Céad míle fáilte: While the Irish greeting for “100,000 Welcomes” hasn’t translated exactly to  that number of new client relationships in 2010, we have had quite the busy first two quarters at Lipman Hearne establishing new partnerships. We are proud of, and excited by, the collaborations that are underway and would like to take a moment to properly welcome the following nonprofit organizations:

Advocate Health Care
Alverno College
American Medical Association
California State University, Northridge
Channel One
Council for a Strong America
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
George Washington University
National Defense University
Northwest Area Foundation
Pew Center for Statistics
Rhodes College
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Schoolnet
Seton Hall University
Society of Actuaries
University at Buffalo
University of Alabama in Huntsville
University of Pittsburgh Katz Graduate School of Business
University of Virginia Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy

My take on this topic…brand experience is the next most important horizon for all brands. As marketers, we continue to refine and master the “channels” and the product positioning and the pitch — but, ugh, those darn actual brand experiences that real people have with our real enterprises, products and services. Those make or break moments of reality that are the ultimate differentiators. The article does a fine job making the point that people (their motivation, behaviors, passion, etc.) are important to brands. Certainly a point worth making. The question is what are the new models and approaches that are going to make this possible? I think there are ways to tackle this and some interesting new models are emerging. But we all have a long way to go before a real discipline evolves around this subject.

- Tim Westerbeck, Managing Director & Principal

This topic has had a lot of coverage for several years, starting even before Enron and other high-profile ethical messes. The global financial meltdown has given this issue even more steam. I just hope that this time the discussion evolves past “teaching ethics,” which is a questionable concept (adults learning to be ethical). I see a lot of business schools digging way deeper than new courses or experiences or requirements of some sort. They are looking at their entire cultures, the values that the institution stands for, the deeper ethic of the place and how the entire enterprise reflects that there is a lot more to sustainable business success than technical skills, hands on experience, global perspectives and the many other buzzwords nearly every business school today tries to use to differentiate its value in the marketplace. Beyond the fact that this is the right thing to do and will, if pursued seriously, perhaps up the esteem the world currently has for business education, it’s also a smart strategic step from a reputation building standpoint. I’ve studied many business schools and never seen one that doesn’t have at its core particular values and a related educational culture that really makes it unique. I see an era where great business school brands will be built on the character of institutions and how well they cultivate a new set of values in students. For further reading on the subject, I recommend this recent article in the Baylor Business Review.

- Tim Westerbeck, Managing Director & Principal

Why Character is Destiny for Business Schools – and the MBAs They Groom, in the new issue of the Baylor Business Review takes a look at the role issues of “character formation” play in the business school of the future.  In the article, I observe that this is not only important from a curriculum standpoint—and, we all hope, for the future of the global economy – but also regarding how schools will differentiate their brands in today’s hypercompetitive management education marketplace.

Marketing on a specific type of program attribute is ineffective, when so many business schools – or at least their marketing – look the same on nearly every level.  What each school owns that is unique is its values and culture, the basis of a distinctive brand.

- Tim Westerbeck, Managing Director & Principal

Like Tweets and most texts, bubbles are short, with a recording limit at one minute.  But Bubbly has added intimacy – users hear a favorite, well-known, or trusted voice instead of just reading a simple message, which, for celebrities, could have been written by an agent.

While the BBC is leading networks in using Bubbly to release breaking news, the Indian film industry is using Bubbly as a tool to build buzz – and brands.

Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor, Bollywood stars who appear together in the film “3 Idiots,” were using Bubbly to promote the film before its release.  Their bubbles soon had hundreds of thousands of followers, and built incredible anticipation over the movie.  The film swept India’s 2010 Star Screen and Filmfare Awards, and has grossed over $86 million – the highest profit in history for any Indian-made film.  It seems the film owes some of its box office success to Bubbly.  And so do its stars.

Bollywood stars aren’t free from Hollywood’s standards of youth and vitality to grab choice roles and maintain careers.  And what better way to appear young than to be among the first to popularize a new social media tool?  In a recent interview, the mid-40s Aamir Khan was asked how he stays young looking enough to play a 20-something college student in “3 Idiots.”  He answered that it’s essential to eat a balanced diet, drink lots of water, and get plenty of rest.  He could have added bubbling to the list.

The list of countries in which BubbleTalk has been launched is limited so far, and there aren’t immediate plans for a U.S. (or U.K.) launch.  So while there aren’t options here now for utilization, there is time to investigate how potential users respond to this new media and the potential impact on communication channels here.  Is enthusiasm for Twitter fading?  Nonprofits struggle with being both media savvy and able to implement new options usefully, could BubbleTalk be the righ solution?  Or is this mode of information dissemination not the right match?  One blogger notes, “ears are for music and for live communication, not for news that I scan more quickly with my eyes.”  Let us know your initial reaction to this emerging tool.

- Liz Arora

New legislation being considered by the U.S. Department of Education is squarely aimed at for-profit colleges, with the intent of linking a student’s debt with their post-graduate earnings.  Their concern is that students—lured by advertising—are investing in credentials or degrees that don’t actually deliver the earning power that the student expects, generating flotillas of “underwater” degrees that are as much a burden on American households as those unsupportable mortgages. (A recent New York Times article made waves around this issue—sourcing their critique primarily from a handful of disaffected students and former administrators of for-profit institutions.)

While one might argue about the philosophical underpinnings of this argument (is college really all about making more money?), my question is bigger: why stop with the nonprofit institutions? Make all higher ed institutions earmark their cost with the earning potential of their graduates.  I mean, the Ph.D. philosopher cab driver is a cliché because it actually happens, and next time you have a heavily-tattooed barista steam you a mocha skim latte, you could amuse yourself by asking if their MFA is in fine, performing, or written arts.

My point is simple: while there are, indeed, some suspicious players in the for-profit education sphere, the underlying tax status of an education provider does not predict whether or not a student derives value from the investment he or she makes.  Plenty of folks have walked out of nonprofit colleges and universities with a costly degree that doesn’t actually gain them much in the marketplace, and plenty of folks have walked out of for-profit providers and gotten decent jobs afterwards.  The issues that Congress should concern themselves with have to do with quality of programs, retention/graduation, accreditation, and the like.  We all know there are a lot of nonprofit institutions out there that generate income in excess of cost—it simply becomes a reserve fund or quasi endowment, rather than being paid out to shareholders.

And the bigger point may be that nonprofit education providers should perhaps spend their time developing more competitive offerings rather than worrying about the perceived advantages of the for-profit providers.  All of our research shows that students have a very strong brand preference for the nonprofits as opposed to the for-profits—so make the most of it.

- Rob Moore, Managing Partner

Upon reading the first article in a three-part Business Week series examining high-profile searches for new business school deans, it struck me that it is hard to overstate the importance of getting this process right. As with a corporate CEO position, the individual leading each of these institutions — or at any top business school — is brand ambassador number one, and will play a critical role in stewarding these global enterprises amidst the most highly competitive period in business school history.

Being a b-school dean today is one of the hardest jobs in the world. Each of these institutions will do well to select someone who not only has the hard credentials, but understands that these are also complex brands for which their leader must embody the brand promise with diverse and demanding constituents around the globe. Their most valuable asset, their reputation, is on the line.

- Tim Westerbeck, Managing Director & Principal

One aspect of CCA’s mission is its Alliance of States.  These states’ governors and leaders in higher education have pledged to make college completion a legislative priority by setting completion goals, creating a plan to reach those goals, and publicly reporting progress.  The Alliance has 17 member states now, but its ranks continue to grow.

Clips resulting from the launch currently number over 300 in media around the country, in the Alliance states, in national print and broadcast outlets, and in higher education trade publications.

In addition to coordinating the launch, Lipman Hearne designed CCA’s new visual identity, stationery suite, a temporary landing page (to house materials for the media before the launch), and CCA’s new website.  Impressive comments about the site and the CCA’s work are already rolling in.

One early site visitor praised the website for “delivering  a great and powerful new tool that combines the voices of students demanding reform together with powerful state- and campus-level data.”

And from Stan Jones, Complete College America’s President, comes this recommendation:  “I know everyone is busy but take a minute and watch at least the first video on the website.  It is an excellent reminder of why we do this work.”

1. Budgets
2. Raising money
3. Alumni engagement
4. New Competitors
5. Demographics

The fans of acrostics will see it all spells BRAND – and stands as a shameless plug for my just-published The Real U: Building Brands that Resonate with Students, Faculty, Staff, and Donors, which contains perhaps the only chapter in a book published by CASE that starts with a rude quote by Bo Diddley.

So, Scott, since I stepped in for you, how about a nice blurb on the book?  Available now!

- Rob Moore, Managing Partner

Soon the exhibit will go on the road and will assist journalists, business leaders, philanthropists, and others learn about this issue. The exhibit includes sections so that participants will be able to:

• Undertand the science and how early experiences shape the brain.
• Experience what high-quality early education looks like.
• See the results by making virtual visits to example programs.
• Get the ROI by delving into what makes this a smart investment with big returns.
• Test knowledge of the ABCs of major funding streams.

Learn more in this news story.

- Adam Shapiro, Vice President Public Affairs