raise the value of a technical education and dispel blue-collar stereotypes by promoting NAIT s progressive, personable, and innovative brand through interesting and unexpected stories featuring NAIT stakeholders and technology. The technology would be approachable and provide readers with useful information that they could use in their everyday lives. The team focus tested many names and chose techlife. KEY MESSAGES NAIT is a world leader in technical education. You have a unique and valuable relationship with NAIT. 2

3 A NAIT investment is a strategic investment that returns value to business and industry. CHALLENGES/OPPORTUNITIES Limited resources: In 2006, the magazine was moved from the alumni department to the corporate communications department with no human resources attached. Three communication specialists and two in-house designers added the challenge of producing a top-notch publication to their existing priorities. Replacing an established brand: Many alumni felt a sense of ownership in Alumnait and were opposed to change. Lack of understanding: Some sectors of the organization s primary audience did not understand who NAIT is, what NAIT does and the value of technical education. How to use the magazine to leverage investment: Business and industry want to reach NAIT s readers, but the institute was not sure how to transform this interest into a larger investment. Donor acknowledgement: Readers said they were not interested in stories about donations or photos of check presentations, yet this type of recognition is an important commitment NAIT has made to its donors. Publication frequency: The resource constraints of publishing a magazine had to be balanced with the need to establish regular contact with NAIT s audiences. STRATEGIES Allocate resources to hire great freelance photographers and writers to supplement the inhouse editorial and design team. Invite alumni to participate in the evolution of the magazine. Create departments and regular features that represent what readers said they want to read all with a NAIT connection that reinforces the value of a technical education while meeting Institute priorities and business goals. Form a story idea committee, with representation from all target audience groups, that meets quarterly. Restrict advertising space to donors of CDN$1 million and greater, providing an incentive for investment at this level. Work closely with the fundraising department to research stories with editorial merit on donors and prospective donors, such as a human interest feature on business mogul JR Shaw. Move traditional donor acknowledgement into a separate publication that can be inserted into the magazine when appropriate, allowing the team to meet commitments made by fundraisers without having them drive magazine content. Supplement spring and fall issues (October and April) with a bimonthly e-newsletter featuring video and other interactive features, new content and, eventually, an online community at Use the print magazine to drive readers to strategic online content, including video, contests and academic information. Use electronic signage and the Internet to drive potential stakeholders to the print magazine, the digital edition and ANNUAL OPERATING BUDGET: CDN$264,000 3

4 The budget included all expenses related to mailing, printing, freelance writing and photography. Regarding advertising revenue, techlife magazine does not sell advertising in a traditional way: All leadership donors (CDN$1 million or greater) are given the opportunity to place an ad in techlife as part of an exclusive investor benefits program. The assigned value of the advertising is CDN$1,800 for a full-page ad and CDN$900 for a half-page ad. Operating budget per issue: CDN$132, Printing: CDN$70, Mailing: CDN$50,000 (Canadian and international postage) 3. Freelance writing and photography: CDN$10, Digital edition ( CDN$2,000 MEASUREMENT/EVALUATION / Communication objective: Generate additional financial investment in NAIT. Evaluation: 1. Since implementing techlife advertising as an investor benefit exclusive to donors of CDN$1 million or greater (leadership donors) in 2007, the Institute has received 29 gifts valued at CDN$1 million or greater more than triple the total number of leadership gifts in NAIT s 47-year history. 2. Leadership donors accounted for 72 percent of all funds raised in NAIT s recent capital campaign, which took in CDN$30 million more than its goal in April Several donors below the CDN$1 million leadership level are currently reviewing their investment in NAIT with the objective of getting ad space in techlife. 4. Fundraising staff consistently report that techlife generates a large amount of interest and discussion among donors, potential donors and other decision makers. Communication objective: Increase magazine readership and reader engagement. Evaluation: 1. Circulation has increased from 100,000 to 108,000 since the October 2007 launch of techlife. Distribution methods now include racks on all campuses, distribution at events and direct mailings to registered stakeholders. 2. The team has been successful using the print issue to promote Institute priorities in regard to contests, web extras and other online content. For example, the inaugural novanait challenge was launched in Volume 2.1. The winner is now a client of NAIT s applied research and innovation department, novanait, and has raised the profile of NAIT s applied research through regional and national media, including CBC News, Global TV, Edmonton Journal, City TV, Transit News and Metro. 3. In addition to the 108,000 print copies circulated, a total of 44,951 visits from launch to present have been reported to which reached a record one-day visitor rate of 651 on 4 February The site also boasts a 48 percent return visitor rate. 4. techlife s digital edition has received a total of 8,011 visits (30.46 pages per visit in 2008), and more than 29 percent of recipients consistently open the e-newsletter (sent to over 10,000 readers on a monthly basis). 5. NAIT s use of social media to extend the techlife brand has demonstrated success in its use of tools such as Flickr, itunes and YouTube. On YouTube, for example, techlife videos have been played more than 45,415 times since April

5 6. The team has received more than 100 letters of support from readers. It is currently developing an ongoing readership survey to ensure techlife continues to meet or exceed readers needs. 5