Touro Team Brings Home Marketing Honors
Office of Advancement Campaign – with Input, Support from Students, Faculty – Boosts College of Pharmacy Enrollment
A marketing campaign to increase enrollment in Touro University California’s College of Pharmacy was recognized this summer for its creativity and effectiveness.
The recognition came from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, or CASE, a global nonprofit association that’s dedicated to educational advancement in the areas of alumni relations, communications, development, marketing, and advancement services.
TUC came away from the CASE Circle of Excellence competition with a Bronze Award, the first-ever CASE award for TUC’s Office of Advancement.
“We are immensely proud of our team for their dedication and creativity in developing a campaign that truly resonates with prospective students and reflects the collaborative spirit of our University community,” says Dr. Tami Hendriksz, TUC’s Interim Chief Academic Officer and Dean and CAO of the College of Osteopathic Medicine. “This award is a testament to the hard work and innovative efforts of our students, faculty, and the Office of Advancement.”
Genesis of a Successful Marketing Effort
The Office of Advancement developed a campaign called “Your Rx for Success,” designed to showcase the university’s three-year PharmD doctoral program in the College of Pharmacy. The aim was not just to increase enrollment, but to do so in a proactive and optimistic manner.
The effort included input from students and faculty to craft a campaign that resonated with prospective students. The office then created and distributed messaging across numerous platforms: social media, digital campaigns, emails, a dedicated landing page, and various forms of print and community-centric advertising.
To further the effort, a Pharmacy Ambassador program was created to gather valuable insights. Pharmacy students formed a dedicated social media team, which, through an Instagram account, spotlighted the pharmacy program and its faculty and students, creating additional enthusiasm.
Positive Results and Glowing Reviews
Results from the multifaceted campaign exceeded the target for program leads and contributed to the College of Pharmacy meeting its enrollment goals. The approach also allowed the Advancement team to track and analyze the effectiveness of each channel used for the campaign.
Judges praised the scope of the work.
“Good nomination with results to back up its intended goals and objectives. We really enjoyed the collaboration between faculty and pharmacy students, and all agree that it brought lasting impact to the larger community,” the judges wrote. “Great results with an outstanding return on investment!”
CASE’s annual Circle of Excellence Awards showcase outstanding work in advancement.
The awards recognize exceptional achievement in advancement services, alumni relations, communications, fundraising, and marketing.
Newman Hoffman, Vice President and Interim CEO at TUC, praised the Office of Advancement for its efforts to support each of the programs across the University, but particularly the College of Pharmacy, which saw an increase in enrollment year-over-year as the marketing campaign was in place.
“It is so exciting to see this work recognized not only within Touro, but also by a national organization,” Hoffman said.
A total of 486 winners were selected from among 4,223 global entries by a panel of 440 volunteer judges. TUC was recognized in CASE’s Independent Schools Sector for the U.S./Canada, District VII – West Region.
The Bronze Circle of Excellence Award came in the Marketing Initiatives Category for departments with fewer than 10 staff members. The awards were announced in late June.