The campaign was boosted last month and the slogan is now appearing in a national TV ad, area billboards, bus shelter posters, social media, radio ads and other advertising venues locally and throughout Ohio cities.
Also targeted are the media markets of Chicago — a traditionally fertile student recruitment market — and New Haven, Conn., which home to Yale University.
With Miami — and other post-secondary institutions nationwide — continuing to return to normal after operating under the shadow of COVID-19, the time was right, said school officials in their statement announcing the new marketing campaign.
“It’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity to boldly assert a vision for leadership and purpose in a world emerging from a global pandemic. It’s our chance to show how — through our collective will — we empower the brightest minds to solve the most pressing issues of the day,” wrote Miami officials.
Christian Ponce, Miami’s senior director of marketing and communications, explained the new “Power of Will” theme, saying “when we tell prospective students they will accomplish great things at Miami, we are saying it’s our mission to help them accomplish great things.”
“We provide the resources, opportunity, and support. They do the rest,” said Ponce.
Miami University is Butler County’s largest employer and enrolls more than 20,000 students with most attending the school’s main Oxford campus. The school also has regional campuses in Hamilton and Middletown with a Learning Center in West Chester Twp.
Miami President Gregory Crawford highlighted the new campaign late last month during a presentation at the school’s spring university update.
“We are really focused in on … enhancing our national brand, and also expanding our multicultural footprint,” President Crawford said during the spring update.
School officials said The Power of Will concept includes “multicultural marketing aimed to attract African Americans and Latinx students and families, with digital ads and radio commercials in English and Spanish.”
It’s a student-centered marketing strategy “told through the lens of Miami’s students — what they can accomplish and how they can help others.”
“The message we are sharing is that Miami University wants to partake in your journey, but you are the author of your own story,” Ponce said. “Miami University is only the guide. Our students are the champions. Our families are the champions. We’re here to provide the learning community support system people need in order to pursue their academic dreams.”
More than 15,300 participants in the Miami community provided feedback during the campaign’s creation, including from staff, faculty, current and prospective students, current and prospective parents of students, alumni, high school guidance counselors and the general public, said officials.
Jessica Rivinius, vice president and chief communications and marketing officer, said: “We want the Power of Will to encourage our audience and pull them in to say, ‘We are a community with shared purpose.’”
“While we don’t all share the same experiences, we do share a similar array of emotions, fears, and hopes. The Power of Will touches on and amplifies that and comes to life for our students, faculty and staff.”
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